Opava

Opava, city, northeastern Czech Republic. It lies along the Opava River near the Polish border and is northwest of Ostrava, from which it is separated by part of the wooded Oder Hills.

First recorded as Oppavia in 1195, it was a principate and fief of the Bohemian crown in the early 14th century and later became the capital of Austrian Silesia. In 1820, after the Napoleonic Wars, representatives of Prussia, Austria, and Russia convened there for the Congress of Troppau. Many historic buildings in the city were destroyed in World War II. Surviving in the Upper Square is the 237-foot- (72-metre-) high town-hall tower. In the Lower Square is the restored 17th-century Jesuit Church of St. George and the building of the former Silesian Diet. The Gothic Church of St. Mary was built by the Teutonic Knights. The Silesian Museum has exhibits of natural science, prehistory, history, art, and culture.

The town is now a market centre with good rail and road connections to other parts of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. Its manufactures include clothing, machinery, railway cars, and foodstuffs. Pop. (2007 est.) 59,156.