Varnsdorf
Encyclopedia
Varnsdorf (ˈvarnzdorf; ) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region
of the Czech Republic
, with a population of around 16,000. The town is close to the border with Germany
, with border crossings to the Saxon
towns of Seifhennersdorf
and Großschönau
, and is the second largest in the Děčín District
.
The village of Warnsdorf was first recorded in the fourteenth century, and it united with nearby villages in 1849 to form the largest village in the Austrian Empire
. It was made a town in 1868. The town was one of the early sites of Old Catholic Church
, and an Old Catholic cathedral remains a tourist attraction. The population has declined somewhat since its peak - the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica gives it as 20,000, and noted it was a textile town.
Prior to the end of World War I, Warnsdorf was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following that war, the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye incorporated it, together with the region of Bohemia, into the new country of Czechoslovakia. Following the end of World War II, its ethnic German population was mostly expelled to Germany, and the official spelling of its name was changed from the German "Warnsdorf" to the Czech "Varnsdorf".
Around 2500 buddhist Vietnamese
live in and around Varnsdorf, the city hosts the first buddhist temple in Czech Republic
Varnsdorf is also home to the Kocour Brewery
, who make a range of ales, including American style IPA
and a stout
.
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...
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....
, with a population of around 16,000. The town is close to the border with 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 border crossings to the Saxon
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
towns of Seifhennersdorf
Seifhennersdorf
Seifhennersdorf is a town in the district Görlitz, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the border with the Czech Republic, and the Czech towns of Rumburk and Varnsdorf lie across the border to the north-east and south of town....
and Großschönau
Großschönau, Saxony
Großschönau is a municipality in the district Görlitz, in Saxony, Germany located in the Cross-border region with the Czech Republic. It used to be a famous Upper Lusatian center of Damask fabric production until the end of the 1980s...
, and is the second largest in the Děčín District
Decín District
Děčín District is one of seven districts located within the Ústí nad Labem Region in the Czech Republic...
.
The village of Warnsdorf was first recorded in the fourteenth century, and it united with nearby villages in 1849 to form the largest village in the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. It was made a town in 1868. The town was one of the early sites of Old Catholic Church
Old Catholic Church
The term Old Catholic Church is commonly used to describe a number of Ultrajectine Christian churches that originated with groups that split from the Roman Catholic Church over certain doctrines, most importantly that of Papal Infallibility...
, and an Old Catholic cathedral remains a tourist attraction. The population has declined somewhat since its peak - the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica gives it as 20,000, and noted it was a textile town.
Prior to the end of World War I, Warnsdorf was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following that war, the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye incorporated it, together with the region of Bohemia, into the new country of Czechoslovakia. Following the end of World War II, its ethnic German population was mostly expelled to Germany, and the official spelling of its name was changed from the German "Warnsdorf" to the Czech "Varnsdorf".
Around 2500 buddhist Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
live in and around Varnsdorf, the city hosts the first buddhist temple in Czech Republic
Varnsdorf is also home to the Kocour Brewery
Pivovar Kocour Varnsdorf
Pivovar Kocour Varnsdorf was established in 2008 and is one of the few breweries in the Czech Republic to produce ale rather than just lager.Kocour also collaborates with brewers around the world to produce special beers, such as the V3 Rauchbier - a collaboration between Kocour, Kaltenecker in...
, who make a range of ales, including American style IPA
India Pale Ale
India Pale Ale or IPA is a style of beer within the broader category of pale ale. It was first brewed in England in the 19th century.The first known use of the expression "India pale ale" comes from an advertisement in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper published January 30, 1835...
and a stout
Stout
Stout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters, typically 7% or 8%, produced by a brewery....
.
Notable residents
- Evelyn OpelaEvelyn OpelaEvelyn Opela is a German television actress.Since 1986 she is married with German television film producer Helmut Ringelmann...
(born 1945), German actress - Peter KienPeter KienPeter Kien was a Jewish artist and poet active at the Theresienstadt concentration camp.He died at the age of twenty-five.-His education:...
(1919–1944), poet - Gernot ZippeGernot ZippeGernot Zippe , was a Austrian-German mechanical engineer who is widely held responsible for leading the team which developed the Zippe-type centrifuge, a centrifuge machine for the collection of 235U in Soviet Union....
(1917–2008), engineer and inventor of Zippe-type centrifugeZippe-type centrifugeThe Zippe-type centrifuge is a device designed to collect Uranium-235. It was developed in the Soviet Union by a team of 60 Austrian and German scientists captured after World War II, working in detention...