Ostrava, Czech Republic - Coventry's twin towns and cities
Name
Ostrava
Year of twinning
1959
About the town or city
Ostrava is the largest city in the North Moravia region of the Czech Republic.
Ostrava suffered under occupation during World War II and was keen to make links with Coventry, a city famous for its wartime suffering.
In 1965 a civic delegation from Coventry led by Alderman George Hodgkinson and Councillor Roy Hughes cemented the link. They visited Ostrava's celebrations to mark 21 years of liberation from the Nazis.
Ostrava is a transport hub and a leading metallurgical centre situated in the Ostrava-Karviná coalfield. It has iron- and steel-rolling mills, boiler and power plants, and railway yards. Aluminium alloys, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, synthetic gases, plastics, petroleum products, building materials, clothes, ceramics, furniture, and food products are also manufactured here. Founded in the late 1200s, Ostrava is the capital of Severomoravský.
