THE OSTRAVA REGION. Welcome to Ostrava!

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1 THE OSTRAVA REGION Welcome to Ostrava! The metropolis of the Moravian- Silesian region is the third largest city in the Czech Republic with more than 300,000 inhabitants and has the third largest population. The mining town of Ostrava is the administrative, social and cultural center of Northern Moravia. It lies in the lowlands on the river Ostravice between Beskydy and the Jeseniky mountain massif. It has a very advantageous strategic position - it is located about 10 kilometres south of the Polish border and 50 kilometres west of the Slovak border. The distance from Ostrava to Prague is 360 km, to Brno 170 km, to the Polish City of Katowice 90 km, and to Vienna 310 km. Silesian Ostrava Castle was originály built in the 1280s near the confluence of the Lučina and Ostravice rivers. The castle was built for military purposes due to its proximity to the Polish border. In 1534, the gothic castle was rebuilt into a renaissance chateau. It burned down in 1872 but was rebuilt. It was restored 1

2 recently after many years of dilapidation, caused by coal mining under the castle. Today, the castle is one of the most important tourist attractions of the city and the Colours of Ostrava festival is held there. Ostrava is an important communication and transportation hub for Northern Moravia and Silesia. The International Airport Ostrava-Mošnov, 25 km from the City centre, is one of the biggest regional airports in the Czech Republic. The City has 5 railway stations. The public transport in the City is served by almost 90 municipal bus, trolley-bus, and tram lines. WATTSENGLISH IN OSTRAVA The successful applicant will teach children in our kindergarten ( ) and in primary schools in Ostrava. This position will allow you to put your teaching knowledge into practice and continue in the development of your teaching skills with the Wattsenglish teacher training programme and support. Wattsenglish in Ostrava offers a friendly and comfortable base for teacher's work. We are ready to provide all necessary facilities for teaching (free access to the Internet and , copying and printing facilities, a study place). We are also able to provide help with 2

3 accommodation, other administration work and anything else you may have problems with. LIVING AND TEACHING IN OSTRAVA Wattsenglish teachers about Ostrava: Aylin Vardar: Ostrava offers a variety of cultural activities (theatre, cinemas, museums, galleries, libraries ), night life (pubs, music clubs, discos, music, film and theatre festivals) and many shopping malls. There is a large community of Englishspeaking people. Here is an overview of places you can go in Ostrava for a cultural event or a good meal. Eating out Only few visitors can resist visiting Stodolní Street with more than 70 night bars, restaurants, and clubs. Culture and Arts There are 37 galleries in Ostrava. The historically oldest is the Gallery of Creative Arts in the House of Arts. It presents important collections of both Czech and world arts from the 19th and 20th centuries, but also works by regional artists. The history of the City is documented by exhibits and exhibitions presented or organised by the Ostrava Museum. The Mining Museum OKD and the National Culture Historical Site of the Michal Mine maps the development of coal mining in the area of Ostrava. Visitors can see interesting exhibits also in the Fire-fighting Museum and the Citera Culture Centre. The City has 5 cinemas. One of them - the Multi Cinema Cinestar - offers ten movies a day, the foreign ones are in the original languages with Czech subtitles. 3

4 The Nat ional Moravian-Silesian Theatre is a four company theatre. In two buildings - in the Antonín Dvořák Theatre and in the Jiří Myron Theatre - there are opera, drama, ballet, and an operetta house. The theatre companies of Petr Bezruč and the Chamber Theatre Arena are the drama companies. The Puppet Theatre in Ostrava belongs to children. There is the international puppet festival called "Spectaculo Interesse" organised in alternative years. Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra in Ostrava is an internationally renowned musical ensemble and the international festival of classical music Janáčkův Máj (Janáček s May) is one of the most sought after events. The festival Colours of Ostrava attracts young people from many European countries with the varied genres. Musical pieces by current musicians are played at the Festival of New Music at the biennial event Days of Ostrava. City for Children There are a number of attractions organised for the youngest visitors. The Černá louka (Black Meadow) Exhibition Area is a place which offers the Cellar of Ghosts with creatures from fairy tales, the sea aquarium and the area Miniuni with models of important world constructions. 4

5 The area of the Silesian-Ostrava Castle is a place where varied events are organised. The courtyard hosts concerts and theatre performances. There are also exhibits offairy tale creatures, aquariums for fresh-water fish, and the Museum of the Middle Ages. The Zoological garden in Ostrava, one of the biggest in the Czech Republic, looks after 200 animal species. Among them are some very rare and endangered species. Visitors can see feeding with commentary or rest in the part of the Zoo for children or participate in evening tours on a special train accompanied by comments from the guide. The Johann Palisa Observatory and Planetarium in Poruba offer not only the observations of stars at night, but also discussions, educational programmes and concerts. Sports Sport grounds, swimming pools, playgrounds, and courts offer the City residents and visitors varied opportunities for their relaxation and leisure. Recreational sportspeople, but also professionals can take advantage of the top facilities like, for example, indoor swimming pools or winter and track and field stadiums. There are facilities also for volley-ball players, badminton players, golfers, table tennis enthusiasts, skiers, and ice-skaters. There are regularly organized figure skating championships for juniors and 5

