Moravskoostravský hrad Castle

Moravskoostravský hrad was located in the west of the city walls of Moravian Ostrava, which gradually became one of the important centres of northern Moravia. Archaeological findings show that Moravská Ostrava was established as a settlement in the 10th century. However, she received her due cause as an administrative centre at a later date when Bishop Bruno of Schauenburg, in the will of 1267, promoted it to the city and at the same time elected it as the seat of the administration of large-scale bishop property. This move has triggered the colonization of the region and long-term economic development.

The castle itself was probably built in the second half of the 14th century in connection with the establishment of a separate Moravian Ostrava estate. The construction of the building was directly linked to the geopolitical situation of the time - until the 14th century, the river Ostravice formed the state border, and if the castle were to be built too soon, it would be on the east side of the city fortification. The first written mention of the castle dates back to 1396, when the purple Mikuláš Neubecke is mentioned here. We find other evidence of its existence in 1446 and in 1466, when it is referred to as the purpository, that is, a defensive point. The seat of the bishopric captains remained until the end of the 15th century - the last known captain, Laurin z Chřenovic, managed it between 1484 and 1491.

The fate of the castle building broke at the turn of the 15th and 16th century, when it was apparently abandoned. His demise is evidenced by the fact that, in 1538, the house that Bishop Stanislav I. Thurzo donated to the Hukwald official Christopher Foglar of Cold Water stood in his place. Whether the castle was finally demolished or gradually rebuilt is not yet quite clear.

A new building was gradually created in the place of the former castle. The cemetery is mentioned here in 1585. In 1729 the construction of the chapel of St. Luke was started, which was completed in 1740. However, the latter was destroyed in 1894. Today, in a place where once stood a medieval castle guarding the administration of North Moravian bishopric estates, there is a department store called Rozvoj, which reminds of the constant development of urban structure.