Lower Vítkovice (Dolní oblast Vítkovice) is Ostrava's main attraction and one of the most spectacular industrial heritage sites in Europe. Where Prague has its baroque churches, Ostrava has a whole ironworks — coking plant, blast furnaces, gas storage tanks and miles of conveyors — preserved as a vast open-air museum and cultural venue.
The signature experience is climbing the Bolt Tower, an observation platform welded to the top of one of the blast furnaces, giving 360-degree views across the city to the Beskydy Mountains and Poland beyond. The Gong concert hall, installed inside a former gas holder, hosts everything from rock gigs to classical concerts under a 36-metre-high steel roof. The U6 Small World of Technology is a hands-on science museum spread through the engineering workshops. Tickets are sold separately or as combination passes; allow most of a day.