Ostrava

Ostrava is located on the Odra (Oder) River in northestern Morava (Moravia) in the Česká (Czech) Republic in a valley called the Moravaská (Moravian) Gate. It has a metropolitan population of 1.164 million¹, 296 thousand within the city proper.² It became important after coal deposits were discovered near it in the 18th century. While most of the coal and steel works have shut down, it remains a polluted city. The Ema Heap, leftover tailings from mining, has been burning internally since the 1960s, producing gem stones as a consequence of the high temperatures. The city's demography changed considerably during the 20th century: first the Jews were deported to Nazi camps, and then the Germans were deported.

External references

Cityscape of Ostrava, Česká Republic

Historical maps

Footnotes

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larger_Urban_Zones, 2003 calculation, accessed 9/13/2013.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_the_Czech_Republic, accessed 9/13/2013.