Living in the centre of Ostrava
The square, shops and culture on foot, the tram outside the window. The centre of Ostrava is made up of several neighbourhoods and each one lives differently. A comparison on live data and advice on what to watch out for.
The centre is not one neighbourhood
The historic core around Masarykovo náměstí is the Moravská Ostrava neighbourhood. Around it lie neighbourhoods people usually count as the centre or that are a few stops from it: Přívoz with the main railway station to the north, Vítkovice to the south, Mariánské Hory and Hulváky to the west and, to the east across the Ostravice river, Slezská Ostrava. Each has different buildings, a different rent and a different pace.
Core, north and south: Moravská Ostrava, Přívoz, Vítkovice
Moravská Ostrava is the centre with the square, the New Town Hall, the Nová Karolina shopping centre and Komenského sady park. Stodolní street with its bars and clubs is here too. Přívoz is an older neighbourhood north of the centre, with the main station and a regular grid of streets lined with apartment buildings. Vítkovice lies south of the centre, around the former ironworks with the Dolní oblast Vítkovice, now a venue for concerts and festivals, and a workers' colony of red brick.
| Moravská Ostrava | Přívoz | Vítkovice | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2+kk rent a month | 11 500 Kč | 10 900 Kč | 10 000 Kč |
| To the centre | 11 min | 21 min | 13 min |
| From the centre at night | 16 min | 33 min | 35 min |
| Addresses with a supermarket within 500 m | 80 % | 58 % | 18 % |
| Restaurants and cafés | 163 | 4 | 11 |
| Bars and pubs | 79 | 1 | 1 |
| Parks and forests of the area | 9 % | 18 % | 8 % |
| To a park | 209 m | 201 m | 217 m |
| Noisy addresses (Lden) | 85 % | 96 % | 86 % |
| Noisy addresses at night | 88 % | 99 % | 93 % |
| Summer surface temperature next to the city average | +5.7 °C | +3.2 °C | +6.3 °C |
| Trees and shrubs as a share of the area | 13 % | 20 % | 11 % |
| Addresses with a playground within 500 m | 94 % | 48 % | 46 % |
| Nurseries and primary schools per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.9 |
| GPs and pharmacies per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Addresses with a sports ground or gym within 500 m | 68 % | 20 % | 16 % |
| Addresses with a cinema, theatre, museum or library within 500 m | 51 % | 48 % | 34 % |
| Addresses with a dog park within 500 m | 17 % | 0 % | 34 % |
| Blocks of flats with a lift | 33 % | 10 % | 3 % |
| Homes completed after 1990 | 8 % | 17 % | 26 % |
| Addresses with a low radon index | 99 % | 100 % | 100 % |
| Addresses off undermined land and landslides | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| Addresses in an unprotected flood zone | 0 % | 1 % | 0 % |
| Restaurants, shops and services per 1,000 residents | 48 | 31 | 24 |
| Growth in restaurants, shops and services over a year | +3.6 % | -3.2 % | +3.4 % |
| Addresses near frequent accidents | 14 % | 7 % | 4 % |
| Flats in homes completed in the last three years | 183 | 30 | 65 |
| Flats on district heating | 80 % | 32 % | 27 % |
| Addresses with fibre to the house | 38 % | 8 % | 2 % |
West and east: Mariánské Hory, Hulváky, Slezská Ostrava
Mariánské Hory is an older neighbourhood of apartment buildings west of the centre, a few tram stops away. Hulváky is its smaller and quieter neighbour to the south, with both family houses and apartment buildings. Slezská Ostrava lies across the Ostravice, with the Silesian Ostrava Castle and the Ema spoil heap; it is built up more loosely and the centre is just across the river.
