Třinec (; ; ) is a city in Frýdek-Místek District in the

Moravian-Silesian Region The Moravian-Silesian Region () is one of the 14 administrative regions of the Czech Republic. Before May 2001, it was called the Ostrava Region (). The region is located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the least populated statutory city in the country. The city is an important cultural centre of the Polish minority in Trans-Olza, which makes up 12.1% of the population (as of 2021). Třinec is notable for the Třinec Iron and Steel Works steel plant, the largest in the country, which still has a major impact on the city, its character, demographics, and

air quality Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...

Administrative division

Třinec consists of 13 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): * Dolní Líštná (3,597) * Guty (836) * Horní Líštná (400) *Kanada (1,044) * Karpentná (787) * Kojkovice (342) * Konská (1,635) * Lyžbice (14,467) * Nebory (1,848) * Oldřichovice (3,118) *Osůvky (446) * Staré Město (4,797) * Tyra (465)

Etymology

The name Třinec is of topographic origin, derived from the Slavic word for reed (Polish: ''trzcina'', Czech: ''třtina'').

Geography

Třinec is located about east of Frýdek-Místek and southeast of

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

. It lies in the historical region of

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...

, on the border with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and also near the border with

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

, which is about of the city centre. Třinec lies on the Olza River. The Tyra Stream flows across the municipal territory and joins the Olza in the city centre. The elevation of the built-up area is approximately above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. The northern part of the municipal territory is located in the Moravian-Silesian Foothills. The southern, sparsely populated part is located in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids mountain range, which also belongs to the Beskydy Protected Landscape Area. The municipal border runs along the peaks of several mountains, including Ostrý (with an elevation of the highest point in Třinec), Smrčina at , Šindelná at , and Javorový at .

Climate

Třinec has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Cfb'' in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

History

The first written mention of Třinec is from 1444, but the village was probably founded already in the second half of the 14th century. Politically, the village then belonged to the

Duchy of Teschen The Duchy of Teschen (), also Duchy of Cieszyn () or Duchy of Těšín (), was one of the Duchies of Silesia centered on Cieszyn () in Upper Silesia. It was split off the Silesian Duchy of Opole and Racibórz in 1281 during the feudal divisio ...

, a fee of the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

, which after 1526 became part of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

. In 1770, the village had about 200 inhabitants and was completely agricultural. The area was rich in

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

deposits and had sufficient water energy and a high supply of wood, which were the main reasons to establish an

iron works An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. Iron Works may also refer to: * Iron Works, a neighborhood in Brookfield, Connecticut * Clay City, Kentucky, known as Iron ...

there. The iron mill began operation in 1839, becoming the largest in the entire

, and became a major milestone in the history of the village, which reoriented itself to industry. After the construction of the Košice–Bohumín Railway line in 1871, rapid development of the town took place. After the

revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire The revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire took place from March 1848 to November 1849. Much of the revolutionary activity had a nationalism, nationalist character: the Austrian Empire, ruled from Vienna, included ethnic Germans, Hungarians, ...

, a modern municipal division was introduced in the re-established Austrian Silesia. The village as a municipality was added to the

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

and legal district of

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...

. According to censuses conducted in 1880–1910, the population of the municipality grew from 1,792 in 1880 to 3,849 in 1910, with a majority being native Polish speakers (growing from 51.4% in 1880 to 96.6% in 1900 and 96% in 1910), accompanied by a German-speaking minority (at most 32.5% in 1880, then dropping to 12.2% in 1900, and up to 24.3% in 1910) and Czech speakers (peaking in 1890 at 17.4%, then dropping to 6.7% in 1910). In terms of religion, in 1910 the majority were

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

(63.2%), followed by

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

(34.5%), and

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

(1.9%). The village was also traditionally inhabited by Cieszyn Vlachs, speaking the Cieszyn Silesian dialect. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the fall of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, the Polish–Czechoslovak War, and the division of

in 1920, it became a part of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. In 1931, Třinec was promoted to a town. Following the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...

in October 1938, together with the

Trans-Olza Trans-Olza (, ; , ''Záolší''; ), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia (), is a territory in the Czech Republic which was disputed between Poland and Czechoslovakia during the Interwar Period. Its name comes from the Olza River. The history of ...

region, it was annexed by

, administratively adjoined to Cieszyn County of the

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

. It was then annexed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

at the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the war, it was restored to

. In 1946, the villages of Lyžbice, Dolní Líštná, and Konská were joined to Třinec. In 1956–1977, a large housing estate was built in Lyžbice, and it became the most populated town part of Třinec. Afterwards, Lyžbice became a new

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

, taking the place of Staré Město (lit. "old town"). The municipalities of Guty, Karpentná, Nebory, Oldřichovice, Ropice, Tyra, and Vendryně were joined to Třinec in 1980. However, Vendryně became an independent municipality in 1995 and Ropice followed in 2000. In 2018, Třinec became a statutory city.

