Send Gift Baskets to Opava, Czech Republic

Opava was first mentioned around 1195. It was granted a town charter in 1224 and became the capital of Troppau Province.

Between 1427-1431, a non-traditional political power outlined its vision in the duchy of Opava. In 1485, long-time ruler Matthias Corvinus took over the land and ran it for several years. Finally, in 1613 Karl I took over and merged the Duchy with Krnov to create today’s Duchy.

After Prussia conquered the majority of Silesia, Austria wasn’t able to retain control of its lands beyond the province called Austrian Silesia. These territories were referred to as this until they acceded to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1740 and became over 100-year-long territory disputes with Prussia. Congress of Troppau took place from October to December 1820.

In 1910, the Austrian Census showed that almost 92% of people were German speakers and less than 6% spoke Czech. Most Jews living in Germany were not allowed to declare Yiddish as their language of choice and instead declared German as their native language. Their main religious group was Roman Catholicism with 28,379 (92.2%), followed by Protestants with 1,155 (3.7%), and Jews with 1,112 (3.6%).

After 1919, Opava was part of Czechoslovakia.

Opava was gifted to Nazi Germany in 1938 as a result of the Munich accord. It became part of Reichsgau Sudetenland, where it would later be held in captivity for two years before being liberated by Russian forces on April 22nd, 1945. From 1945-46, the German population was expelled and their city was resettled with Czechs. The municipalities of Jaktař, Kateřinky, and Kylešovice were joined to Opava after the war. After 1945 there were new residential neighborhoods created that are still in use today.

The Duchy of Opava, which is no longer recognized by the Czech government, was the name of a protectorate that existed from 1821 until 1938. The title remains with Victor Kinsky-Marquart, who is heir to it now.