| Mariánské Hory | Hulváky | Slezská Ostrava | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2+kk rent a month | 11 200 Kč | 11 100 Kč | 11 300 Kč |
| To the centre | 12 min | 14 min | 20 min |
| From the centre at night | 19 min | 20 min | 40 min |
| Addresses with a supermarket within 500 m | 68 % | 0 % | 21 % |
| Restaurants and cafés | 24 | 0 | 9 |
| Bars and pubs | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Parks and forests of the area | 15 % | 12 % | 45 % |
| To a park | 296 m | 199 m | 69 m |
| Noisy addresses (Lden) | 84 % | 57 % | 57 % |
| Noisy addresses at night | 91 % | 73 % | 61 % |
| Summer surface temperature next to the city average | +4.2 °C | +5.7 °C | -1.2 °C |
| Trees and shrubs as a share of the area | 16 % | 19 % | 48 % |
| Addresses with a playground within 500 m | 95 % | 20 % | 70 % |
| Nurseries and primary schools per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 5.5 | 1.0 |
| GPs and pharmacies per 1,000 residents | 0.9 | 4.4 | 0.9 |
| Addresses with a sports ground or gym within 500 m | 52 % | 58 % | 21 % |
| Addresses with a cinema, theatre, museum or library within 500 m | 37 % | 0 % | 17 % |
| Addresses with a dog park within 500 m | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| Blocks of flats with a lift | 26 % | 5 % | 10 % |
| Homes completed after 1990 | 16 % | 23 % | 27 % |
| Addresses with a low radon index | 100 % | 100 % | 49 % |
| Addresses off undermined land and landslides | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| Addresses in an unprotected flood zone | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| Restaurants, shops and services per 1,000 residents | 31 | 33 | 15 |
| Growth in restaurants, shops and services over a year | +2.5 % | – | +9.3 % |
| Addresses near frequent accidents | 5 % | 7 % | 0 % |
| Flats in homes completed in the last three years | 10 | 12 | 142 |
| Flats on district heating | 68 % | 6 % | 23 % |
| Addresses with fibre to the house | 23 % | 27 % | 21 % |
How to read the comparison
- Rent: the first row shows the typical rent of a 2+kk in the neighbourhood. In the centre, the state of the building and whether the flat faces the street or the courtyard matter a lot.
- Trip to the centre: it is short everywhere here; the night-trip row is more interesting if you go out in the evening.
- Shops, restaurants, bars: how many there are around and how many addresses have a supermarket nearby.
- Green space and playgrounds: the share of parks and woods and how many addresses have a playground nearby; for families with children in the centre the most important row.
What to watch out for in the centre
- Noise. A flat facing a street with a tram and one facing the inner courtyard are two different worlds, and around Stodolní it stays lively late into the night. Stop by the building in the evening too. The guide quiet living in Ostrava ranks the neighbourhoods by noise.
- Air. In winter, home heating adds to the dust in Ostrava's air; how the central neighbourhoods do is in the guide green neighbourhoods of Ostrava.
- Parking. The centre has paid parking zones; with a car, expect to search for a space or to rent a garage. Without a car it is easiest, see living without a car in Ostrava.
- State of the building. Old apartment buildings have high ceilings and charm, but also old wiring and pipes and often no lift. Go through the flat viewing checklist.
Check the specific address before you sign the contract:
One pair of central neighbourhoods in more detail: Moravská Ostrava or Mariánské Hory. Cheaper neighbourhoods close to the centre are in the guide cheap living in Ostrava.
Frequently asked questions
Which neighbourhoods belong to the centre of Ostrava?
The historic core around Masarykovo náměstí is the Moravská Ostrava neighbourhood. Around it lie Přívoz to the north, Vítkovice to the south, Mariánské Hory and Hulváky to the west and, across the Ostravice river, Slezská Ostrava.
How much does rent cost in the centre of Ostrava?
A typical 2+kk costs CZK 11 300 a month across Ostrava; the rent in each central neighbourhood is in the first row of the comparison. For a specific flat, the state of the building and whether it faces the street or the courtyard matter most.
Is living in the centre of Ostrava noisy?
It depends on the street and where the windows face. A flat facing the inner courtyard is usually much quieter than one facing a street with a tram, and around Stodolní street it stays lively late into the night. The guide Quiet living in Ostrava ranks the neighbourhoods by noise.
