Šumperk
Encyclopedia
Šumperk (ˈʃumpɛrk; ) is a town and district in the Olomouc Region
of the Czech Republic
. It is called "The Gate to Jeseníky
mountains."
Šumperk was founded by German colonists in 1269. The German name Schönberg means "beautiful hill", and the name Šumperk is a Czech garbling of the original German name.
The town of Šumperk became the center of the area. It was located on a trade route, and the town profited from the copper mines.
Šumperk was a possession of the Moravia
n margrave
until the 15th century.
Petr ze Žerotína bought the town and had the city walls improved.
The town became very rich in the 16th century from the production of top-quality cloth, better than was known in western Europe
. The town became able to buy itself and it became a royal city, meaning that the king was the only owner, and there was no nobility.
The town was substantially damaged in the Thirty Years' War
, because it was an active member of Protestant alliance. Šumperk was punished by losing its royal statute and became a possession of Lichtenstein family.
A later tragedy was a huge fire in 1669 in which 244 houses were destroyed.
The end of 17th century saw witch trials, in which 25 men and women were burnt as witches.
In 1930 Šumperk had about 12,000 citizens, of whom one quarter were Czechs and the rest Germans.
In 1938, after the Munich Agreement
, Šumperk was occupied by the Wehrmacht
and most Czech citizens were expelled to the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
. As the war ended the town was liberated by the Russian Red Army
and all of Germans were expelled to Germany.
During the Prague Spring
the area was occupied by the Polish army on 21 August 1968. The Polish army was replaced by the Red Army
on 3 October 1968. Jan Zajíc
and Jan Palach
both protested the occupation by self-immolation (in Prague
). The
Red Army moved out in 1991 after the Velvet Revolution
.
, Germany
Maarssen
, Netherlands
Nysa
, Poland
Prievidza
, Slovakia
Vaasa
, Finland
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....
. It is called "The Gate to Jeseníky
Hrubý Jeseník
Hrubý Jeseník is a mountain range of Eastern Sudetes in northern Moravia and Czech Silesia. It is the second highest mountain range in the Czech Republic.Some of the most interesting sights:*Praděd, the highest mountain...
mountains."
History
The town of Šumperk became the center of the area. It was located on a trade route, and the town profited from the copper mines.
Šumperk was a possession of the 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...
n margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
until the 15th century.
Petr ze Žerotína bought the town and had the city walls improved.
The town became very rich in the 16th century from the production of top-quality cloth, better than was known in western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The town became able to buy itself and it became a royal city, meaning that the king was the only owner, and there was no nobility.
The town was substantially damaged in 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....
, because it was an active member of Protestant alliance. Šumperk was punished by losing its royal statute and became a possession of Lichtenstein family.
A later tragedy was a huge fire in 1669 in which 244 houses were destroyed.
The end of 17th century saw witch trials, in which 25 men and women were burnt as witches.
In 1930 Šumperk had about 12,000 citizens, of whom one quarter were Czechs and the rest Germans.
In 1938, after 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...
, Šumperk was occupied by the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and most Czech citizens were expelled to the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
. As the war ended the town was liberated by the Russian Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and all of Germans were expelled to Germany.
During the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
the area was occupied by the Polish army on 21 August 1968. The Polish army was replaced by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
on 3 October 1968. Jan Zajíc
Jan Zajíc
Jan Zajíc was a Czech student who committed suicide by self-immolation as a political protest...
and Jan Palach
Jan Palach
Jan Palach was a Czech student who committed suicide by self-immolation as a political protest.- Death :...
both protested the occupation by self-immolation (in 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...
). The
Red Army moved out in 1991 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...
.
Culture, sport and architecture
- Cathedral of Holy Ghost
- Evangelic church
- St. Barbara Church
- St. John the Evangelist Church
- Lady Day Church
- Town sightseeing zone
- Homeland Study Museum (Vlastivědné muzeum)
- Theatre Šumperk (Divadlo Šumperk)
- Natural Preserve Jeseník MountainsHrubý JeseníkHrubý Jeseník is a mountain range of Eastern Sudetes in northern Moravia and Czech Silesia. It is the second highest mountain range in the Czech Republic.Some of the most interesting sights:*Praděd, the highest mountain...
