Tom`s travels: Cieszyn, Frydek-Mistek & Ostrava (14/04/2018)

On this sunny day, I decided to do a day trip while Ania, unfortunately, chose to stay home and work on her thesis. So after choosing the destination, I headed to Krakow´s bus station and took my ride in the direction of Cieszyn, a Polish town on the border with the Czech Republic. In fact, this trip was going to be cross-border as it would involve two other places in the Czech Republic. After the two-hour bus ride, I finally reached the city center and headed on to explore. I first climbed the so-called castle hill, where once a castle used to stand. Now just a small church and a tower are remaining, which I decided to visit later. I walked then through the old town, passing through its pretty streets and past the Rynek, the main square. From there I entered the Museum of Cieszyn Silesia, considered Poland´s oldest public museum and one of the oldest in central Europe. As I was the only visitor at that moment, and as there was a mandatory guided tour, I had to wait for a few minutes before they could call the only English speaking guide in the area. That was very nice of them, but also very nice for me as I learned so much stuff I wouldn't have been able if I had joined a polish tour. The tour guide showed me around the whole collection, which was really large and interesting, spanning from archaeology, paintings, photography etc. It was very interesting to learn that once, Cieszyn was once a duchy by itself and after a long history it was divided in 1920 after the Treaty of Versailles between Poland and Czechoslovakia, leaving a large polish minority across the line. The city itself, which had grown largely during the 19th century was split in two, forming the new town of Cesky Tesin. The train station was now across the border and this is why still the polish city is much easier to reach by bus than by train. After the interesting visit, I then descended down an area called Little Venice, due to the fact there is a small canal running right alongside some houses. It did not resemble at all Venice but it was still a nice area and a funny way to market it. I then walked through the old town once more and reached yet again the castle hill. This time I proceeded to visit the tower after paying the entry ticket. Built in the 14th century, as mentioned, it is one of the few remaining parts of what once used to be the castle. It was built under the Piasts and presents a large and bulky shape with a crowned upper part. After climbing to the top I was able to admire the surroundings, stretching from the Polish to the Czech side, and with an incredible view due to the sunny weather. After descending back down I asked if the small church could be visited and after a nod, I was given the key to it. So feeling quite full of myself I headed towards the small Rotunda of St Nicholas, located just a few meters from the tower. It was built during the 12th century and is thus considered as one of the oldest buildings in Poland. One interesting thing is that the chapel is represented in the 20 zloty banknote. After opening the main door with the key I was given, I entered the small interior which was rather unadorned, typical of the Romanesque style which it was built in. After exiting and returning the key to the tower, I left the city and crossed the border on foot into the Czech Republic heading to the train station where I took the next train in the direction of Frydek-Mistek. Once I reached the destination, I got off and headed on foot towards Frydek. The city, in fact, consists of two towns, Frydek and Mistek which have been merged together into one. They are very close by and both have a clear old town center. After passing by the church of Saint Judoc, I reached Frydek´s main square surrounded by typical tenement houses and the tower of St John jutting out from among the roofs. I headed towards it to check it out but found out the church was closed so I just admired the bell tower from the outside. I then crossed through and around the castle, located right next to the main square, originally Gothic it was then rebuilt during the 17th and 18th centuries in the Baroque style. It overlooks the Ostravice river and the town of Mistek can be easily seen from its ramparts. I thus crossed the aforementioned river and reached then the town of Mistek. I headed to the church of St Jacob first, with a bell tower similar to that of Frydek. The door was open but a mass was going on so I just gave the interior a brief look. Then I reached the main square close by and admired its nice surrounding with the typical tenement houses and a small holy trinity column at the center. I was then off to catch the next train which brought me to the city of Ostrava, the third largest in the Czech Republic. I got off at one station before the main one to be able to visit the Vitkovice Iron and Steel Works, a famous industrial site. The site could be accessed freely as it is not in function anymore (it closed just 2 years prior), though there are security guards scouting the area to make sure no one does anything dangerous. Like its neighbor, Polish Silesia, this area used to be one of the largest coal mining and steel-making industries of Europe and thus a visit to the plant was a necessity. I toured around the crumbling ruins of the site and then decided to head to the center of Ostrava. I reached Masaryk Square, the cit´s main one, lined with a mix of old and newer buildings. Ostrava, being it an industrial town does not contain the typical old town found throughout the country but is nonetheless worth a visit. A marathon was taking place, so the whole square was filled with people and a stage with loud music was set in the middle of it. After enjoying the time there I headed on and entered the large Cathedral of the Divine Savior, built at the end of the 19th century in the Neo-Renaissance style with two large and tall bell towers crowning the facade. It was then finally time to head home, I thus headed to the bus station after a long walk and took the bus back to Krakow.