This calm city in the Moravian-Silesian region has centuries-old churches and a well-preserved main square. Local museums tell the story of its textile industry past.
Opava, home to 57,000 residents in the Czech Republic's Moravian-Silesian Region, lets you stand beneath the 102-meter spire of the Co-Cathedral of the Assumption, built in the Silesian Brick Gothic style. Walk through Horní Square to see scale models of planets along a solar system trail or examine 15th-century weaponry at the Silesian Museum, which holds over two million artifacts. Dive into Stříbrné Lake, a flooded gypsum quarry transformed into a swimming area with boat rentals, or study the iron balconies of Central Europe's first department store from the 1920s. Cobblestone streets connect churches established by Teutonic Knights to parks where locals gather at cafes with espresso and koláče pastries.
Start Your Exploration at Historical Sites
Begin at the white Hláska tower topping Opava's Neo-Renaissance town hall, where a 1602 weathervane still tracks wind direction. Three blocks east, the Co-Cathedral of the Assumption reveals red brick vaults and 14th-century frescoes painted during its construction by Teutonic Knights. Don't miss the Jesuit Church of St. George on Lower Square, rebuilt after a fire in 1689 with a marble altar depicting the saint slaying a dragon. The yellow Silesian Diet building, once hosting regional government meetings until 1928, now displays maps showing how Allied bombs destroyed 87 buildings here in April 1945. Look for bronze plaques on buildings like the post office, detailing reconstruction efforts that reused original stones.
Discover Museums and Theaters
The Silesian Museum spreads across four locations: its main building holds a woolly mammoth skeleton discovered near Opava in 1941, while a satellite gallery explains local geology through interactive mineral displays. Faustin Ens, a botanist, founded the museum in 1814 using a former monastery's herb garden as its first exhibit space. Attend a Czech-language performance at the Silesian Theatre, rebuilt in 1909 with a gold-leaf ceiling that survived WWII shrapnel damage. At the Municipal House, examine a 1453 broadsword used by Opava's executioner and handwritten guild records from the 1600s. For early 20th-century architecture, study the curved windows and floral mosaics on the Breda building, originally housing a five-story department store.
Walk Through Nature and Day Trip Options
Stříbrné Lake's 18°C waters draw swimmers from June to August, with changing cabins and a snack bar operating near the former gypsum mine's eastern shore. Follow the 4.7 km trail around the lake through stands of Scots pine, watching for gray herons in the shallows. Opava's Planet Trail starts with a polished granite sphere representing the sun outside the town hall, scaling down planetary distances along a 9.5 km path ending at Nový Dvůr Arboretum. This botanical garden groups plants by continent, with North American sequoias planted in 1925 and Asian peonies flowering each May. Drive 15 minutes to Hradec nad Moravicí Castle for a 90-minute tour of its Gothic Revival library or rent clubs to play nine holes on its 1920s golf course.
Plan Your Visit
Trains from Opava's main station reach Ostrava in 35 minutes, with buses departing hourly for Olomouc's Baroque fountains and astronomical clock. Rent a car to cross the Polish border in 12 minutes for lunch in Gliwice, known for its wooden radio tower from 1935. All central hotels and restaurants sit within a 1 km radius of Horní Square, but take bus 207 to reach the arboretum's greenhouses in 20 minutes. Book English-speaking guides at least three days ahead during the Bezručova Opava festival in May, when costumed parades fill the streets on weekends. The tourism office on Masarykova Street provides free maps highlighting wheelchair-accessible routes through the old town.
