is a statutory city and the seatof theMoravian-Silesian Regional Authority.
The capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region is the third largest city in the Czech Republic in terms of area and the third largest in terms of population, the second largest city in Moravia and the largest city in Czech Silesia (located on the border between these two historical regions). The Odra, Ostravice, Opava, and Lučina rivers flow through the city.
Ostrava grew as an industrial center of the black coal basin. Formerly known as the "steel heart of the republic" for its mining and metallurgical industry, it underwent significant changes after 1989. As a result of industrial restructuring, mining activity was curtailed and the last coal was mined in the city in 1994. The Lower Vítkovice area, a former industrial complex with a unique collection of industrial architecture aspiring to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, bears witness to the city's mining past.
