THE CULTURE
The Moravian Silesia of today - earlier known as Austrian Silesia – is an old cultural landscape which was influenced in different ways by three cultures over the course of the centuries: German - Polish - Czech.
Well worth a look: the Polish city of Cieszyn and the city museum of Ceský Tešín, currently in the process of being extensively renovated, St. Nicholas Round Church, Tower of Piasts, Castle Hill
Jablunkov, a city that is the point of access to Slovakia via the Jablunkov Pass, an ancient trade route to Hungary, is also worth seeing. The city centre is excellently preserved and deserves a visit.
Other cities worth a visit: Frydlandt, Frenstat pod Radhostem, Celadna. All were strongly influenced by industry in the 18th century until the iron resources were exhausted.
Take a visit to the quaint town of Roznov pod Radhoštem, with its museum village, located in the picturesque valley of the Becya River beneath the dominating Radhošt Mountain, shrouded in legend. It is of mythical importance to the Slavs and a statue of the heathen god Radegast stands atop it. Picturesque marketplaces in Bílovec and Nový Jicín. The birth house of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) in Pribor, a city with distinctive Baroque architecture.
Castle of the family of Joseph von Eichendorf (1788-1857) in Šilherovice
THE CULTURE
Opava until 1918 the capital of Austrian Silesia with many historical buildings: The Gothic Provost Church of the Virgin Mary Ascension (14th century), the late Gothic Holy Rood Church (15th century), numerous Baroque palaces, Palais Blücher-Wahlstadt and the St. Adalbert Church, built by Jesuit monks between 1675 - 1679.
Krakow Poland’s first class university city: industrial, scientific, and cultural centre of the southern part of the county. A number of buildings from the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and later eras characterise the appearance of the old city. With over 100 churches and cloisters, 28 museums with the most important objects on display from all over Poland, the Jewish quarter Kazimierz (filming location for the film “Schindler’s List”), over 200 cellar bars.
Famous sons of Krakow: Veit Stoß , Oskar Schindler, Johannes Paul II, (born as Karol Wojtyla), Nigel Kennedy, Roman Polanski
