# Opava District

Opava District (Czech: okres Opava) is a district in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Opava.

## Administrative division

Opava District is divided into four administrative districts of municipalities with extended competence: Opava, Hlučín, Kravaře and Vítkov.

### List of municipalities

Cities and towns are marked in bold and market towns in italics:
Bělá - Bohuslavice - Bolatice - Branka u Opavy - Bratříkovice - Březová - Brumovice - Budišov nad Budišovkou - Budišovice -
Čermná ve Slezsku - Chlebičov - Chuchelná - Chvalíkovice - Darkovice - Děhylov - Dobroslavice - Dolní Benešov - Dolní Životice - Háj ve Slezsku - Hať - Hlavnice - Hlubočec - Hlučín - Hněvošice - Holasovice -
Hrabyně - Hradec nad Moravicí - Jakartovice - Jezdkovice - Kobeřice - Kozmice - Kravaře - Kružberk - Kyjovice - Lhotka u Litultovic - Litultovice - Ludgeřovice - Markvartovice - Melč - Mikolajice - Mladecko - Mokré Lazce - Moravice - Neplachovice - Nové Lublice - Nové Sedlice - Oldřišov - Opava - Otice - Píšť - Pustá Polom - Radkov - Raduň - Rohov - Šilheřovice - Skřipov - Slavkov - Služovice - Sosnová - Štáblovice - Staré Těchanovice - Stěbořice - Štěpánkovice - Štítina - Strahovice - Sudice - Svatoňovice - Těškovice - Třebom - Uhlířov -
Velké Heraltice - Velké Hoštice - Větřkovice - Vítkov - Vřesina - Vršovice - Závada

## Geography

Opava District borders Poland in the north. The territory is hilly, but the average altitude is low. The territory extends into three geomorphological mesoregions: Nízký Jeseník (west and south), Opava Hilly Land (east and north), and Ostrava Basin (a small part in the northeast). The highest point of the district is the hill Červená hora in Budišov nad Budišovkou with an elevation of 749 m (2,457 ft). The lowest point of the district is the river bed of the Oder in Šilheřovice at 198 m (650 ft).
From the total district area of 1,115.9 km$^2$ (430.9 sq mi), agricultural land occupies 682.2 km$^2$ (263.4 sq mi), forests occupy 312.5 km$^2$ (120.7 sq mi), and water area occupies 19.0 km$^2$ (7.3 sq mi). Forests cover 28.0% of the district's area.
The entire district is drained by the Oder River, but this river appears in the territory only briefly. The most important rivers of the district are the Opava, which flows across the district from northwest to east, and the Moravice, which enters the district in the west and joins the Opava near the city of Opava. The largest body of water is Kružberk Reservoir, built on the Moravice.
There are no large-scale protected areas.

## Demographics

| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1869 | 115,560 | — |
| 1880 | 125,364 | +8.5% |
| 1890 | 132,321 | +5.5% |
| 1900 | 141,959 | +7.3% |
| 1910 | 149,943 | +5.6% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1921 | 152,943 | +2.0% |
| 1930 | 161,971 | +5.9% |
| 1950 | 130,606 | −19.4% |
| 1961 | 153,562 | +17.6% |
| 1970 | 161,085 | +4.9% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1980 | 172,981 | +7.4% |
| 1991 | 177,370 | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 177,970 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 174,901 | −1.7% |
| 2021 | 171,502 | −1.9% |
Source: Censuses :

### Most populated municipalities

| Name | Population | Area (km$^2$) |
| Opava | 55,600 | 91 |
| Hlučín | 13,421 | 21 |
| Kravaře | 6,655 | 19 |
| Vítkov | 5,641 | 55 |
| Hradec nad Moravicí | 5,485 | 44 |
| Ludgeřovice | 4,980 | 11 |
| Bolatice | 4,501 | 13 |
| Dolní Benešov | 3,892 | 15 |
| Háj ve Slezsku | 3,245 | 14 |
| Kobeřice | 3,204 | 17 |

## Economy

The largest employers with headquarters in Opava District and at least 500 employees are:
| Economic entity | Location | Number of employees | Main activity |
| Silesian Hospital in Opava | Opava | 1,500–1,999 | Health care |
| Teva Czech Industries | Opava | 1,500–1,999 | Manufacture of pharmaceutical products |
| Brano | Hradec nad Moravicí | 1,000–1,499 | Automotive industry |
| Isotra | Opava | 500–999 | Manufacture of window blinds |
| Model Obaly | Opava | 500–999 | Manufacture of paperboard packaging |
| Ostroj | Opava | 500–999 | Manufacture of machinery for mining |
| Psychiatric Hospital in Opava | Opava | 500–999 | Health care |
| Silesian University in Opava | Opava | 500–999 | Education |
| State Office of Labor Inspection | Opava | 500–999 | Public administration |
| TEMPO, obchodní družstvo | Opava | 500–999 | Retail sale |

## Transport

The D1 motorway from Ostrava to the Czech-Polish border briefly runs along the eastern district border; otherwise there are no motorway passing through the district. The most important road is the I/11 from Ostrava to Bruntál via Opava.

## Sights

The most important monuments in the district, protected as national cultural monuments, are:
* Chapel of the Holy Cross in Opava
* Co-Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Opava
* Hradec nad Moravicí Castle
* Petr Bezruč City House of Culture in Opava
* Grave of Jan Zajíc in Vítkov
The best-preserved settlements, protected as monument reservations and monument zones, are:
* Lipina (monument reservation)
* Budišov nad Budišovkou
* Hlučín
* Hradec nad Moravicí
* Opava
The most visited tourist destinations are the Hradec nad Moravicí Castle and Silesian Museum in Opava.