Moravia Slesia - Luoghi Parlanti

Moravia and Slesia

full of contrasts, the Beskydy and Jeseníky mountains & industrial area of Ostrava

PERSONAGES

Emil Zápotek

Born in Kopřivnice, was the greatest Czechoslovakian athlete of the 20th century. In his career he has won four gold and one silver medals at the Olympic Games. Zátopek was also the first athlete to break the 29-minute barrier on the 10,000m level. His fame is mainly linked to the extraordinary feat achieved at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, during which he won three gold medals in track and field. After having excelled in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m flat, he won the third medal in the marathon, a race in which he decided to compete at the last minute and which he was competing for the first time in his career. In each of these races he also set the Olympic record.

Sigmund Freud

Born in Příbor, was a neurologist, psychoanalyst and philosopher, considered the father of psychoanalysis and hypnosis as a therapeutic tool. According to Freud through psychoanalysis it is possible to cure psychological disorders which, at the time, fell under the name of hysteria and neurosis. "Being loved is for a woman a need greater than that of loving."

Hromnice-li jasné, čisté, potrvá déle zima jistě. Pakli sněží nebo hřímá, jaro jistě v blízku dlívá.

The translation is: " If Hromnice is bright and clear, winter is sure to linger. If there is snow or thunder, spring must be near." The day of Hromnice is an important day for Czech weather-related folklore and it falls on February 2nd. The Czech word Hromnice is derived from sanctified "hromnice" candles that were lit on the night of February 2nd if there was a thunderstorm (thunder = hrom). The weather on Hromnice is a sign of how long winter will linger. According to the tradition of Groundhog Day, the groundhog comes out of his hole after his winter sleep on February 2nd and if sees his shadow (i.e. if the day is sunny), he will go back to his hole and we should be ready for six more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy, he will stay above ground, expecting the spring.

WHAT TO EAT

Potato Fritters with ciccioli and cream

The typical, fragrant and much loved food of this region. It is prepared easily and quickly. Ingredients: raw eggs, half a kilo of potatoes for every half kilo of cracklings, brewer's yeast, half a kilo of coarse flour, sugar, salt, yeast. This recipe is very tasty, you will surely love them.

Stramberské Usi

Stramberské Usi PGI are a local pastry specialty produced according to a historical recipe with type 00 flour, powdered sugar, whole eggs, water, baking powder, honey or caramel and various spices such as cinnamon, anise, carnation and star anise. When the pasta is still hot, it is rolled into the shape of a croissant (it thus resembles the human ear, hence its name Stramberk's Ear) and left to cool. The production area of Stramberské Usi PGI is located in the territory of the city of Stramberk and its immediate surroundings, in the Nový Jicín district in the Moravian-Silesian region.

Hukvaldské Lopaťáky / Frgály

Originally, frgál was called "failed" - a failed cake that the housekeeper broke while baking. The popular tradition of making this specific dessert is mainly based on festive occasions in the Wallachia region. It was mainly about weddings, baptisms, Christmas and Easter. The real frgál is made of thin leavened dough, measures about 30 cm in diameter, weighs about 600 grams and, unlike cakes, is characterized by the fact that it always has only one filling. It can be plum, pear, ricotta or poppy jam.

MUST-SEE

Kozmické ptačí louky

Kozmice Bird Meadows Site is famous as an alluvial meadow complex in the Opava River Basin. These periodically flooded and wet meadows are a natural habitat for many species of protected animals and plants. They are very well suited as a nesting site for waders - birds that use their beaks to pluck food out of the mud. Among them, for example, the lapwing, which is the emblem of the Bird Meadows of Kosmice. The location allows for the observation of birds and the landscape all year round from a 7 m high ornithological observatory, on which the stork's nest is located. There are also information panels on site.

Sleská Harta

It is the youngest dam in the Czech Republic. Slezská Harta is an artificial downstream reservoir built on the Moravice River in the Lower Jeseník Mountains near the town of Bruntál. The historical border between Moravia and Silesia passes through the reservoir. The water surface resembles a Chinese dragon in shape and is divided by numerous bays.

Praděd (Altvater)

1491 m. above sea level. Highest hill in Moravia, 5th highest hill in the Czech Republic and the highest solid point in the Czech Republic (top of the transmitter is higher than Snezka hill).