Decín
Encyclopedia
Děčín (ˈɟɛtʃiːn; , 1942–45: Tetschen–Bodenbach) is a town
in the Ústí nad Labem Region
in the north of the Czech Republic
. It is the largest town and administrative seat of the Děčín District
.
at the confluence of the rivers Elbe
and Ploučnice
. The Elbe having cut through the soft sandstone
mountains of the region, the town lies in the transition zone between Bohemian Switzerland and the Lusatian Mountains
in the north and the Central Bohemian Uplands
in the south. It is actually made up of two towns, one on either side of the Elbe River; the old town of Děčín is on the right bank, and on the left bank is Podmokly (German: Bodenbach), which was incorporated in 1942. The town's elevation of 135 metres (442.9 ft) is one of the lowest in the country.
Nearby is an important border crossing of the Elbe Valley railway
leading to Dresden
in Germany
, with Děčín station at about 83 minutes north of Prague
by rail. A parallel highway along the Elbe shore across the border to Bad Schandau
was laid out in 1938; all cargo transported by rail, road, and water passes through the town. Products made in Děčín include sheet-metal, food, textiles, chemicals, soap, beer and preserved fish; the town is also home to a printing and publishing industry.
tribe of the Děčané
in the 9th century, whence its name. In the 10th century the Přemyslid
dukes of Bohemia had a fortress built on the left bank of the Elbe ford
, but after a flood it was rebuilt on the right bank in 1059. A settlement on the trade route
from the Ore Mountains
in the west to the adjacent Upper Lusatia
region was first mentioned in a 993 deed. King Ottokar II of Bohemia
(1253–1278) had the town of Děčín laid out as an administrative centre of the surrounding estates.
It was under the control of the Lords of Wartenberg
from 1305 until 1534, when it was bought by the rich Lord Rudolf von Bünau. This family introduced Protestantism
to the region and the town flourished; however the protestant belief was suppressed by the Habsburg kings in the course of the Counter-Reformation
, and the Bünaus were driven out upon the 1620 Battle of White Mountain
. In 1628 they sold the town to the Barons of Thun, it was devastated several times during the Thirty Years' War
.
In the 18th century, Tetschen followed fashion and became a spa town
under Baron Johann Joseph Thun, who searched the area for a suitable spring and found one in the nearby village of Horní Žleb (Obergrund) in 1768. The centre of a busy trading hub was not, however, the ideal place to build a spa, and the idea was eventually dropped in 1922; today the town's spa past has been largely forgotten. Nevertheless, the Elbe Valley railway line was completed in 1851, which promoted the development on the left bank of the river. Soon, neighbouring Bodenbach (Podmokly) grew bigger than Tetschen and received town privileges in 1901. Upon the 1938 Munich Agreement
, both towns were annexed by Nazi Germany
, incorporated into the Reichsgau
Sudetenland
and merged in 1942. After World War II
the German
population was disseized and expelled according to the 1945 Potsdam Agreement
and the Beneš decrees
.
In August 2002, extreme weather
conditions lead to extensive flooding all across Europe and Děčín was also badly hit. Water levels rose from their usual two meters to 12 meters; five barges broke loose from their moorings and threatened to break apart a town bridge and float on towards Dresden
before demolition experts sunk them with explosives. At one point 1,600 people were evacuated. Fortunately, the historic center and also many of the tourist spots are at higher elevations, so they were left undamaged, but many lower lying buildings were ruined.
Děčín Castle is probably the most popular tourist attraction in the town. Built on a hill near the town centre and overlooking the Labe river, the castle has enjoyed an extremely varied history. It has gone from being a fort during the Seven Years' War
, to becoming a Renaissance
castle in 1673, to turning Baroque
after its restoration in 1788. Once the home of Bohemian
kings (having been built by order of Premysl king Václav III) the castle has since functioned as the administrative centre of the Thuns and even as a military garrison for German and Soviet
troops after being handed to the Czechoslovak
state in 1932. The castle has inspired both musicians - Chopin
wrote his Valse in A flat major here - and artists; Caspar David Friedrich
sold his "Tetschen Altar Or Cross In The Mountains" to the Thuns. An unusual feature of the castle is the long, straight-walled road leading up to it, the "Long Ride" (Dlouhá jízda).
