Pupils from Ostrava are looking for “waterworks caches”

Found it! These days, you can often hear exclamations like this in two places in Ostrava where special waterworks caches are hidden. And first-grade pupils of Ostrava’s primary schools are on the hunt for these caches. If they don’t find them, they can hardly solve one of the tasks in the project Find the Water Spring. The project is organised by the Ostrava Water Company (OVAK) for Ostrava schoolchildren. Approximately 1,000 pupils have participated in the project this year.

It is 1 May 2000. The US President Bill Clinton comes decides that the military GPS navigation system will turn off scrambling. GPS scrambling was to protect the system from being abused by the enemy. It was actually switched off the next day and the GPS system became available to the public with the precision as we know it today. One day later, on 3 May 2000, the first “cache” was hidden in the United States. Thus, geocaching, now a cult activity, was born. It is a popular game where people look for mysterious “treasures” with a hand-held GPS module. The game has over 6 million players around the world, and the number of caches exceeds 2.5 million.  Geocaching is very popular in the Czech Republic.

That is why children from Ostrava must find two “caches” hidden in two places in Ostrava, by using coordinates and then correctly answering a question.

The pupils will also have to solve two water-themed riddles:

Carefully look around.

You are fewer than 100 steps away from the place where you will find the answer.

Of course, it’s a building connected with water.

If you are a good observer, you should see the place immediately.

Riddle:

In the place where water can be found, but where there is no water at all,

a star is shining from behind,

a rider must be found.

and an animal is jumping on the spring.

What image is it? What does the image mean?

The classes that successfully complete the geocaching task as well as other tasks will get to the grand finals at the Silesian Ostrava Castle.

You can see their progress on Facebook or at www.hledejpramenvody.cz.

Do you want to learn more about the waterworks? Come to visit the unique museum “History of the Ostrava Waterworks – Babylon” in Ostrava-Nová Ves. You can make a reservation at www.ovak.cz.