(CHKO Jeseníky) - Swimming pool
- Cinema
- Háj watchtower
- middle-age town hall
People
- Bernhard Joseph Ritter Anders von Porodim (also Bernhard Joseph Anders, 1752 - 1827, Vienna), an Austrian civil servant
- Max Barta (born 1900), artist, (de)
- Jiří DopitaJirí DopitaJiří Dopita is Czech professional ice hockey player who has played in the Czech Elite League most of his career. He briefly played in the National Hockey League. Dopita has primarily played centre throughout his career.-Playing career:...
- Leo Freundlich (http://web.archive.org/web/20071014115519/http://albanianhistory.net/texts/AH1913_1.html)
- Jan HudecJan HudecJan Hudec is a Canadian alpine skier. On February 11, 2007, he won the silver medal in downhill at the 2007 World Championships in Åre, Sweden. In the November of the same year he won his first World cup victory, a downhill in Lake Louise...
, skier - Jakub KindlJakub KindlJakub Kindl is a Czech professional ice hockey player. Kindl is a member of the Detroit Red Wings organization of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
- Hans KleinHans KleinDipl.-Ing. Hans KleinIn German an engineer's degree is called Diplom-Ingenieur was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 22 aerial victories...
(July 11, 1931 - November 26, 1996, BonnBonnBonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
), a politician, (de) - Ivana KubešováIvana KubešováIvana Kubešová is a retired middle distance runner who represented Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic. She won three medals at the European Indoor Championships as well as a silver medal at the 1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships.-Achievements:-External links:...
- Gerda Rogers (born January 1, 1942), (de)
- Leo SlezakLeo SlezakLeo Slezak was a world-famous Moravian tenor. He was associated in particular with German opera as well as the title role in Verdi's Otello.- Beginnings :...
(August 18, 1873 - June 1, 1946, Rottach-EgernRottach-EgernRottach-Egern is a municipality and town located at Lake Tegernsee in the district of Miesbach in Upper Bavaria, Germany....
), a tenor singer - Ondřej SokolOndrej SokolOndřej Sokol , is a Czech director, actor and translator.Sokol was born at Šumperk, Czechoslovakia. After studying five years at Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague he joined a theatre in Mladá Boleslav. Three years later he moved to The Drama Club in Prague...
- Dominik Ullmann (July 25, 1835 - June 5, 1901), a Jewish jurist
- Emil Alois Ferdinand Vacano (November 16, 1840 - June 9, 1892, KarlsruheKarlsruheThe City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
), writer, (de) - Aleš ValentaAleš ValentaAleš Valenta is a Czech freestyle skier who participates in aerials.On February 19, 2002, he won the Winter Olympics gold medal in the freestyle aerials competition where he succeeded to perform the first triple back flip with five twists in the world.-External links: Official Official on Ales...
- Jan BalabánJan BalabánJan Balabán was a Czech writer, journalist, and translator. He was considered an existentialist whose works often dealt with the wretched and desperate aspects of the human condition.-Partial biography:...
(29 January 1961 – 23 April 2010), writer
Partnerships
Bad HersfeldBad Hersfeld
The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld is the district seat of Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast of Kassel....
, 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...
Maarssen
Maarssen
Maarssen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht, along the river Vecht. It lies in an area called the Vechtstreek.On January 1, 2011 Maarssen merged with Breukelen and Loenen to Stichtse Vecht....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Nysa
Nysa, Poland
Nysa is a town in southwestern Poland on the Nysa Kłodzka river with 47,545 inhabitants , situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Nysa County. It comprises the urban portion of the surrounding Gmina Nysa, a mixed urban-rural commune with a total population of 60,123 inhabitants...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Prievidza
Prievidza
Prievidza is a city in the central-western Slovakia. With 51,200 inhabitants it is one of the biggest municipalities in the Trenčín Region.-Features:...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
Vaasa
Vaasa
Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...