The Soviet army departed in 1991, leaving the castle in a state of disrepair. In 2005 restoration was completed of a large part of the castle and it was opened as a museum and venue for private gatherings and public events. Most of the inventory had been taken away by the Thuns after they sold the castle to the Czechoslovak state in 1932. Much of the remaining period furniture was gradually stolen, but some pieces which had been kept at other museums were returned.
In the river Labe near the left bank there stands a 6 m² (7.18 sq yd) basalt stone which is only visible when water levels are low, which usually means the region is suffering from drought. The stone is known as the Hunger Stone, because in olden times, when it appeared, all boat traffic on the river came to a halt, and people suffered as a result. The lowest water levels have been marked on the stone since 1417, and the markings from 1616 on are still readable. The stone carries the inscription "If you see me, then cry".
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Ústí nad Labem Region
Ústí nad Labem Region
Ústí nad Labem Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of its historical region of Bohemia...
in the north of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It is the largest town and administrative seat of the Děčín District
Decín District
Děčín District is one of seven districts located within the Ústí nad Labem Region in the Czech Republic...
.
Geography
Děčín is located in the Czech Land of BohemiaBohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
at the confluence of the rivers Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
and Ploučnice
Ploucnice
Ploučnice is a river in the Czech Republic. It is tributary of Labe in Děčín....
. The Elbe having cut through the soft sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
mountains of the region, the town lies in the transition zone between Bohemian Switzerland and the Lusatian Mountains
Lusatian Mountains
The Lusatian Mountains are a mountain range of the Western Sudetes, located on the southeastern border of Germany with the Czech Republic east of the Elbe river, a continuation of the Ore Mountains range west of the Elbe valley...
in the north and the Central Bohemian Uplands
Ceské Stredohorí
České středohoří or Central Bohemian Uplands is a mountain range located in northern Bohemia, Czech Republic. The range is about 80 km long, spanning from Česká Lípa to Bílina and from Litoměřice to Děčín , intersected by the river Elbe.The name středohoří can be roughly translated into English...
in the south. It is actually made up of two towns, one on either side of the Elbe River; the old town of Děčín is on the right bank, and on the left bank is Podmokly (German: Bodenbach), which was incorporated in 1942. The town's elevation of 135 metres (442.9 ft) is one of the lowest in the country.
Nearby is an important border crossing of the Elbe Valley railway
Dresden–Děčín railway
The Dresden–Děčín railway, also called the Elbe Valley Railway is an important, electrified main line in Saxony and the Czech Republic. Formerly called the Saxon-Bohemian State Railway , the line is part of the Dresden to Prague route and is one of Europe's most important trunk routes...
leading to Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, with Děčín station at about 83 minutes north of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
by rail. A parallel highway along the Elbe shore across the border to Bad Schandau
Bad Schandau
Bad Schandau is a spa town in Germany, in the south of the Free State of Saxony and the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the little valley of the Kirnitzsch.-Geography:...
was laid out in 1938; all cargo transported by rail, road, and water passes through the town. Products made in Děčín include sheet-metal, food, textiles, chemicals, soap, beer and preserved fish; the town is also home to a printing and publishing industry.
History
The Děčín (Tetschen) area was settled by the SlavicSlavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
tribe of the Děčané
Decane
Decane is an alkane hydrocarbon with the chemical formula CH38CH3.75 structural isomers of decane exist, all of which are flammable liquids. Decane is one of the components of gasoline . Like other alkanes, it is nonpolar and therefore will not dissolve in polar liquids such as water...
in the 9th century, whence its name. In the 10th century the Přemyslid
Premyslid dynasty
The Přemyslids , were a Czech royal dynasty which reigned in Bohemia and Moravia , and partly also in Hungary, Silesia, Austria and Poland.-Legendary rulers:...
dukes of Bohemia had a fortress built on the left bank of the Elbe ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
, but after a flood it was rebuilt on the right bank in 1059. A settlement on the trade route
Trade route
A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a single trade route contains long distance arteries which may further be connected to several smaller networks of commercial...
from the Ore Mountains
Ore Mountains
The Ore Mountains in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for many centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range...
in the west to the adjacent Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
region was first mentioned in a 993 deed. King Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II , called The Iron and Golden King, was the King of Bohemia from 1253 until 1278. He was the Duke of Austria , Styria , Carinthia and Carniola also....
