Ostrava (Ostrau)
Entering Ostrava you will be quite shocked - industrial plants all over. Along the highways you see huge factories, plants and mines. However, the centre offers you another part of the town. Historic old buildings and a beautifully and colorfully restorated cathedral.Ostrava is the third largest city in Czech Republic with about 300.000 inhabitants. Its foundation dates back to the 13th century, when the "Amber Route" led through the area from the Baltic States to the Mediterranean Sea. The little village turned to a metropolis in the 18th century, when coal deposits were discovered and a lot of industries settled down.Coal mining within the city was stopped in 1994 and therefore a huge income sector broke away. Meanwhile the city has developed to a centre of trading as well as education - Ostrava has two universities.






































