Kaplice
Encyclopedia
Kaplice (ˈkaplɪtsɛ; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region
of the Czech Republic
.
Blansko 218
Dobechov 21
Hradiště 41
Hubenov 81
Květoňov 6
Mostky 36
Pořešínec 33
Pořešín 131
Rozpoutí 52
Žďár 41
as the market village on the important trade route. It connected Upper Austria
with South Bohemia. The route which was used for transportation of salt had important stopping places in the Austrian town of Freistadt
and in Kaplice, so it was named after these towns. The advantageous position of the town was the reason for its change from a little settlement to a prosperous town.
The Czech name of the town is usually connected with St. Mary’s Chapel which was built in the place of today’s Church of St. Florian. The first written note about Kaplice originated from the year 1257 and it recorded the existence of the parish church under the patronage of the monastery in Milevsko
.
The ground plan of the newly established town, on the high left bank of the Malše
, is evidence of the well-thought out colonizing project. From the oblong square not far from the church there is a rectangular network of streets, which is limited only in the north by the flow of the river.
The first stream of colonizers from the interior of our country was later inundated by exterior colonization and it was the reason for the co-existence of Czech and German elements in the town. In the written documents from the first half of the 14th century, Kaplitz is mentioned as the market town but the town privilege was not given to it until the year 1382. This privilege was later re-established by the new lords.
Kaplice as a tributary town belonged to the Pořešín estate, then to the Nové Hrady estate. In 1434, both Kaplice and Pořešín were acquired by Ulrich II von Rosenberg. After the Rosenbergs died out, the estates were inherited by the Švamberks, then to be handed over to the victors of the Battle of White Mountain, the empirical general Karel Bonaventura Buquoy. The town obtained a number of privileges which positively influenced its economic development. Nevertheless, this development had many times in the past been seriously afflicted with such catastrophes as frequent fires, desolation and robberies during the wars, especially during the Hussite Revolution and Thirty Year’s War. The vitality of inhabilitants of the town always got them through these catastrophes.
During the years 1771-1775 the priest Ferdinand Kindermann, the famous pedagogue and later bishop in Litoměřice (Leitmeritz), worked here and organized an exemplary school which became famous even beyond the borders of Bohemia.
After the abolition of serfdom
and the system of authority, according to the new administrative system, the town became the seat of the political and judicial district. It remained the district centre after many reversals till the year 1960.
Although Kaplice was the administrative centre of the large territory of Southern Bohemia, including the Territory of Vyšší Brod and Nové Hrady, it remained the provincial town without a larger economic base. In the year 1869 it had only 2,252 inhabitants and until the year 1921 the number had not changed. In this year Kaplice had 361 houses. It was mentioned as a market-town and the statute of the town was bestowed to it on July 9 of the year 1936.
Co-existence of the German majority with the Czech minority in the town was peaceful and almost without any problem. Kaplice was the common homeland for both nationalities. However, the growth of German nationalism at the end of the 19th century, and especially in the first half of the 20th century, raised the first serious conflicts.
The Germans in Kaplice first tried to break the town away from Bohemia after the fall of the Habsburg monarchy
at the end of World War I
and the proclamation of the Czech Republic
but they did not succeed in bringing the town into German Austria
. During the first republic, Kaplice remained a town with a majority of German inhabitants. The life of the Czechs could develop freely. Nevertheless, it did not continue for a long time. In the second half of September, 1938 the members of Konrad Henlein
’s Sudeten German party began to initiate disturbances, armed incidents and invectives against Czechoslovak authorities and they demanded annexation to Hitler’s Germany. Their desire was fulfilled after the Munich Agreement and the minority of the Czech inhabitants of the town and villages had to move to the interior of Bohemia.
After the end of World War II Czechoslovakia
was restored and Kaplice became a Czech town again. Czech former inhabitants returned, and many demanded German property under the Beneš decrees
. After Flight and expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia during and after World War II, in the town only 109 Germans (anti-fascists and in marriages with the Czechs) remained.
It was a complicated period of development for the town and this region during the next years. A lot of new-comers were defeated in the duel with hard conditions and the region of Kaplice did not become their homeland. It was also due to the Communist regime which started to take away the land from the new-comers by means of forced founding of state farms and co-operative farms.
