City (pop., 2001 prelim.: 319,293), northeastern Czech Republic, at the confluence of the Opava and Oder rivers near the Moravian Gap.
It was founded 0441; 1267 as a fortified town by Bruno, bishop of Olomouc, to protect the entry to Moravia from the north. Its castle was demolished in 1495. Historic buildings include a 13th-century church.