(1253–1278) had the town of Děčín laid out as an administrative centre of the surrounding estates.
It was under the control of the Lords of Wartenberg
Stráž pod Ralskem
Stráž pod Ralskem is a town in Česká Lípa District, Liberec Region, Czech Republic. It has a population of 4,238 The baroque composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber was born in Stráž pod Ralskem in 1644.- People :...
from 1305 until 1534, when it was bought by the rich Lord Rudolf von Bünau. This family introduced Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
to the region and the town flourished; however the protestant belief was suppressed by the Habsburg kings in the course of the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
, and the Bünaus were driven out upon the 1620 Battle of White Mountain
Battle of White Mountain
The Battle of White Mountain, 8 November 1620 was an early battle in the Thirty Years' War in which an army of 30,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of Anhalt were routed by 27,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor under Charles Bonaventure de Longueval,...
. In 1628 they sold the town to the Barons of Thun, it was devastated several times during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
In the 18th century, Tetschen followed fashion and became a spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
under Baron Johann Joseph Thun, who searched the area for a suitable spring and found one in the nearby village of Horní Žleb (Obergrund) in 1768. The centre of a busy trading hub was not, however, the ideal place to build a spa, and the idea was eventually dropped in 1922; today the town's spa past has been largely forgotten. Nevertheless, the Elbe Valley railway line was completed in 1851, which promoted the development on the left bank of the river. Soon, neighbouring Bodenbach (Podmokly) grew bigger than Tetschen and received town privileges in 1901. Upon the 1938 Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
, both towns were annexed by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, incorporated into the Reichsgau
Reichsgau
A Reichsgau was an administrative subdivision created in a number of the areas annexed to Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945...
Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
and merged in 1942. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the German
Sudeten Germans
- Importance of Sudeten Germans :Czechoslovakia was inhabited by over 3 million ethnic Germans, comprising about 23 percent of the population of the republic and about 29.5% of Bohemia and Moravia....
population was disseized and expelled according to the 1945 Potsdam Agreement
Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement was the Allied plan of tripartite military occupation and reconstruction of Germany—referring to the German Reich with its pre-war 1937 borders including the former eastern territories—and the entire European Theatre of War territory...
and the Beneš decrees
Beneš decrees
Decrees of the President of the Republic , more commonly known as the Beneš decrees, were a series of laws that were drafted by the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile in the absence of the Czechoslovak parliament during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II and issued by President...
.
In August 2002, extreme weather
Extreme weather
Extreme weather includes weather phenomena that are at the extremes of the historical distribution, especially severe or unseasonal weather. The most commonly used definition of extreme weather is based on an event's climatological distribution. Extreme weather occurs only 5% or less of the time...
conditions lead to extensive flooding all across Europe and Děčín was also badly hit. Water levels rose from their usual two meters to 12 meters; five barges broke loose from their moorings and threatened to break apart a town bridge and float on towards Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
before demolition experts sunk them with explosives. At one point 1,600 people were evacuated. Fortunately, the historic center and also many of the tourist spots are at higher elevations, so they were left undamaged, but many lower lying buildings were ruined.
