Moravia and Silesia - Mähren und Schlesien

Moravia(Czech: Morava) and Silesia(Slezsko) are the two smaller of the three historical parts of the country Czech Republic. They are located in the east and south-east of the country and cover about a third of the total area of ​​the Czech Republic, while two thirds are in Bohemia lie. They used to be two separate territories of the Bohemian Crown. Moravia in particular has a high density of culturally and historically significant sights such as medieval town centers, churches and monasteries, castles and gardens.

Four of today's 14 administrative regions (kraj)} The Czech Republic lies entirely, three others partially in these parts of the country.

Regions

The spatial structure and allocation to today's districts of historical Moravia is roughly shown here;

• North Moravia and Silesia(Czech: Severní Morava a Slezsko):

• Olomouc district(Czech: Olomoucký kraj)- whose main administrative center is Olomouc (German: Olomouc), and its present northern part of the historical region of North Moravia and North Moravia and Silesia (Czech: Severní Morava a Slezsko) was associated.
• Moravian-Silesian District(Czech: Moravskoslezský kraj)- whose main administrative center is Ostrava (German: Ostrau), and its present-day northern and northeastern areas of the historical region of North Moravia and Silesia(Czech: Severní Morava a Slezsko) was associated.

• The Haná is an ethnographic and tourist region and includes the plain around Olomouc.

• South Moravia(Czech: Jižní Morava):

• South Moravian Region(Czech: Jihomoravský kraj)- whose main administrative center is Brno (German: Brno), and its present western area of ​​the historical region of Bohemia was associated. With the tourist region of the Bohemian-Moravian plateau(Czech: Vysočina).
• Zlin Circle(Czech: Zlínský kraj)- whose main administrative center is Zlín (German: Zlin).

• The historical landscape of the Moravian Slovakia is located partly in the South Moravian region, partly in the Zlin region

• Highlands district(Czech: Kraj Vysočina) covers most of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. The greater part of the region is in South Moravia, but the west is already part of South Bohemia. The capital is Jihlava (Iglau).

places

Big cities

• Brno(Czech: Brno) is the largest city in the Moravian region.
• Olomouc(Czech: Olomouc) is a university town and has the second largest historical city center in the Czech Republic with numerous culturally and historically significant sights.
• Ostrava(German: Ostrau) - Historically, the industrial city lies partly in Moravia and partly in Silesia

Further

• Břeclav(German: Lundenburg) - Important rail hub and basis for the Lednice-Valtice cultural landscape (UNESCO World Heritage) and the March-Thaya floodplains.
• Frýdek-Místek(German: Friedeck-Mistek) - Double town, which is partly in the former Moravia, partly in Silesia; historical old city
• Havířov - former mining town
• Javorník(German: Permanently)
• Jeseník(German: Freiwaldau)
• Jihlava(German: Iglau) - historical city center with churches worth seeing, town hall, town houses, extensive catacombs
• Karviná(German: Karviná) - shaped by heavy industry
• Kroměříž(German: Kremsier)
• Opava(German: Opava) - Former capital of the Austrian Crown Land of Silesia, old town with representative buildings from the Austro-Hungarian era
• Nový Jičín(German: Neutitschein)
• Přerov(German: Prerau)
• Rožnov pod Radhoštěm - with the Wallachian Open Air Museum
• Šumperk(German: Moravian Schönberg)
• Telč(German: Telch) - Small town with a very interesting old town, the Renaissance and Baroque ensemble around the market square and the Church of Our Lady and the Renaissance castle are part of the world cultural heritage
• Třebíč(German: Trebitsch)
• Uherské Hradiště(German: Hungarian Hradisch is with neighboring cities Kunovice (Kunowitz) and Staré Město u Uherského Hradiště (Old town near Hungarian Hradisch) grown together into a small, polycentric urban region.
• Valašské Meziříčí(German: Wallachian Meseritsch)
• Zlín - The "Baťa-Stadt" is a pearl of the modern urban development of the interwar period
• Znojmo(German: Znojmo) - Very well preserved medieval town center with numerous cultural and historical sights, including early medieval rotunda St. Katharina

Other goals

• Moravian Karst
• Nature reserves: floodplains on the March and Thaya
• White Nature Park Carpathians
• Beskydy Mountains
• Lednice-Valtice cultural landscape - Baroque and neo-Gothic palace complexes as well as extensive gardens, UNESCO world cultural heritage

background

language

The official language is Czech, the everyday language is the Moravian dialect. A good knowledge of English and / or German can be assumed among the younger population as well as in the tourist sector.

getting there

International Airports available in Brno and Ostrava, but there are only a few or no direct flights from German-speaking countries. However, there is a larger range of flight connections to the surrounding airports of Prague, Vienna and Bratislava.

Most important trainnodes of the region Brno, Břeclav and Přerov, numerous international long-distance trains stop there, for example from Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Warsaw, Bratislava, Krakow and Kiev.

The main international Trunk roads the region are the Czech highways D1 (Prague-Brno-Ostrava) and D2 (Brno-Bratislava).

Supraregional wheelhiking trails lead along the former Iron curtain on the border with Austria, the rivers March and Thaya and the Amber Road.

mobility

Tourist Attractions

• The town Brno with the historic center, Spielberg Castle and the Unesco World Heritage Site Villa Tugendhat in Bauhaus style by the architect Mies van der Rohe
• The historical center of the city Kroměříž (Kremsier) with early baroque archbishop's palace, castle park and flower garden - Unesco World Heritage
• historic city center of Olomouc: i.a. Baroque Trinity or Plague column (part of the world heritage), originally Gothic town hall with astronomical clock, castle with Romanesque bishop's palace, medieval fortress with crown fortress, city gate and armory, numerous churches, fountains and columns, palaces and gardens
• The Old town of Telč with the renaissance castle and ensemble of renaissance and baroque buildings around the market square and the Church of Our Lady is one of the most valuable monument reserves in Moravia and a world cultural heritage site
• Třebíč: Jewish quarter and early Gothic St. Prokop Basilica (world cultural heritage)
• The Lednice-Valtice cultural landscape on the border with Lower Austria is also a Unesco World Heritage Site and offers, among other things, two large baroque castles belonging to the Liechtenstein family as well as the surrounding landscape architecture, which is known as the “garden of Europe”

• 

  Villa Tugendhat, Brno

• 

  Kroměříž flower garden

• 

  Plague column and Olomouc town hall

• 

  Telč market square

• 

  Třebíč Basilica and Jewish Quarter

• 

  Lednice Castle

• Jihlava: created from the 14th century catacombs 25 km long and 50,000 square meters in area, are among the largest underground labyrinths in the Czech Republic
• Mikulov (Nikolsburg): historical city center with a baroque palace, renaissance and baroque ensemble around the town square
• city Zlín, Prime example of modern Czechoslovak architecture of the early 20th century
• Znojmo (Znojmo): medieval city center with Romanesque rotunda St. Katharina, Gothic cathedral, town hall tower, numerous other churches and monasteries, Renaissance citizens' palace
• The Moravian Karst caves, i.a. Cave system Sloupsko-šošůvské jeskyně and Punkva caves

• 

  Jihlava Catacombs

• 

  Mikulov town square

• 

  Bata skyscraper in Zlín

• 

  Rotunda of St. Catherine in Znojmo

• 

  Elisabeth's Cave in the Sloupsko-šošůvské system

• 

  Underground lake in the Punkva caves

activities

kitchen

nightlife

security

climate

literature

Web links

• www.tschechische-gebirge.de - Generally very informative site about the Czech mountains, in German, English, Polish and Czech.