| Háj ve Slezsku | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Moravian-Silesian |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Opava |
| Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
| Coordinates: | 49.9°N 18.0931°W |
| Established Title: | First mentioned |
| Established Date: | 1377 |
| Area Total Km2: | 13.79 |
| Elevation M: | 235 |
| Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 3245 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 747 92 |
Háj ve Slezsku (pronounced as /cs/; de|Freiheitsau) is a municipality and village in Opava District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,200 inhabitants.
The villages of Chabičov, Jilešovice, Lhota and Smolkov are administrative parts of Háj ve Slezsku.
The name of the municipality means "grove in Silesia".
Háj ve Slezsku is located about 8km (05miles) northwest of Ostrava and 13km (08miles) east of Opava. The northern part of the municipality lies in the Opava Hilly Land, the southern part is located in the Nízký Jeseník range. The highest point is at 364m (1,194feet) above sea level. The municipality is situated on the right bank of the Opava River, which forms the northern municipal border.
First settlements in the area were probably established in the 13th century. The first written mention of Chabičov and Smolkov is from 1377. The youngest village is Háj, which was established in 1784 as a part of Chabičov. It was its administrative part until 1922. By the unification of Chabičov, Háj and Smolkov, it officially became an independent municipality, and the three villages became administrative parts. Since 1970, the municipality is called Háj ve Slezsku. Jilešovice and Lhota were incorporated in 1979.[2]
Háj ve Slezsku is located on the railway line Ostrava–Opava.[3]
The municipality organizes an annual folklore festival named Rozmarné léto after the most famous novel of local native Vladislav Vančura.[4] [5]
The main landmark is the Church of Saint Valentine in Chabičov. It was built in 1910–1911. The architectural concept combines Neo-Romanesque, Art Nouveau and Art Deco elements.[6]