Demographics

Economy

The Třinec Iron and Steel Works company is one of the largest employers in the Czech Republic. Including smaller production plants outside Třinec, the company employs 7,000 people (as of 2021).

Culture

The year's biggest event is the ''Hutnický den'' ("Metallurgy Day"), which features numerous live performances from bands and artists from all over the country and abroad. It takes place every year in May, but was not held in 2020 and 2021. From 1993 to 2012, one of the oldest and most famous rock festivals in the Czech Republic, ''Noc plná hvězd'' ("star-studded night"), was held here every year.

Sport

The city is represented by the successful ice hockey team HC Oceláři Třinec, which has been playing in the Czech Extraliga since 1995 and has won four times. Oceláři (Steelers) play their home games at Werk Arena, which opened in 2014 and has a seating capacity of 5,400. The arena also hosted the Team Czech Republic at the 2016 Davis Cup World Group. The city's football team, FK Třinec, plays in the Moravian-Silesian Football League (third tier of the Czech football system). The floorball club FBC Třinec has been playing in the first tier of the women's competition since 2023 and in the third tier of the men's competition. The team plays its home games in the Sports Hall STARS Třinec. Třinec also has an athletics club, founded in 1951. Sports that have a tradition in Třinec include orienteering, weightlifting, Greco-Roman wrestling, road cycling, and chess.

Sights

Třinec is poor in monuments. The main historic landmark is the Church of Saint Albert, built in the 1880s. A notable building is the wooden Church of Corpus Cristi in Guty. The original church from the 16th century was destroyed by a deliberate fire in 2017. In 2021, a replica was completed on its site. In 1969, Třinec Iron and Steel Works opened a company museum, which has been jointly operated with the city as the museum of both the company and the city since 1992.

Notable people

* Jan Kubisz (1848–1920), Polish educator and poet * Józef Buzek (1873–1936), Polish statistician and politician * Jan Buzek (1874–1940), Polish physician and politician * Paweł Kubisz (1907–1968), Polish poet and writer * Adam Wawrosz (1913–1971), Polish poet and writer * Tadeusz Kraus (1932–2018), footballer * Stanisław Zahradnik (born 1932), historian * Eduard Ovčáček (born 1933), artist * Karol Daniel Kadłubiec (born 1937), Polish ethnographer * Michaela Dolinová (born 1964), actress and TV presenter * Petr Šiška (born 1965), TV presenter and musician * Petr Pravec (born 1967), astronomer * Roman Sikora (born 1970), playwright * Jana Cieslarová (born 1971), orienteer *

Edvard Lasota Edvard Lasota (born 7 March 1971) is a Czech former football player who played mostly as a midfielder. Spending most of his career in the Czech leagues, he had short spells in Italy with AC Reggiana and Salernitana. He also played for the Czec ...

(born 1971), footballer * Vojtěch Kučera (born 1975), poet * Czeslaw Walek (born 1975), lawyer and LGBT activist * Martin Staszko (born 1976), professional poker player * Lenka Cenková (born 1977), tennis player * David Szurman (born 1981), ice dancer * Lukáš Rakowski (born 1982), figure skater *

Václav Svěrkoš Václav Svěrkoš (; born 1 November 1983) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was the opening scorer in the Euro 2008 tournament. Svěrkoš has played at professional football clubs in Germany, Austria, Fran ...

(born 1983), footballer *

Tomáš Klus Tomáš Klus (born 15 May 1986) is a Czech musician and songwriter from the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Life and career Klus was born in the industrial town of Třinec, where he spent most of his childhood. His parents were ...

(born 1986), musician * Soňa Pertlová (1988–2011), chess player * Ewa Farna (born 1993), Polish-Czech singer * Krystyna Pyszková (born 1999), model, Miss World 2023 * Adam Gawlas (born 2002), darts player *

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, () is an African Great Lakes, African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is ...

(formed 2013), indie pop band

Twin towns – sister cities

Třinec is twinned with: *

Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała (; ; , ; ) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 166,765 as of December 2022, making it the List of cities and towns in Poland#Largest cities and towns by population, 22nd largest city in Poland, and an a ...

, Poland *

Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...

, Slovakia

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trinec Cities and towns in the Czech Republic