i was curious about passing through ostrava, czech republic’s “third” city, on my way to poland. it has long been known for being a polluted industrial and mining center of the country for most of the twentieth century, and also as a place that milan kundera writes about sometimes, for example, in his novel “the joke”. i can’t say this city has had the most shining reputation historically, but i’ve talked to some people about it who feel that ostrava has the potential to become a really hip city. it’s home to a steelworks and mining center called dolní vítkovice, located in the heart of the city, which is now…