Dolni Vitkovice

For a century and a half Ostrava made iron, and when the furnaces went cold in the 1990s the plant was left standing instead of being cleared. The result is an intact industrial landscape in the middle of a city: blast furnaces, hot-blast stoves, gantries, conveyor bridges and a mine headframe, all rust red and open to walk among. A guided route climbs one of the furnaces on external stairs to a glazed viewing box added on top, looking over the works and the flat Silesian country beyond. The old gasholder has been rebuilt as an auditorium, and a former energy building now houses a large hands-on science museum aimed mainly at children.

What you actually see

• The blast furnace climb - external stairs up the furnace to the glazed lookout added on top.
• The ironworks walk - yards, gantries and conveyor bridges left in place between the furnaces.
• The gasholder auditorium - the round gas tank rebuilt as a concert and conference hall.
• The science centre - the interactive museum filling the former energy building.

When to go

April to October for the outdoor tours, which run in most weather but are unpleasant in cold or rain; the science centre works year round. Furnace tours are timed and limited in group size, so book on busy weekends. Summer evenings bring concerts, and a large music festival takes over the site in July.

Honest expectations

The furnace tour is a long climb on open metal stairs with a lift only part of the way, and it will not suit anyone uneasy with heights. Commentary is often Czech-only outside booked English slots. Ostrava is a heavy industrial city and the surrounding district is bleak. Wear closed shoes.

Nearby

The Landek Park mining museum with its underground tour is on the north side of the city.