The town began to develop again in the 1960s. New schools, new industrial factories and new housing estates were built here as new people were coming. Even though Kaplice is not the district centre, it remained the natural centre of this region.
In the year 1953, the eleventh year secondary school
was established and after 3 years the first students graduated from the school. It was the foundation of the secondary school system in Kaplice. After temporary existence of the secondary agricultural school, the commercial academy and apprentice training centres were established here too.
The number of inhabitants declined after the expulsion of the Germans
. In 1947, two years after the end of World War II, only 1,588 inhabitants lived here, mostly Czech colonists from Prague
. During the next decades the number of inhabitants rose, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. By the end of the year 1997, there were 6,466 inhabitants in the town and 638 people in affiliated villages; Blansko, Dobechov, Hradiště, Hubenov, Květoňov, Mostky, Pořešín, Pořešínec, Rozpoutí, Rožnov, Žďár.
Until the year 1989 there was no possibility of travelling abroad - the location of the town near the closed border was disadvantageous. After the fall of totalitarism and the removal of "the iron curtain
", the town was restored to life. There are many rebuilt and reconstructed houses. New shops attract our attention with the diversity of their offering. Contemporary Kaplice would like to be a pleasant homeland for its inhabitants and an attractive place for Czech and foreign visitors.
South Bohemian Region
South Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia...
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....
.
Parts (with count of inhabitants)
Kaplice 6,363Blansko 218
Dobechov 21
Hradiště 41
Hubenov 81
Květoňov 6
Mostky 36
Pořešínec 33
Pořešín 131
Rozpoutí 52
Žďár 41
List of Kaplice streets
Bělidlo, Bezručova, Březová, Českobudějovická, Dlouhá, Farské náměstí, Generála Fanty, Horská, Jabloňová, K Malši, Kostelní, K Zámečku, Linecká, Lipová, Luční, Malšské údolí, Masná, Míru, 1.máje, Na Vyhlídce, Náměstí, Nové Domky, Nové Domovy, Novohradská, Okružní, Omlenická, Pivovarská, Pobřežní, Pohorská, Samota, SNP, Široká, Školní, Šumavská, Tržní, ZahradníHistory
The first mention of the town is from 1257. The town Kaplice is situated in the pleasant region at the foot of the Novohradské mountains. It was founded in the early Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
as the market village on the important trade route. It connected Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
with South Bohemia. The route which was used for transportation of salt had important stopping places in the Austrian town of Freistadt
Freistadt
Freistadt is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel. With a population of approximately 7,500 residents, it is a trade centre for local villages. Freistadt is the economic centre of a district of the same name District Freistadt...
and in Kaplice, so it was named after these towns. The advantageous position of the town was the reason for its change from a little settlement to a prosperous town.
The Czech name of the town is usually connected with St. Mary’s Chapel which was built in the place of today’s Church of St. Florian. The first written note about Kaplice originated from the year 1257 and it recorded the existence of the parish church under the patronage of the monastery in Milevsko
Milevsko
Milevsko is a small town in the Czech Republic. It is situated 25 kilometres north-east of Písek. It has 9,528 inhabitants. There is a big machine factory ZVVZ .It is home to Stanislav Polodna of the OHL's Erie Otters.The town is twinned with Münchenbuchsee in Switzerland.-...
.
The ground plan of the newly established town, on the high left bank of the Malše
Malše
The Malše is a river in Austria and in the Czech Republic, and a right tributary of the Vltava.The Malše originates on the north slope of Viehberg, near the village of Sandl in Bezirk Freistadt, Upper Austria. It flows northward and forms of Austria-Czech border before fully entering the Český...
, is evidence of the well-thought out colonizing project. From the oblong square not far from the church there is a rectangular network of streets, which is limited only in the north by the flow of the river.
The first stream of colonizers from the interior of our country was later inundated by exterior colonization and it was the reason for the co-existence of Czech and German elements in the town. In the written documents from the first half of the 14th century, Kaplitz is mentioned as the market town but the town privilege was not given to it until the year 1382. This privilege was later re-established by the new lords.