6 competitions in standard and Latin American dances in the multi functional hall - the ČEZ ARENA (the place of the Ice-Hockey World Championship 2004). The International Track and Field Meeting - the Golden Spike - classified in the category Super Grand Prix, traditionally attended by the best world athletes, takes place every year in the Municipal Stadium in Ostrava-Vítkovice. There are 205 sport grounds, 5 stadiums, 130 gyms, 3 winter stadiums, 5 swimming pools, 11 indoor swimming pools, 264 sport clubs, and 15 horse riding clubs in the City. The natural swimming pool in Ostrava-Poruba is one of the biggest in Central Europe. The enjoyment is also enhanced by huge 55 metre high water slides and springboards. There are 3 golf courses on the outskirts of the city and the same number of sport air fields. The network of bike trails and routes is very extensive. The nearby Beskydy Mountains also offer winter sports and summer walks. Tips for trips The nearby Beskydy Moutains and Jeseníky Mountains are sought after places for tourists and bikers. Visitors like Pustevny with the area of reconstructed wooden buildings built in 6

7 reconstructed wooden buildings built in the style of the people s Art Nouveau and the summit of Radhošť (1,129 m above sea level) is not far away. There is also the statue of the pagan God of Radegast there. The open-air folk museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is reached by train from Ostrava within 1. 5 hours. It presents old folk architecture, crafts, and traditions of the area called Wallachia. There are plenty of chateaus and castles near the Ostrava region, the most famous ones are for example: Kravaře - It is a Baroque castle built between the years with a beautiful park in the English style which is also adjusted for a golf course. In the castle you can see an exposition of the family Eichendorfové and also an ethnographical exposition of life in Hlučínsko. It is a pearl of the Baroque style in Silesia. The Hukvaldy Castle, the third largest one in the Czech Republic, was founded at an important route connecting Olomouc with Krakow in the 13th century. In the mid 14th century, the Castle was purchased by the Bishops of Olomouc who were then the most frequent lords there. Nevertheless, due to the unfavourable financial situation of the Olomouc Diocese the castle owners changed very often in the course of th following decades. Among others, let s name the Hungarian King and later on the Emperor Sigmund. In 7

8 the early 16th century, Hukvaldy Castle was returned to the Olomouc Diocese until 1948, when it was nationalized. In the 20th century, the castle was desolated and ruined for a long time. St. Andrew Chapel, constructed in the 17th century, is the best preserved building at the castle. The castle yard is dominated by the so called White Tower, build in the 15th century. The Hukvaldy Castle with its adjacent game park is a place where the International Music Festival "Janáčkovy Hukvady" is held as a memorial to the famous composer who was born in the village of Hukvaly. The whole castle hill is a nature heritage site and its old beech trees provide shelter to rare fauna and flora species. Sovinec in the District of Bruntál, the castle and fort ruins in Štramberk with the tower called Trúba (the Tube), and the cave Šipka, where remains of primaeval man were found. There are also many museums in the region Technical Museum in Petřvald, Wagon Museum in Studénka, Technical Museum Tatra, Hat Museum in Nový Jičín, and the Silesian Regional Museum in Opava, which also looks after the Arboretum Nový Dvůr. The existence of iodic-bromium waters allowed for the construction of the sought after spa Darkov in the District of Karviná and Sanatorium in Klimkovice. The Priessnitz Spa in Jeseník was named after the founder of hydrotherapy. 8

9 In the District of Opava, visitors can see the preserved military fortifications built along the Polish borders in the period The special area which represents Czechoslovak fortification, together with samples of military technology, is in Hlučín-Darkovičky. There is a historical monument of WWII in Hrabyně. Impressive landscape sights are offered by, for example, observation towers on the Bílá (White) Mountain close to Štramberk visitors are suprised by an impressive view of the Beskydy Mountains and Jeseniky Mountains. Other towns and places of interest worth visiting near Ostrava or abroad are: Opava 24 km by coach Olomouc Wattsenglish branch, 100 km from Ostrava Brno 170 km from Ostrava Prague km and it takes 3 hours to get there by train Krakow, Poland 160 km from Ostrava, one of the nicest Polish towns, amazing architecture, night life, muzeums, restaurants, definitely worth going for a weekend trip Bratislava, Slovakia 290 km from Ostrava Wien, Austria 290 km from Ostrava Budapest, Hungary 480 km from Ostrava 9