Hnojník
Encyclopedia
is a village in Frýdek-Místek District
, Moravian-Silesian Region
, Czech Republic
, on the Stonávka River
. It has a population of 1,446 (2001 census); 11.5% of the population are Poles
.
and was first mentioned in a written document in 1305 as Gnoynik. Since the 15th century, it was owned by several noble families. In 1736, the village was bought by Karl Beess. The Beess family was the last feudal owner of the Hnojník manor. The local population worked mostly as peasants on the properties of the Beess family. Several mills operated in the village. The Beess family established a brewery
, distillery
and a brickworks. In 1917, Teschen
-based Jewish
businessman Ignaz Schmelz established a steam-powered sawmill
; in 1923, it burnt down and was rebuilt only to be closed soon after.
After the division of Cieszyn Silesia
in 1920, the village became part of Czechoslovakia
as Hnojník. At the beginning of July 1930, the village was visited by Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, President of Czechoslovakia who then travelled across the Czechoslovak part of Cieszyn Silesia. Following the Munich Agreement
, in October 1938, Hnojník and the whole Zaolzie
region were annexed by Poland
. The village was then annexed by Nazi Germany
at the beginning of World War II
. After the war, it was restored to Czechoslovakia
. The Beess family property was confiscated in November 1945. In 1946, Baron Georg Beess, the last noble from the Beess family to own properties in Hnojník, was expelled
from the country and was deprived of his property according to the Beneš decrees
affecting the Germans in Czechoslovakia. The mayor of Hnojník refused to sign the decree to expel
Georg Beess, nevertheless he was expelled to Germany where he died in 1955.
château
built in 1736 in the central part of the village by order of Karl Beess. It was rebuilt in an empire style in the first half of the 19th century according to the plans of Viennese
architect Joseph Kornhäusel
. After World War II, the château was confiscated by the state administration as was mentioned above. Part of the furniture and paintings was relocated to the château in Šternberk. However, a significant part of it was stolen by unknown persons. The library was relocated to Šternberk and Potštát
. The château became a property of the local administration and since 1966 of the collective farm (JZD). Since the 1970s, the château slowly dilapidated. After the fall of communism in 1989, it became a property of a private owner who didn't renovate it and the landmark continued to dilapidate. The state administration sold the landmark in 2008 to a new private owner, after the old one lost his property rights when he was imprisoned. The château in Hnojník remains one of the most endangered cultural landmarks in the country.
Another important landmark is the Roman Catholic Ascension of the Virgin Mary Church. It is not clear when it was built, but the initial wooden church was torn down and a new brick empire style one built in its place in 1808–1812.
There is a Catholic cemetery adjacent to the church. It is bordered by a 19th century stone wall. The Beess family tomb is located there. This rectangular building was built in the second half of the 19th century in an empire style.
The first school was built in the 17th century; it is not clear exactly when. The language of instruction was Polish and later also German. The second school in the village began operating in 1853. It was a private Protestant school. Since 1874, it was a public school, therefore also Catholic children could attend it. The language of instruction was Polish. Both schools were joined in 1923 to one Polish school which operates to date. In June 2008, it was named after Jan Kubisz
, the most known personality linked to Hnojník (Gnojnik). Kubisz was an educator and writer, author of the poem Płyniesz Olzo po dolinie which became an unofficial anthem of the Zaolzie
region, especially local Poles
. His house still stands in the village.
The first Czech school, the Catholic one, was formed in 1920. It was, however, replaced by a completely new, large Czech school built in 1931 and named after Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, President of Czechoslovakia.
Frýdek-Místek District
Frýdek-Místek District is a district within the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is the city of Frýdek-Místek. It was created by 1960 reform of administrative divisions...
, Moravian-Silesian Region
Moravian-Silesian Region
Moravian-Silesian Region , or Moravo-Silesian Region, is one of 14 administrative Regions of the Czech Republic, until May 2001 it was formerly called the Ostrava Region . The region is located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most of the Czech part 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....
, on the Stonávka River
Stonávka River
is a -long river in the Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia.It is a left tributary of the Olza River, which it enters in Karviná. It flows through Albrechtice and Stonava before entering Karviná. The Těrlicko Dam is located on this...
. It has a population of 1,446 (2001 census); 11.5% of the population are Poles
Polish minority in the Czech Republic
The Polish minority in the Czech Republic is a Polish national minority living mainly in the Zaolzie region of western Cieszyn Silesia. The Polish community is the only national minority in the Czech Republic that is linked to a specific geographical area. Zaolzie is located in the north-eastern...
.
History
The village lies in the historical region of Cieszyn SilesiaCieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
and was first mentioned in a written document in 1305 as Gnoynik. Since the 15th century, it was owned by several noble families. In 1736, the village was bought by Karl Beess. The Beess family was the last feudal owner of the Hnojník manor. The local population worked mostly as peasants on the properties of the Beess family. Several mills operated in the village. The Beess family established a brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
, distillery
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
and a brickworks. In 1917, Teschen
Cieszyn
Cieszyn is a border-town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....