Kaplice as a tributary town belonged to the Pořešín estate, then to the Nové Hrady estate. In 1434, both Kaplice and Pořešín were acquired by Ulrich II von Rosenberg. After the Rosenbergs died out, the estates were inherited by the Švamberks, then to be handed over to the victors of the Battle of White Mountain, the empirical general Karel Bonaventura Buquoy. The town obtained a number of privileges which positively influenced its economic development. Nevertheless, this development had many times in the past been seriously afflicted with such catastrophes as frequent fires, desolation and robberies during the wars, especially during the Hussite Revolution and Thirty Year’s War. The vitality of inhabilitants of the town always got them through these catastrophes.
During the years 1771-1775 the priest Ferdinand Kindermann, the famous pedagogue and later bishop in Litoměřice (Leitmeritz), worked here and organized an exemplary school which became famous even beyond the borders of Bohemia.
After the abolition of serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
and the system of authority, according to the new administrative system, the town became the seat of the political and judicial district. It remained the district centre after many reversals till the year 1960.
Although Kaplice was the administrative centre of the large territory of Southern Bohemia, including the Territory of Vyšší Brod and Nové Hrady, it remained the provincial town without a larger economic base. In the year 1869 it had only 2,252 inhabitants and until the year 1921 the number had not changed. In this year Kaplice had 361 houses. It was mentioned as a market-town and the statute of the town was bestowed to it on July 9 of the year 1936.
Co-existence of the German majority with the Czech minority in the town was peaceful and almost without any problem. Kaplice was the common homeland for both nationalities. However, the growth of German nationalism at the end of the 19th century, and especially in the first half of the 20th century, raised the first serious conflicts.
The Germans in Kaplice first tried to break the town away from Bohemia after the fall of the Habsburg monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the proclamation 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....
but they did not succeed in bringing the town into German Austria
German Austria
Republic of German Austria was created following World War I as the initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population within what had been the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without the Kingdom of Hungary, which in 1918 had become the Hungarian Democratic Republic.German...
. During the first republic, Kaplice remained a town with a majority of German inhabitants. The life of the Czechs could develop freely. Nevertheless, it did not continue for a long time. In the second half of September, 1938 the members of Konrad Henlein
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein was a leading pro-Nazi ethnic German politician in Czechoslovakia and leader of Sudeten German separatists...
’s Sudeten German party began to initiate disturbances, armed incidents and invectives against Czechoslovak authorities and they demanded annexation to Hitler’s Germany. Their desire was fulfilled after the Munich Agreement and the minority of the Czech inhabitants of the town and villages had to move to the interior of Bohemia.
After the end of World War II 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...
was restored and Kaplice became a Czech town again. Czech former inhabitants returned, and many demanded German property under 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...
. After Flight and expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia during and after World War II, in the town only 109 Germans (anti-fascists and in marriages with the Czechs) remained.
It was a complicated period of development for the town and this region during the next years. A lot of new-comers were defeated in the duel with hard conditions and the region of Kaplice did not become their homeland. It was also due to the Communist regime which started to take away the land from the new-comers by means of forced founding of state farms and co-operative farms.
The town began to develop again in the 1960s. New schools, new industrial factories and new housing estates were built here as new people were coming. Even though Kaplice is not the district centre, it remained the natural centre of this region.
In the year 1953, the eleventh year secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
was established and after 3 years the first students graduated from the school. It was the foundation of the secondary school system in Kaplice. After temporary existence of the secondary agricultural school, the commercial academy and apprentice training centres were established here too.
The number of inhabitants declined after the expulsion of the Germans
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...
. In 1947, two years after the end of World War II, only 1,588 inhabitants lived here, mostly Czech colonists from 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...
. During the next decades the number of inhabitants rose, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. By the end of the year 1997, there were 6,466 inhabitants in the town and 638 people in affiliated villages; Blansko, Dobechov, Hradiště, Hubenov, Květoňov, Mostky, Pořešín, Pořešínec, Rozpoutí, Rožnov, Žďár.
Until the year 1989 there was no possibility of travelling abroad - the location of the town near the closed border was disadvantageous. After the fall of totalitarism and the removal of "the iron curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
", the town was restored to life. There are many rebuilt and reconstructed houses. New shops attract our attention with the diversity of their offering. Contemporary Kaplice would like to be a pleasant homeland for its inhabitants and an attractive place for Czech and foreign visitors.
