Mohelnice (Šumperk District)
Encyclopedia
Mohelnice (ˈmoɦɛlɲɪtsɛ; ) is a town located in the Olomouc Region
of the Czech Republic
.
. Mohelnice is mentioned in a written document from 1131 (as a village owned by the bishopric of Olomouc). Castle Mírov is mentioned in 1266 and was completed some time after 1320. In 1273 Mohelnice was granted city status. In 1307 and 1312 the city was devastated by plague and in 1424 it was conquered by the Hussites (700 people died). During the first half of the 16th century the city was rebuilt. The Thirty Years' War
devastated Mohelnice - in 1623 it was plundered by Swedish troops and over 30% of the inhabitants died either from enemy attacks or plague which returned in 1642, 1643, 1644 and 1647. In 1662 half of the city was destroyed by fire. 1685 saw the notorious witchcraft trials during which a local priest was burned at the stake. The city's textile industry began in 1713 and in 1714 the city suffered another plague. There was another significant fire in 1739. During the Silesian Wars
the city was plundered several times.
In 1772 Mohelnice had 1867 inhabitants, barely half of the number it had in the 16th century but the population began to recover. In 1792 it was 3887. There were cholera
epidemics in 1832, 1849, 1851 and 1866. The city suffered from fire in 1841 and few smaller fires later. In 1863 Mohelnice built its first sanitation system
The 19th and 20th century saw the growth of manufacturing and industry including sugar processing, engineering, electrotechnics.
In 1910 the old city walls were demolished and in 1938 the city was occupied by Nazi Germany
as part of Sudetenland
.
The city was colonized by German speaking citizens who comprised around 95% of the population. After World War II
all citizens over the age of 18 who had German nationality were ordered to leave Czechoslovakia
. This caused the city to become almost deserted. Within a few months, however, the city was repopulated as immigrants arrived from other parts of Czechoslovakia.
In the second half of the 20th century the city went through major urban changes, including the narrowing of the Mírovka
river and the demolition of the old houses in the northern part of the suburb. These were replaced with the large high rise apartment buildings which are part of today's city skyline.
The city is predominantly industrial with significant electrotechnical, engineering and construction industries. The city also boasts a new industrial zone.
Mohelnice is the centre of the microregion Mohelnicko http://www.mu-mohelnice.cz/vismo/dokumenty2.asp?u=9803&id_org=9803&id=79624&p1=5418&p2=&p3=.
Olomouc Region
Olomouc Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia and in a small part of the historical region of Silesia . It is named for its capital Olomouc.-External links:* *...
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....
.
History
The region has been inhabited since the Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. Mohelnice is mentioned in a written document from 1131 (as a village owned by the bishopric of Olomouc). Castle Mírov is mentioned in 1266 and was completed some time after 1320. In 1273 Mohelnice was granted city status. In 1307 and 1312 the city was devastated by plague and in 1424 it was conquered by the Hussites (700 people died). During the first half of the 16th century the city was rebuilt. 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....
devastated Mohelnice - in 1623 it was plundered by Swedish troops and over 30% of the inhabitants died either from enemy attacks or plague which returned in 1642, 1643, 1644 and 1647. In 1662 half of the city was destroyed by fire. 1685 saw the notorious witchcraft trials during which a local priest was burned at the stake. The city's textile industry began in 1713 and in 1714 the city suffered another plague. There was another significant fire in 1739. During the Silesian Wars
Silesian Wars
The Silesian Wars were a series of wars between Prussia and Austria for control of Silesia. They formed parts of the larger War of the Austrian Succession and Seven Years' War. They eventually ended with Silesia being incorporated into Prussia, and Austrian recognition of this...
the city was plundered several times.
In 1772 Mohelnice had 1867 inhabitants, barely half of the number it had in the 16th century but the population began to recover. In 1792 it was 3887. There were cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemics in 1832, 1849, 1851 and 1866. The city suffered from fire in 1841 and few smaller fires later. In 1863 Mohelnice built its first sanitation system
The 19th and 20th century saw the growth of manufacturing and industry including sugar processing, engineering, electrotechnics.
In 1910 the old city walls were demolished and in 1938 the city was occupied 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...
as part of 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...
.
The city was colonized by German speaking citizens who comprised around 95% of the population. 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...
all citizens over the age of 18 who had German nationality were ordered to leave 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...
. This caused the city to become almost deserted. Within a few months, however, the city was repopulated as immigrants arrived from other parts of Czechoslovakia.
In the second half of the 20th century the city went through major urban changes, including the narrowing of the Mírovka
Mírovka
Mírovka is a river located in north-west Moravia that joins the Morava River at the city of Mohelnice. There live lot of fish in the river....
river and the demolition of the old houses in the northern part of the suburb. These were replaced with the large high rise apartment buildings which are part of today's city skyline.
Mohelnice today
Mohelnice is famous for the folk and country music festival Mohelnický dostavník http://www.mohelnickydostavnik.cz/.The city is predominantly industrial with significant electrotechnical, engineering and construction industries. The city also boasts a new industrial zone.
Mohelnice is the centre of the microregion Mohelnicko http://www.mu-mohelnice.cz/vismo/dokumenty2.asp?u=9803&id_org=9803&id=79624&p1=5418&p2=&p3=.
Famous people
- Bishop Antonín Brus , born
- Martin HorákMartin HorákMartin Horák is a Czech footballer currently without a contract.-External links:...
, foot,baller - Bishop Martin Medek , born (de)
- Edmund ReitterEdmund ReitterEdmund Reitter was a Austrian entomologist , writer and a collector.Edmund Reitter was above all well-known as an expert on the beetles of the Palaearctic....
, entomologist, writer, merchant, acted in Germany - Richard SchmitzRichard SchmitzRichard Schmitz was the last Social-Christian mayor of Vienna, Austria.Richard Schmitz served as Vice Chancellor of Austria, as well as its Minister of Social Welfare and of Education, and as Commissioner of Vienna...
- Writer Antal StašekAntal StašekAntal Stašek , was a Czech writer and lawyer. He was born in the village of Stanový in the Liberec district of northern Bohemia. From 1877, Stašek was a successful barrister in Semily. His work is mainly set in the area around the Krkonoše mountains that straddle the today's border between the...
, worked here (1913-14) - Painter J(udas). T(haddäus). Supper (1712-1771), born
Architecture
- The remains of the 14th century city walls can be seen and the 1540 city gate has been preserved
- There is a 14th century church dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket
- There is a church of St. Stanislaus built in 1584
- The Bishop's Castle is now a museum dedicated to Mohelnice's history.
- Several castles are close to Mohelnice - Bouzov, MírovMírovMírov is a village and municipality in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 419 ....
(now a prison), SovinecSovinecSovinec is a castle situated on a cone-shaped hill located in the south-west parts of the Rešov hilly region of Bruntál District, in North Moravia, Czech Republic.-Lords of Sovinec :...
and Velké LosinyVelké LosinyVelké Losiny is a village and municipality in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It covers an area of , and has a population of 2,832 and lies approximately north-east of Šumperk, north of Olomouc, and east of Prague...