Attractions
- Synagogue, 1907
- Renaissance bridge
- Holy Rood Church, 1687–1691
- "Sheep's Bridge", 1620
- Děčín Castle (zámek Děčín), 1305
Děčín Castle is probably the most popular tourist attraction in the town. Built on a hill near the town centre and overlooking the Labe river, the castle has enjoyed an extremely varied history. It has gone from being a fort during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, to becoming a Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
castle in 1673, to turning Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
after its restoration in 1788. Once the home of Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
kings (having been built by order of Premysl king Václav III) the castle has since functioned as the administrative centre of the Thuns and even as a military garrison for German and Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
troops after being handed to the Czechoslovak
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
state in 1932. The castle has inspired both musicians - Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
wrote his Valse in A flat major here - and artists; Caspar David Friedrich
Caspar David Friedrich
Caspar David Friedrich was a 19th-century German Romantic landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation. He is best known for his mid-period allegorical landscapes which typically feature contemplative figures silhouetted against night skies, morning...
sold his "Tetschen Altar Or Cross In The Mountains" to the Thuns. An unusual feature of the castle is the long, straight-walled road leading up to it, the "Long Ride" (Dlouhá jízda).
The Soviet army departed in 1991, leaving the castle in a state of disrepair. In 2005 restoration was completed of a large part of the castle and it was opened as a museum and venue for private gatherings and public events. Most of the inventory had been taken away by the Thuns after they sold the castle to the Czechoslovak state in 1932. Much of the remaining period furniture was gradually stolen, but some pieces which had been kept at other museums were returned.
In the river Labe near the left bank there stands a 6 m² (7.18 sq yd) basalt stone which is only visible when water levels are low, which usually means the region is suffering from drought. The stone is known as the Hunger Stone, because in olden times, when it appeared, all boat traffic on the river came to a halt, and people suffered as a result. The lowest water levels have been marked on the stone since 1417, and the markings from 1616 on are still readable. The stone carries the inscription "If you see me, then cry".
Notable residents
- Miroslav Tyrš (1832-1884), founder of the SokolSokolThe Sokol movement is a youth sport movement and gymnastics organization first founded in Czech region of Austria-Hungary, Prague, in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner...
physical education - Johann RadonJohann RadonJohann Karl August Radon was an Austrian mathematician. His doctoral dissertation was on calculus of variations .- Life :...
(1887–1956), mathematician. - Julius ArigiJulius ArigiJulius Arigi was a flying ace of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I with a total of 32 credited victories. He was Austro-Hungary's most highly decorated ace. His victory total was second only to Godwin Brumowski. Arigi was considered a superb natural pilot...
(1891–1985), leading Czech flying aceFlying aceA flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
during World War I - Egon KlepschEgon KlepschEgon Alfred Klepsch was a German politician .In the years 1963–1969 Dr. Klepsch was Federal leader of the Junge Union. In 1965 he worked briefly as an election campaign manager for Ludwig Erhard. In the same year he was elected to the German Bundestag, to which he belonged until 1980.Since...
(1930–2010), German politician - Jiří BartoškaJirí BartoškaJiří Bartoška is a Czech actor and the president of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.Bartoška played a number of roles in many Czech films, later he became most known as the president of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival...
(1947), Czech actor and the president of the Karlovy Vary International Film FestivalKarlovy Vary International Film FestivalThe Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events.... - Vladimír ŠmicerVladimír ŠmicerVladimír Šmicer is a former Czech football midfielder and forward player. Šmicer was a devout player of Slavia Prague, the only Czech club he ever played for. He also played notably for Lens in France, with whom he won the Ligue 1 title. In 1999, Šmicer moved to England, where he played several...
(1973), Czech football player - Karolína KurkováKarolína KurkováKarolína Isela Kurková is a Czech model, best known as a former Victoria's Secret Angel, and an aspiring actress. Mario Testino said of Kurková, "The proportions of her body and her face, as well as her energy level, make her a model who could fit almost into any moment." Vogue editor Anna...
(1984), World top-earning model
External links
- Tetschen, Bohemia Historical Map of 1615 by Petrus BertiusPetrus BertiusPetrus Bertius was a Flemish theologian, historian, geographer and cartographer...
- Town homepage - in Czech
- Town homepage - in Czech, English and German
- Decin Castle - official homepage
- Decin Castle
- Decin ZOO
- Article on Děčín in the English language Prague Post, 28 April 2005
- Article on the reopening of Děčín castle, 20 May 2005 - in English