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Ostrava is the third largest city in the
Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after
Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the
administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the
Municipality with Extended Competence[clarification needed].
Ostrava was candidate for the title of European Capital of
Culture 2015. Ostrava is located at the confluence of the
Ostravice, Oder, Lučina and Opava rivers. Its history and growth
have been largely affected by exploitation and further use of
the high quality black coal deposits discovered in the locality,
giving the town a look of an industrial city and a nickname of
the “steel heart of the republic” (Czech: ocelové srdce
republiky) during the communist era of Czechoslovakia. Many of
the heavy industry companies are being closed down or
transformed.
Ostrava was an important crossroads of prehistoric trading
routes, namely the Amber Road. Archaeological finds have proved
that the area around Ostrava has been permanently inhabited for
25,000 years. Circa 23,000 BC, the Venus of Petřkovice (Petřkovická
venuše in Czech) from Petřkovice in Ostrava, Czech Republic, was
made. It is now in Archeological Institute, Brno. In the 13th
century, the Ostravice river marked the border between the
Silesian duchy of Opole and the March of Moravia under Bohemian
suzerainty. Two settlements arose on both sides of the river:
Slezská Ostrava (Silesian Ostrava) was first mentioned in 1229,
Moravská Ostrava (Moravian Ostrava) in 1267, it received town
privileges in 1279. The Piast dukes of Opole in 1297 built a
fortress on their side of the river. Both parts were largely
settled by Germans in the course of the Ostsiedlung.
Until the late 18th century, Moravská Ostrava was a small
provincial town with a population around one thousand
inhabitants engaged in handicraft. In 1763, large deposits of
black coal were discovered, leading to an industrial boom and a
flood of new immigrants in the following centuries. During the
19th century, several mine towers were raised in and around the
city and the first steel works were established at Vítkovice,
acquired by Salomon Mayer von Rothschild in 1843. Industrial
growth was made possible by the completion of Kaiser-Ferdinands-Nordbahn
from Vienna in 1847. The 20th century saw further industrial
expansion of the city accompanied by an increase in population
and the quality of civic services and culture. However, during
World War II, Ostrava — as an important source of steel for the
arms industry — suffered several massive bombing campaigns that
caused extensive damage to the city. |
