Administrative Development of Silesia and Ostrava

In the autumn of 1938, Western Silesia became part of the occupied borderlands. These were areas with a predominantly Czech population, including today's Ostrava suburbs on the left bank of the Odra River (Svinov, Poruba and others). Opava became the centre of one of the three governmental districts of the Sudetenland. After the Munich Agreement was signed, the Hlučín region was annexed directly to the Reich as a historical German territory. The Hlučín region became part of the Racibórz district within the Reich Province of Upper Silesia. In October 1938, the Těšín region became part of Poland. In September 1939, the area was occupied by the German army and the region was subsequently incorporated into the Reich Province of Upper Silesia. In March 1939, Ostrava became part of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Moravian Ostrava was the seat of one of the so-called Oberlandrats, German administrative officials under the authority of the Reich Protector. On 1 Jan 1941, Moravian Ostrava was promoted to a statutory town headed by a mayor.