Slavonice
Encyclopedia
Slavonice (ˈslavoɲɪtsɛ; ) is a town situated in the southwest of Moravia
on the border with South Bohemia, Czech Republic
, about a kilometre from the Austria
n border with about 2,700 inhabitants. While historically the town was in Moravia
the town now belongs to the South Bohemian Region
.
The town has a traditional medieval renaissance city centre with Sgraffito
covered buildings dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, the oldest dating to 1545. The Sgraffito
are the second oldest in the Czech Republic, with older existing only in Prague from 1544. The renaissance character of the town is due to a period of extreme wealth in the 14th to 16th century when Slavonice were an important town on the route from Prague to Vienna. When the route was relocated to the north, passing through Znojmo
the town's source of wealth dried up as the local farming and forestry activities could never generate enough income. The town is therefore very much preserved in its renaissance look.
The town and the surrounding countryside were lightly fortified in the period leading up to the Second World War. Some of these small bunker complexes
have been repaired and refurbished, with mock battles of Wehrmacht and Czechoslovak forces taking place in summer. The area and defences were never used against the Third Reich as the town and region had to be surrendered to the Third Reich following the Munich Agreement
.
The original German-speaking population was expelled in June 1945 following the Second World War.
Being so close to the Austrian border, Slavonice was heavily affected by the creation of the Iron Curtain
during the period of Communism
. The nearby hamlet of Maříž
was emptied of its inhabitants during the Communist era in an effort to prevent people from living anywhere near the border with non-Communist Austria (the current inhabitants could stay but no new residents could move in and property could not be sold or inherited).
After the Velvet Revolution
and the fall of Communism, Maříž was recolonized by ceramics artists, and Slavonice has once again become a popular destination for Czech tourists and artists. Many small galleries have sprung up as a result of the work of artists and workshops in Slavonice.
Slavonice is very popular not only for its preserved renaissance town centre but also for the underground tunnel system dating back to the 12th century and surrounding countryside, which is unspoiled by industry.
The region is popular with cyclists who can take advantage of a large area known as Czech Canada Česká Kanada, an area that was inaccessible under communism but that now offers a pleasant ride through pine and spruce forests on narrow border-patrol roads where there is very limited car traffic.
The town applied for UNESCO World Heritage protection seeking to become a partner to the nearby UNESCO protected Telč
but withdrew its application before a decision was reached.
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
on the border with South Bohemia, 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....
, about a kilometre from the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n border with about 2,700 inhabitants. While historically the town was in Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
the town now belongs to the South Bohemian Region
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...
.
The town has a traditional medieval renaissance city centre with Sgraffito
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...
covered buildings dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, the oldest dating to 1545. The Sgraffito
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...
are the second oldest in the Czech Republic, with older existing only in Prague from 1544. The renaissance character of the town is due to a period of extreme wealth in the 14th to 16th century when Slavonice were an important town on the route from Prague to Vienna. When the route was relocated to the north, passing through Znojmo
Znojmo
Znojmo is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic, near the border with Lower Austria, connected to Vienna by railway and road . The royal city of Znojmo was founded shortly before 1226 by King Ottokar I on the plains in front of Znojmo Castle...
the town's source of wealth dried up as the local farming and forestry activities could never generate enough income. The town is therefore very much preserved in its renaissance look.
The town and the surrounding countryside were lightly fortified in the period leading up to the Second World War. Some of these small bunker complexes
Czechoslovak border fortifications
The Czechoslovak government built a system of border fortifications from 1935 to 1938 as a defensive countermeasure against the rising threat of Nazi Germany that later materialized in the German offensive plan called Fall Grün...
have been repaired and refurbished, with mock battles of Wehrmacht and Czechoslovak forces taking place in summer. The area and defences were never used against the Third Reich as the town and region had to be surrendered to the Third Reich 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...
.
The original German-speaking population was expelled in June 1945 following the Second World War.
Being so close to the Austrian border, Slavonice was heavily affected by the creation 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...
during the period of Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. The nearby hamlet of Maříž
Mariz
Mariz is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Barcelos. It has a population of 428 inhabitants and a total area of 2.41 km²....
was emptied of its inhabitants during the Communist era in an effort to prevent people from living anywhere near the border with non-Communist Austria (the current inhabitants could stay but no new residents could move in and property could not be sold or inherited).
After the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
and the fall of Communism, Maříž was recolonized by ceramics artists, and Slavonice has once again become a popular destination for Czech tourists and artists. Many small galleries have sprung up as a result of the work of artists and workshops in Slavonice.
Slavonice is very popular not only for its preserved renaissance town centre but also for the underground tunnel system dating back to the 12th century and surrounding countryside, which is unspoiled by industry.
The region is popular with cyclists who can take advantage of a large area known as Czech Canada Česká Kanada, an area that was inaccessible under communism but that now offers a pleasant ride through pine and spruce forests on narrow border-patrol roads where there is very limited car traffic.
The town applied for UNESCO World Heritage protection seeking to become a partner to the nearby UNESCO protected Telč
Telc
Telč is a town in southern Moravia, near Jihlava, in the Czech Republic. The town was founded in 13th century as a royal water fort on the crossroads of busy merchant routes between Bohemia, Moravia and Austria....
but withdrew its application before a decision was reached.
Population development
| Census year | Population | Ethnicity of inhabitants | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year | German | Czechs | other | |
| 1880 | 2662 | 2654 | 8 | 0 |
| 1890 | 2544 | 2514 | 14 | 16 |
| 1900 | 2553 | 2053 | 27 | 23 |
| 1910 | 2601 | 2571 | 11 | 19 |
| 1921 | 2324 | 1832 | 294 | 198 |
| 1930 | 2288 | 1817 | 323 | 148 |