Wintery Ostrava – A City like from a Novel

The Secret of the City of Steel  

The genius loci you will feel in the world-unique industrial area of Dolní Vítkovice cannot be found anywhere else! In winter, a strange calm spreads above the place that looks like it was cut out of the City of Steel novel and the distinct raw beauty is a contrast to the fragile snowflakes... The best view of the whole area as well as the whole city of Ostrava can be found at the lookout point of the Bolt Tower, set at the top of a furnace. Beside the amazing view, you can also enjoy a cup of aromatic coffee in the local café ‘in the clouds.’ But Dolní Vítkovice, the history of which was also written by the House of Rothschild, has much more to offer. You can easily spend a full day there. In the area, you will also find the interactive expositions of the Science and Technology Centre, the National Technical Museum or galleries.  

Journey to the Centre of the Earth  

Do you like the special mysterious atmosphere of technical landmarks? Then continue to Landek Park where you can venture into the mine in the largest mining museum in Czechia. A stroll on snow-covered Landek Hill, a national natural monument, is also interesting and you will even see a mammoth! A visit to Landek will make you feel as if you’re on a journey to the centre of the Earth. Speaking of Jules Verne, Ostrava Zoo, the second largest in the country, can be easily compared to Around the World in Eighty Days, right?

Romance with the Highest ‘First Lady’  

Ostrava is not only mysterious; it can also be elegant and romantic. And this applies twice as much in winter. The sparkle and shine of holiday decorations in the squares and streets, the Christmas markets at several squares, the open-air ice rink… You won’t miss a thing if you decide to spend some time before Christmas in the Moravian-Silesian capital. Enjoy the most beautiful view of the shiny city centre from the lookout tower at the new city hall, which is the highest city hall tower in Czechia.

A Place That Even Stalin Would Be Proud Of  

Ostrava has a lot of interesting things for those who love art and architecture. The Ostrava Art Gallery offers a good dose of art in a Functionalist building, one of Ostrava’s gems of modern architecture, or the PLATO gallery, which can be found in the impressive historical building of a former slaughterhouse. And how about a small trip to wintery Russia? You can experience some of it along the broad avenues lined with buildings in the Stalin Baroque style known as sorela (socialistic realism), in the Ostrava district of Poruba.