Štramberk (; german: Stramberg) is a town in

Nový Jičín District Nový Jičín District ( cs, okres Nový Jičín) is a district ('' okres'') within Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Nový Jičín. List of municipalities Albrechtičky - Bartošovice - Bernartice nad O ...

in the

Moravian-Silesian Region The Moravian-Silesian Region ( cs, Moravskoslezský kraj; pl, Kraj morawsko-śląski; sk, Moravsko-sliezsky kraj) is one of the 14 administrative regions of the Czech Republic. Before May 2001, it was called the Ostrava Region ( cs, Ostravský ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It has about 3,500 inhabitants. The historic centre of Štramberk is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.

Geography

Štramberk lies in the

Moravian-Silesian Foothills Moravian-Silesian Foothills ( cz, Podbeskydská pahorkatina, pl, Pogórze Morawsko-Śląskie) are foothills and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. Geomorphology The region represents the westernmost section of the Western Bes ...

. The town is spread on the steep slopes of several hills. The highest point of the municipal territory is the hill Bílá hora at above sea level. The town is surrounded by several small-scale protected areas, including the national natural monument Šipka Cave. This karst cave is the oldest recorded human presence of the territory of the Czech Republic.

History

The first written mention of Štramberk is from 1211, when a village under the eponymous castle was documented. The origin and age of the castle are unknown. In 1359, the town of Štramberk was founded by

John Henry, Margrave of Moravia John Henry of Luxembourg ( cs, Jan Jindřich, german: Johann Heinrich; 12 February 1322 – 12 November 1375),Spock Bet ...

on the site of the settlement. It obtained various privileges that helped its development. From the 15th century, Štramberk was the centre of

Moravian Church The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

. In 1624, Štramberk was acquired by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, the town was attacked and devastated several times. The castle was severely damaged. In the 1783, the front part collapsed and the masonry was dismantled. In the second half of the 19th century limestone mining began here, which started further economic growth. The railway was opened in 1881. Although Štramberk was completely Czech in terms of nationality, it was annexed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in 1938–1945.

Economy

The town is known for its production of

Štramberk ears Štramberk ears ({{Lang-cs, Štramberské uši) is a Moravian confectionery product made of cone-shaped gingerbread dough traditionally baked in the Štramberk and the surrounding area of Moravia. This product could be officially made and sold only ...

, which is a traditional confectionery produced for about 800 years. The manufactory is protected geographical indication by the European Union and it was the first Czech product with this designation.

Sport

Every year, the town hosts the finish of the first stage of the cycling race

Gracia–Orlová Gracia–Orlová is a women's staged cycle race which takes place in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic and in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland. It was created in 1987. Since 2004, it starts in Dětmarovice. A mountain stage i ...

Sights

The landmark of Štramberk is a remnant of the Štramberk Castle, a cylindrical castle tower called ''Trúba''. It was repaired in 1903–1904 and adapted to an observation tower. The town fortifications have been partially preserved and delimit the original town limits. From the Gothic Church of St. Bartholomew, which stood under the castle, only a prismatic brick bell tower with a wooden gallery has been preserved. In the historic centre of Štramberk is a unique collection of timbered houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Baroque parish Church of Saint John of Nepomuk is the landmark of the town square. It was founded in 1721 and decorated by

Jano Köhler Jano Köhler (sometimes spelled Jano Koehler; 9 February 1873 – January 1941) was a Czech painter. He is known for decorating sacral buildings with frescoes and sgraffiti. Life and education Köhler was born in a Czech-German family, but his ...

in the early 20th century. The Šipka Cave is freely accessible. On the Bílá hora hill is a high observation tower in the shape of a

double helix A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

Notable people

Martin Stephan Martin Stephan (1777–1846) was pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Dresden, Germany during the early 19th century. He organized the Saxon Lutheran Immigration 1838-1839, Saxon emigration to the United States in the early 19th century. Biogr ...

(1777–1846), pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Zdeněk Burian Zdeněk Michael František Burian (11 February 1905 in Kopřivnice, Moravia, Austria-Hungary – 1 July 1981 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) was a Czech painter, book illustrator and palaeoartist whose work played a central role in the development of p ...

(1905–1981), painter; lived here in 1905–1909 *

Jiří Hanzelka Jiří Hanzelka (24 December 1920 – 15 February 2003) and Miroslav Zikmund (14 February 1919 – 1 December 2021), known collectively as Hanzelka and Zikmund, were a duo of Czech adventurers known for their travels in Africa, Asia, Latin Americ ...

(1920–2003), traveller and writer

References

External links

*
Tourist Information Centre Štramberk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stramberk Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Nový Jičín District