Vratimov

Vratimov (Rattimau, Racimów) is a town in Ostrava-City District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The town part of Horní Datyně is an administrative part of Vratimov.

Geography
Vratimov is located southeast of Ostrava, in its immediate vicinity. It lies in the Ostrava Basin lowland, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The town is located on the right bank of the Ostravice River, which forms the western border of the municipal territory.

History
Vratimov was founded during the colonization of Cieszyn Silesia in the second half of the 13th century. The first written mention is from 1305 under its Latin name Wrothimow. The Czech name was first used in 1598.

Politically the village belonged initially to the Duchy of Teschen, formed in 1290 in the process of feudal fragmentation of Poland and was ruled by a local branch of Piast dynasty. In 1327 the duchy became a fee of Kingdom of Bohemia, which after 1526 became part of the Habsburg monarchy.

Vratimov was traditionally agricultural. In the 1880s, a pulp mill was established here and soon paper and metallurgical production was established. Industrialization dramatically changed the character of the town.

Transport
Vratimov is located on the railway line Ostrava–Frýdlant nad Ostravicí.

Sights
The main landmark of Vratimov is the Church of Saint John the Baptist. The first mention of a wooden church is from 1652. After this old church fell into disrepair, a new church was built next to him in 1806 and also consecrated to St. John the Baptist.

Twin towns – sister cities
Vratimov is twinned with:
 * Senj, Croatia