Dolní Vítkovice
Ostrava is known as steel city and the steel mills are actually the biggest attractions here and they are definitely worth seeing. The locals also call Dolní Vítkovice the Ostrava Castle. Dolní Vítkovice is a former industrial area comprising of the “Hlubina” mine, coking plants and the blast furnaces at the Vítkovice ironworks. The grounds are a unique industrial monument and an unmistakable symbol of Ostrava and the entire Moravia-Silesia region. Thanks to its uniqueness, it was entered on the European Cultural Heritage list.
Feel free to don a helmet and let the guide’s exciting commentary take you to the heart of the steel shaft, where you can almost feel the heat used to make molten iron. The last steel to roll out of here was in 1998 when the steel mills closed down. You can climb the stairs to the top of the first furnace at a height of 91 m; from here there are stunning views of the whole of Ostrava. Besides chimneys and steel mills, on a good day, you can see the peaks of the Beskydy Mountains.
Right now the city is successfully endeavouring to revive the steel mills both culturally and socially. The multifunctional Gong auditorium, where concerts, conferences and corporate events take place, was built on the site of the former gas container. The most famous event, however, is the Colours of Ostrava festival, which takes place every year in the summer and is attended by thousands of music fans.
In Dolní Vítkovice there is plenty of fun for children, so be sure to visit the Technical Museum, with its U6 Small World of Technology where you can spend an entire weekend of fun with the kids and the interactive exhibits.
