Place:Svitavy, Východočeský, Czechoslovakia

Watchers
  • no watchers
Larger map
NameSvitavy
Alt namesZwittausource: Wikipedia
TypeCity or town
Coordinates49.767°N 16.467°E
Located inVýchodočeský, Czechoslovakia
Also located inSvitavy, Pardubický, Czech Republic    
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Svitavy is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is the birthplace of Oskar Schindler and the centre of the Czech Esperanto movement. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

[edit]

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Svitavy was founded during the colonization by Premonstratensian monks from nearby Litomyšl around 1150. They built the Church of Saint Giles and founded a settlement called Stará Svitava near an old trade route. During the second wave of colonization in around 1250, mostly German-speaking settlers came and founded another settlement called Nová Svitava. Svitavy was first mentioned in 1256 when it was taken over by the bishop of Olomouc, Bruno von Schauenburg, and this year is considered to be the year of foundation of the town.

In 1389, the town walls were built. They protected the town during the Hussite Wars, however the town was conquered. Svitavy often changed owners. In the 16th century, the town flourished economically. The prosperity was interrupted by the Thirty Years' War. In 1645, the town was looted. In 1781, a large fire destroyed most of the town. During the Napoleonic and Austro-Prussian wars, the town suffered as armies passed through the town.[1]

In 1849, the railway was built, which contributed to the development of the town, especially the textile industry. Gradually, over a hundred textile factories were established. Svitavy has retained its industrial character to this day, although the structure has changed significantly.[1]

Svitavy was historically a German-speaking town with a Czech minority. At the beginning of the 20th century the town saw tensions between Czech and German speaking people. In October 1938, the town was added to Sudetenland and occupied by the German army. After the end of the World War II in 1945, the German population was expelled as a result of the Beneš decrees. After 1945, the town was resettled by immigrants from the whole Czechoslovakia.[1]

[edit]

Research Tips

This place has no commentary yet. It is only a stub. You can help by editing it and sharing what you know: research tips, history, relationships with other places, etc.


This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Svitavy. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Retrieved from "https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Place:Svitavy%2C_V%C3%BDchodo%C4%8Desk%C3%BD%2C_Czechoslovakia"