Town hall in Opava

The Town Hall in Opava stands on Horní náměstí (Upper Square), the historic heart of Opava in the Czech Republic's Silesian-Moravian region. Its white tower, known locally as Hláska, rises above the surrounding rooftops and has served for centuries as a landmark for residents and visitors navigating the old town.

Where does the tower come from?

The tower's story begins in the early 17th century. Between 1614 and 1618, a new Renaissance tower with a clock was added to the old town hall, designed by Kryštof Prochhuber. In its early years the tower served a practical, civic purpose: watchmen used it to announce important events, from the opening of the market to the outbreak of fire. Scales for weighing goods sold at the market once stood beside it.

The structure's history was not without setbacks. In the 16th century a storm severely damaged the tower, and it took roughly fifty years to fully rebuild it. Despite this, the tower retained its distinctive 17th-century prismatic form, topped today by an octagonal extension with a walkable gallery (alure) and a three-tiered dome crowned with two lanterns.

How did the town hall building itself change?

The original town hall to which the tower was attached did not survive to the present day in its earlier form. In 1902 it was demolished and replaced by a new, historicizing building in the Renaissance style. The winning design, chosen from as many as 82 submitted proposals, was created by architect Rudolf Srntz.

The resulting building is a three-storey structure made up of three perpendicular, two-section wings, with oriel turrets marking the corners. Its main façade is richly decorated: reliefs depict the town's coat of arms carried by two lions, jeweled coats of arms above the main entrance, eagles along the sides, and lions guarding the corners. This blend of an ornate, historicizing 20th-century shell wrapped around a much older tower gives the Opava town hall an unusually layered architectural history.

What should visitors notice at the town hall?

Today the building remains one of the anchors of Opava's cityscape, standing at the center of Horní náměstí among other historic townhouses that make up the city's old core. Because the Hláska tower predates the rest of the building by nearly three centuries, it is often the first detail to catch a visitor's eye.

Walking across the square, it is worth comparing the plainer, functional form of the tower with the elaborately decorated, historicizing façade added at the start of the 20th century. That contrast — a practical watchtower from four centuries ago paired with a representative administrative building from the era of historicism — captures something essential about Opava itself: a city repeatedly rebuilt, yet one that has kept fragments of its older identity intact.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors climb the town hall tower? The Hláska tower functions as a viewpoint in the center of Opava and is traditionally accessible to visitors as part of the local tourist offering — it is worth checking current opening hours locally or at the city's tourist information center.

Why does the tower look different from the rest of the building? The tower dates from the early 17th century, while the town hall building itself was almost entirely rebuilt in 1902 in a historicizing style — which is why the two elements differ in both age and architectural language.

Where exactly is the town hall located? The building stands on Horní náměstí (Upper Square) in Opava's historic center, surrounded by other historic townhouses forming the city's main square.