Opava (Czech)

My visit to Opava was utterly spontaneous. On a sunny Sunday noon, I and my friends from Racibórz (Poland) decided to go for a ride to Opava for lunch and a walk. We were ‘limited’ by a wheelchair, and we spent time only around the town hall.

Basic Information

Geography

Opava is a small (around 60.000 people) town in Czech Silesia region, near a ‘border’ with Poland and less than 40 km from Polish town called Racibórz. I wrote ‘border’ because both countries are in the European Union and Schengen Area. No passport control, only signs shows that you are in the other country.

History

Opava was first documented at the end of the 12th century; the first mention of its city rights is from 1224. During European turbulent history, Opava wasn’t always a Czech city. Starting from 1938 it was even a part of Nazi Germany (until 1945).

Photos of Opava

Practical Information

Tourist Information

Working hours:

8:00 – 18:00 (Monday – Friday)
9:00 – 12:00 (Saturday, 01.05 – 30.09)
Closed on Sunday.

Shops and Restaurants

Like the tourist information, most stores (at least near the town hall) get closed on Saturday noon and get opened again on Monday morning. That includes restaurants too. Near the town hall, you could eat either gyros or ice creams. Maybe there was some other food in the Pilzner Pub, but it was down the stairs. Kinda impossible with a wheelchair.

Luckily we managed to find a restaurant in a hotel that was open on Sunday afternoon. The food in the Iberia hotel’s restaurant was good and not too expensive. It was worth it, both regarding food and service.

Language

English shouldn’t be a problem. I used Polish, got responses in Czech and it was ok – for a tourist, the similarity between Czech and Polish is enough. Tho I’ll learn some Czech before I go there next time.

Wheelchair Accessibility

A bus (or trolleybus) might not be accessible to wheelchairs. Some pubs and restaurants around the town hall can be inaccessible because of the stairs. The pavement shouldn’t be a problem.

Hotel Iberia (3 stars) has one room, a restaurant and nearby toilet wheelchair-friendly.