Sights and tourist destinations

  The majority of visitors want to see Hradec Castle. It was the ducal house Lichnowsky which wrote the most significant chapter in its history. The castle houses valuable collections of antique furniture, glass and china, a library, art gallery and many more. 

    Hradec, though, does not mean only the castle. Many other places are worth seeing, too – among them the Church of St. Peter and Paul from the 16th century, route of the Cross called the Silesian Calvary and unique relics of fortifications called Šance from the Silesian Wars, which gave the place its name. It also shares the name with the latest tourist attraction, the Šance lookout tower, situated 522 m above the sea level. From its top there is a marvelous view of Opavian region and both the Beskydy and Jeseníky mts. You should not miss a 19th century wonder of technology, a 3.5 km long Weisshuhn`s Paper Mill Canal leading through three tunnels built in slopes and two aqueducts.

         Two km long wooded slopes to the east of Žimrovice on the right bank of the Moravice river are among the most beautiful places, being called Belaria by local people. Now they are forested by sturdy beeches and more to the south by spruces. On a ledge of this hillside there is a lookout and in the 19th century, before the spruces grew, there had been a marvelous view of the valley. The name Bella Ria is inscribed on a stone placed on a ledge 150m high above the riverbed. If you want to visit this lookout, you will get there from Mariánské louky en route to Bezruč´s lookout. The nature trail Mariánské louky starts behind the Belaria Hotel.  You will be given information about the lookout at its first stop.