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Ostrava

Moravian-Silesiancity

Photograph of Ostrava
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Ostrava

Total population

279,791

Founded

1267

Elevation260 m
Land area214.23 km²
Coordinates49.83°, 18.28°

Demographic figures from Czech Statistical Office. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Founded
1267
Elevation
260 m
Area
214.23 km²
head of government
Jan Dohnal
Official website
www.ostrava.cz

Sister cities

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Ostrava is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 281,000 inhabitants. It lies near the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava, Ostravice and Lučina. Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic in terms of both population and area, the second largest city in the region of Moravia, and the largest city in the historical land of Czech Silesia. It straddles the border of the two historic lands of Moravia and Silesia. The wider conurbation — which also includes the towns of Bohumín, Havířov, Karviná, Orlová, Petřvald and Rychvald — is home to about 500,000 people, making it the largest urban area in the Czech Republic apart from the capital Prague.

Read more on Wikipedia

History & geography

History

The first written mention of Slezská Ostrava (Silesian Ostrava) dates from 1229, when it was described as a settlement. The first mention of Moravian Ostrava (Moravská Ostrava) in 1267 describes it as a township. Ostrava grew on the banks of the Ostrá River (now the Ostravice) from which it took its name. The river still divides the city into two main parts: Moravian Ostrava (Moravská Ostrava) and Silesian Ostrava (Slezská Ostrava). The settlement occupied a strategic position on the border between the two historic provinces of Moravia and Silesia and on the ancient trade route from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea known as the Amber Road. Its location helped the town to grow and flourish. However, Ostrava began to decline in importance after the Thirty Years' War, and it was occupied by Danish forces in 1626, and by Swedish forces from 1642 to 1650. A turning point in Ostrava's history came in 1763 with the discovery of extensive deposits of high-quality bituminous coal on the Silesian bank of the Ostravice River. In 1828, the owner of the local estates, Rudolf Jan, the archbishop of Olomouc, established an ironworks, which was named after him as the Rudolfshütte. Later, the ironworks passed into the ownership of the Rothschild family and became known as the Vítkovice Ironworks. The company became the driving force behind Ostrava's industrial boom. By the second half of the 20th century, the city was nicknamed the country's "steel heart". In 1931 the Jewish community in Ostrava numbered 6,865 (5.4% of the population). About 8,000 Jews from the Ostrava district were murdered in the Holocaust during the German occupation in World War II. The Nisko Plan included the first deportation train transports of 1,301 Jews from Ostrava on 17 and 26 October 1939. In 1994, a…

Geography

Ostrava is located about east of Prague. It lies mostly in the Ostrava Basin lowland, only the southwestern part of the municipal territory extends into the Moravian Gate. Ostrava is mostly low-lying, with a highest point of above sea level. The city is situated at the meeting point of four rivers: Oder, Opava, Ostravice and Lučina. It differs from most neighbouring regions by the high concentration of industry, dense population and the geographical conditions of the Ostrava Basin. The Poodří Protected Landscape Area extends to the city's territory in the southwest. Ostrava is 20.5 km across from north to south (Antošovice–Nová Bělá), and 20.1 km across from east to west (Bartovice–Krásné Pole). Ostrava has an oceanic (Köppen: Cfb) or humid continental (Dfb) climate, according with the isotherm 0 °C/-3 °C. The climate features warm, humid summers and moderately cold winters, with an average annual temperature of (January: July: ) and average annual precipitation of 580 mm.

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Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).

Geography

Latitude
49.8349
Longitude
18.2820
Water area
—
View on OpenStreetMap

Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Climate

Air quality

Walkability

Amenities nearby

Wildlife & biodiversity

Observations (last 5 yrs, 10 mi)
139,837
Distinct species (top 10)
10

Most-observed species

  • Daisy
    Bellis perennis L. · Magnoliopsida
    8,953
  • Ground-ivy
    Glechoma hederacea L. · Magnoliopsida
    6,525
  • Common Nettle
    Urtica dioica L. · Magnoliopsida
    4,500
  • Dandelion
    Taraxacum officinale Weber ex F.H.Wigg. · Magnoliopsida
    3,649
  • Garlic Mustard
    Alliaria petiolata (M.Bieb.) Cavara & Grande · Magnoliopsida
    2,150
  • Lesser Celandine
    Ficaria verna Huds. · Magnoliopsida
    2,058
  • Mallard
    Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
    2,054
  • Norway Maple
    Acer platanoides L. · Magnoliopsida
    1,907

Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Earthquake history

Quakes ≥ 2.5 (25 yrs, 62 mi)
556
Largest magnitude
4.6
Largest event
2002-06-13

Most recent

Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).

Photos

Sights & places nearby

Notable people from here

Nearby places in Moravian-Silesian

Browse all places in Moravian-Silesian →

Geography & sun

Avg solar (kWh/m²/day)
3.01
Annual solar (kWh/m²)
1,100

Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.

Nearby airports

Public attention

Wikipedia views (last 30 days)
9,576
Avg daily Wikipedia views
319
Attention level
Modest

Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.

Books about this place

Recent natural events nearby

Ground air-quality sensors

Recently spotted species

Common Barley
Common Barley
Hordeum vulgare
Seen 2026-05-31
ribwort plantain
ribwort plantain
Plantago lanceolata
Seen 2026-05-31
shepherd's-purse
shepherd's-purse
Capsella bursa-pastoris
Seen 2026-05-31
Dusky Cockroach
Dusky Cockroach
Ectobius lapponicus
Seen 2026-05-30
Straw Dot
Straw Dot
Rivula sericealis
Seen 2026-05-30
Summer Rhizotrogus
Summer Rhizotrogus
Rhizotrogus aestivus
Seen 2026-05-30
Brindled Flat-body
Brindled Flat-body
Agonopterix arenella
Seen 2026-05-30
Willow Beauty
Willow Beauty
Peribatodes rhomboidaria
Seen 2026-05-30
spruce shortwing beetle
spruce shortwing beetle
Molorchus minor
Seen 2026-05-30

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).

Events

Notable, recurring, and historical events associated with Ostrava, sourced from Wikidata.

Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Gallery

Geotagged photos within ~6 miles of Ostrava, from Wikimedia Commons contributors.

Ostrava, 236 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, 238 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, 239 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, 241 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, 244 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, 246 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, 247 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, 250 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miRichatd Veres Vratka — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, Městská jatka - galerie Plato po přestavbě 2022, interiér 06 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, Městská jatka - galerie Plato po přestavbě 2022, interiér 05 — Ostrava, Czechia0 miOstrava, stodolní ulice - Bernies — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstrava, zastávka stodolní - podchod — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miStodolni, celkovy pohled — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstravy, dům u Tatranu (1) — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstravy, dům u Tatranu — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miNH TRANS Ostrava — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstrava, 217 — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstrava, 219 — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstrava, 225 — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstrava, 227 — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstrava, 231 — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstrava, 232 — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 miOstrava, 252 — Ostrava, Czechia0.1 mi

Photos via Wikimedia Commons — see each image page for license & attribution.

Official Identifiers

ČSÚ — Czech Statistical Office

RÚIAN code
CZ554821
Population (Wikidata)
283,187
Wikidata
Q8385

RÚIAN obec ID via Wikidata P782

Sources

  • • Wikipedia
  • • Wikimedia Commons
  • • Wikidata
  • • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
  • • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
  • • iNaturalist
  • • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
  • • Wikipedia Pageviews API
  • • Wikidata SPARQL (CC0) — population, area, elevation, inception, head of government, Commons image
  • • ČSÚ — Czech Statistical Office — RÚIAN obec ID via Wikidata P782