Kopřivnice is an industrial town situated in the west part of the District of Nový Jičín, at a distance of 13 kilometres from the town of Nový Jičín, in the Štramberk Uplands. The town is 45 kilometres southwest of the Polish border and 40 kilometres west of the Slovak border. Kopřivnice stretches in a south-to-north direction between two hills - Červený kámen (Red Stone Hill), 728 metres above sea level, and Bílá hora (White Mountain), 558 metres above sea level. The Kopřivnička Brook, which is a left tributary of the Lubina River, passes through the town.
The town was founded as a settlement round the Schauenstein Castle (called Šostýn by the residents) in the middle of the 13th century. The first written mention of the settlement dates back to 1382. In 1850, a carriage and barouche craft manufacture was established in the town, which laid the foundations of the later motor car works TATRA. In 1897, the first car ever made in the Austria-Hungary - the "President" - was manufactured there. In 1812, a majolica and clay product manufacturing factory was founded in the town. Kopřivnice became a town in 1910 and was honoured with the town statute in 1948. Today, Kopřivnice is an idustrial town , of which the dominant feature is formed by the company TATRA, a.s.
Due to its position, the town of Kopřivnice has become a crossing of hiking trails. In the hills near Kopřivnice, you can find a beautiful view-point at the Raška's Stone, the Šostýn Castle ruins, the Jasník's Spring in the Butterfly Valley, the Bezruč's View-Point at the Brda Hill, the Master John Huss monument with the old Huss's Lime or the Janík's Valley with a gamekeeper's lodge. On the Red Stone Hill, there is a beautiful view of the Beskydy Mountains panorama stretching from the Lysá Mountain to the Javorníky Mountains. You can take a nice walk to the Váňa's Rock on the White Mountain where you can find a plaque in memory of one of the North Moravia's largest peasant rebellions.
Kopřivnice is the hometown to two important personalities - Zdeněk Burian, an academic painter, author of the world-famous illustrations of the prehistorical age, and Emil Zátopek, multiple Olympic winner in running.
In the town, you can visit two museums - the Technical Musemum of TATRA and the Fojtství Museum. In addition, the town offers you to enjoy visiting many sports and cultural events and activities.
The near village of Hukvaldy with the composer Leoš Janáček's natal home and the romantic town of Štramberk, which is interesting in geological, archaeological and botanical terms as well as owing to its folklore, are among the sure-fire tips for trips to be taken by the Kopřivnice visitors.
Plní funkci základního stupně územní samosprávy a v různé míře je také vykonavatelem státní správy.
