The technique of assessing the failure of rigid overlying strata is applicable to deep mining with thick coal seams (a thickness of more than 1 m in the Ostrava-Karvina Coalfield), and in one case to longwall mining with controlled caving. The assessment of failure of rigid overlying strata makes it possible to distinguish whether the rigid overlying strata of rocks has been deformed or whether a strutting arch has been formed over the goaf below which is an area that is free from stress. Good knowledge of the mining, technical and geological conditions of a given site is a prerequisite for successful evaluation. There are advantages to utilising surface measurements for interpreting the effects of changes in rock mass, especially in areas of high overlying strata. The practical importance of failure assessment of overlying strata consists in determining the size of the mined-out area where the deformation of the rigid overlying strata occurred, which is dependent on the character of the rock mass. This paper is set in the context of the expected width of the goaf during deformation of rigid overlying strata within parameters that describe the mining and geological conditions of the locality. Changes in the area of the goaf, based the results of tensometric measurements, will also be placed in context., Eva Jiránková, Lubomír Staš, Vlastimil Kajzar and Hana Doležalová., and Obsahuje bibliografii