The Olomouc Region (Olomoucký kraj) is a higher self-governing territorial unit in central and northern Moravia. Its regional capital is the statutory city of Olomouc, which had 103,063 inhabitants on 31 December 2024.[1] According to the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), the region had 631,480 inhabitants on 31 December 2025.[4]*
Location and neighbours
To the north the region borders Poland. To the east it borders the Moravian-Silesian Region, to the south the Zlín and South Moravian regions, and to the west the Pardubice Region. Together with the Zlín Region it forms the Central Moravia cohesion region.[1]
Nature
The northern part of the region is mountainous, with the Jeseníky and their highest peak Praděd (1,491 m). The south is formed by the flat Haná. The Morava flows through the region; the lowest point (190 m) lies on its surface near Kojetín in the Přerov district.[1] The Jeseníky Protected Landscape Area contains the Rejvíz peat bog, the largest in Moravia, the 45-metre Vysoký vodopád waterfall and the Dlouhé Stráně reservoir and power station. Floodplain forests are protected in the Litovelské Pomoraví Protected Landscape Area.[1] The region has the Javoříčko and Mladeč caves and the Zbrašov aragonite caves.[1]
Area, population and divisions
On 31 December 2024 the region covered 5,271.58 km², or 6.7% of the Czech Republic.[1] It is divided into five districts: Jeseník, Olomouc, Prostějov, Přerov and Šumperk. It has 13 administrative districts of municipalities with extended powers and 402 municipalities, 31 of which have town status; 56.1% of the population lives in towns.[1] The population density of 119.8 inhabitants per km² is close to the national average. The most sparsely populated is the Jeseník district with 50.8 inhabitants per km².[1] In 2024, 4,943 children were born in the region and 6,967 people died.[1]
Creation and administration
The region was created on 1 January 2000 under Constitutional Act No. 347/1997 Coll. Its name was derived from the seat of the regional authority and did not change when four regions were renamed in 2001.[2] The Act on Regions No. 129/2000 Coll. took effect on 12 November 2000 with the election of the regional assemblies.[2] In 2005, at the request of the municipalities, three municipalities with about 4,300 inhabitants moved to the Olomouc Region from the Moravian-Silesian Region.[2] Further minor changes to the boundaries with the South Moravian and Moravian-Silesian regions came at the beginning of 2016 in connection with the reduction of military training areas.[2]
At the inaugural session on 21 October 2024 the assembly elected Ladislav Okleštěk (ANO) as governor (hejtman); he had already led the region from 2017 to 2020. He replaced Josef Suchánek (STAN).[3]
Economy and education
ČSÚ describes the region as an industrial area with developed services. In 2024 it accounted for 4.7% of the gross domestic product of Czechia.[1] The southern and central parts of the region are among the areas with the most fertile soil in the country. Industries include food production, machinery, optics and electrical equipment.[1] Olomouc and Přerov are railway junctions.[1] Olomouc is home to Palacký University, the second oldest university in the Czech Republic, and to the University Hospital Olomouc.[1] Spas include those in Jeseník, Velké Losiny, Teplice nad Bečvou and Slatinice.[1]
Monuments
Olomouc has the second largest urban heritage reserve in Czechia. The Baroque Holy Trinity Column on its central square was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.[1] Other monuments in the region include the castles of Bouzov, Helfštýn and Šternberk, the châteaux of Úsov, Tovačov and Velké Losiny, and the pilgrimage Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary at Svatý Kopeček.[1]
Pages linking here
- Acute Child Psychiatric Care at Olomouc University Hospital 2026
- Introduction of a Fuel Price Cap (2026)
- Moravian-Silesian Region
- Olomouc
- South Moravian Region
- Zlín Region