-based Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
businessman Ignaz Schmelz established a steam-powered sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
; in 1923, it burnt down and was rebuilt only to be closed soon after.
After the division of Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
in 1920, the village became part of Czechoslovakia
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...
as Hnojník. At the beginning of July 1930, the village was visited by Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, President of Czechoslovakia who then travelled across the Czechoslovak part of Cieszyn Silesia. Following the 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...
, in October 1938, Hnojník and the whole Zaolzie
Zaolzie
Zaolzie is the Polish name for an area now in the Czech Republic which was disputed between interwar Poland and Czechoslovakia. The name means "lands beyond the Olza River"; it is also called Śląsk zaolziański, meaning "trans-Olza Silesia". Equivalent terms in other languages include Zaolší in...
region were annexed by Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. The village was then 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...
at the beginning of 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...
. After the war, it was restored to Czechoslovakia
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...
. The Beess family property was confiscated in November 1945. In 1946, Baron Georg Beess, the last noble from the Beess family to own properties in Hnojník, was expelled
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
from the country and was deprived of his property according to 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...
affecting the Germans in Czechoslovakia. The mayor of Hnojník refused to sign the decree to expel
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
Georg Beess, nevertheless he was expelled to Germany where he died in 1955.
Landmarks
The most prominent landmark in Hnojník is a baroqueBaroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
built in 1736 in the central part of the village by order of Karl Beess. It was rebuilt in an empire style in the first half of the 19th century according to the plans of Viennese
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
architect Joseph Kornhäusel
Joseph Kornhäusel
Josef Georg Kornhäusel was an Austrian architect of the first half of the 19th century...
. After World War II, the château was confiscated by the state administration as was mentioned above. Part of the furniture and paintings was relocated to the château in Šternberk. However, a significant part of it was stolen by unknown persons. The library was relocated to Šternberk and Potštát
Potštát
Potštát is a town in the Olomouc Region, Czech Republic....
. The château became a property of the local administration and since 1966 of the collective farm (JZD). Since the 1970s, the château slowly dilapidated. After the fall of communism in 1989, it became a property of a private owner who didn't renovate it and the landmark continued to dilapidate. The state administration sold the landmark in 2008 to a new private owner, after the old one lost his property rights when he was imprisoned. The château in Hnojník remains one of the most endangered cultural landmarks in the country.
Another important landmark is the Roman Catholic Ascension of the Virgin Mary Church. It is not clear when it was built, but the initial wooden church was torn down and a new brick empire style one built in its place in 1808–1812.
There is a Catholic cemetery adjacent to the church. It is bordered by a 19th century stone wall. The Beess family tomb is located there. This rectangular building was built in the second half of the 19th century in an empire style.
The first school was built in the 17th century; it is not clear exactly when. The language of instruction was Polish and later also German. The second school in the village began operating in 1853. It was a private Protestant school. Since 1874, it was a public school, therefore also Catholic children could attend it. The language of instruction was Polish. Both schools were joined in 1923 to one Polish school which operates to date. In June 2008, it was named after Jan Kubisz
Jan Kubisz
Jan Kubisz was a Polish educator and poet from the region of Cieszyn Silesia. His poem Płyniesz Olzo po dolinie , centered around the Olza River, became unofficial anthem of Cieszyn Silesia, especially Poles in Zaolzie.-Biography:Jan Kubisz was born 24 January 1848 in Końska, Austrian Empire...
, the most known personality linked to Hnojník (Gnojnik). Kubisz was an educator and writer, author of the poem Płyniesz Olzo po dolinie which became an unofficial anthem of the Zaolzie
Zaolzie
Zaolzie is the Polish name for an area now in the Czech Republic which was disputed between interwar Poland and Czechoslovakia. The name means "lands beyond the Olza River"; it is also called Śląsk zaolziański, meaning "trans-Olza Silesia". Equivalent terms in other languages include Zaolší in...
region, especially local Poles
Polish minority in the Czech Republic
The Polish minority in the Czech Republic is a Polish national minority living mainly in the Zaolzie region of western Cieszyn Silesia. The Polish community is the only national minority in the Czech Republic that is linked to a specific geographical area. Zaolzie is located in the north-eastern...
. His house still stands in the village.
The first Czech school, the Catholic one, was formed in 1920. It was, however, replaced by a completely new, large Czech school built in 1931 and named after Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, President of Czechoslovakia.
People
- Jan KubiszJan KubiszJan Kubisz was a Polish educator and poet from the region of Cieszyn Silesia. His poem Płyniesz Olzo po dolinie , centered around the Olza River, became unofficial anthem of Cieszyn Silesia, especially Poles in Zaolzie.-Biography:Jan Kubisz was born 24 January 1848 in Końska, Austrian Empire...
, Polish educator and writer, taught here for most of his life - Adam MakowiczAdam MakowiczAdam Makowicz born Adam Matyszkowicz is a Polish-Canadian pianist and composer living in Toronto. He performs jazz and classical piano pieces, as well as his own compositions...
, Polish jazz musician, was born here