The Ema landfill in Ostrava has been compared to Italy’s Mount Vesuvius
How the pile came to be
The story of the Ema heap begins in 1861, when Count Wilczek founded a coal mining pit. At the same time, during coal mining, there was an accumulation of unnecessary tailings, for which it was necessary to find a suitable place. And so artificial hills, which are called heaps, began to emerge. The heap we are talking about today was named by Count Wilczek after his wife Emma. Mining was finished in 1933 and the entire area was demolished in the 1960s. All that remains is the Ema dump, which today consists of almost 28 million tons of unnecessary mined material and covers an area of 82 hectares, according to the source ostravainfo.cz.
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A specific ecosystem
During the 1960s, the Ema pile caught fire inside and is still burning today, bringing unprecedented heat to the surface. For this reason, the popular tourist destination has its own unique subtropical microclimate, which allows the growth of heat-loving plants that are not at all typical for this area. On the northern side, the heap is densely wooded, on the south, the heap is bare, snow does not settle on it in the winter months and it is grassed all year round. Steppe fauna is also found here, so you can observe insects that you could find, for example, in distant India or Australia.
Source: Youtube
Don’t look for volcanic origin
The Ema heap is not of volcanic origin, but thanks to its thermal activity it is constantly smoldering, as the material from which the heap is formed is constantly burning under the surface. As the website mamesvetovykraj.cz reported, for example, the temperature inside the heap is around 1,500 °C, which is a temperature at which rare minerals, such as pocelanite and jasper, also occur. Thanks to the internal combustion, you can also observe white clouds of gas on the surface, which are mainly made up of methane and sulfur dioxide, which flood the landscape with a typical smell.
The second highest point in Ostrava
It was not so long ago that the Ema mound, which is also called Ema-Terezie or Terezie-Ema, with its 325 m above sea level, was at the same time the highest hill in Ostrava. However, due to constant heating, settling of material and mining activities, its peak has fallen over time to the current 314 m above sea level, and its height will probably continue to decrease. However, this does not change the fact that it is a sought-after tourist destination that offers a great view of Ostrava and its surroundings. You can see, for example, the Beskydy Mountains, Nízký Jeseník, the Moravian Gate, but also the landscape that already lies beyond the borders of the Czech Republic – Poland.
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How to get to the heap
The best thing to do is to go from the New Town Hall upstream of the Ostravice River, as the website ostravainfo.cz advises, for example. At the green footbridge near the Regional Court, cross the river and continue along the Silesian bank. Walk up to the M. Sýkory bridge and then cross Bohumínská street. Walk past the liberation monument and go all the way to the Silesian Ostrava Town Hall, from where you can follow the yellow tourist sign up Keltičková street. As soon as you reach the last row, turn right and continue straight along Na Františková Street. Then cross Na Baranovci Street and at the end of the garages, turn right. You will get to the end of Pod Výtahem Street, which smoothly merges into Na Burni Street.
As soon as you see the educational trail, connect to the yellow hiking trail and continue along the forest trail. At the first fork, turn left and uphill. You will reach a well-trodden path in a sparse forest, where the biggest ascent to the top of the Ema heap awaits you. At the top you will have a view of the whole of Ostrava and its surroundings. It is a relatively short route (approx. 4 km), which will probably surprise you with a steep ascent. Therefore, it is better to leave strollers and bicycles at home. You can also look at another photo gallerywhich we prepared for you some time ago at moravskoslezsky.denik.cz.