Štramberk (; ) is a town in

Nový Jičín District Nový Jičín District () is a district in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Nový Jičín. Administrative division Nový Jičín District is divided into five administrative districts of municipalitie ...

in the

Moravian-Silesian Region The Moravian-Silesian Region () is one of the 14 administrative regions of the Czech Republic. Before May 2001, it was called the Ostrava Region (). The region is located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most ...

of the

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

. It has about 3,500 inhabitants. It is known for the production of

Štramberk ears Štramberk ears () is a Czech confectionery product made of cone-shaped gingerbread dough traditionally baked in the Štramberk and the surrounding area of Moravia. Protected designation of origin This product could be officially made and sold onl ...

. The historic centre of Štramberk is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation.

Geography

Štramberk is located about east of

Nový Jičín Nový Jičín (; ) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic centre of Nový Jičín is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservati ...

and southwest of

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

. It lies in the

Moravian-Silesian Foothills Moravian-Silesian Foothills () are foothills and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. Geomorphology The Moravian-Silesian Foothills is a mesoregion of the Western Beskidian Foothills macroregion within the Outer Western Carpath ...

. The town is spread on the steep slopes of several hills. The highest point is the hill Bílá hora at above sea level. The town is surrounded by several small-scale protected areas, including the

Šipka Šipka is a cave located near Štramberk, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic, 440 m above sea level. In 1880, a human mandible, mandible of a Neanderthal child was found there. The age of the child has been estimated to be between 9 and 10 ...

Cave National Nature Monument. This karst cave is the oldest recorded human presence in 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 (, ; 12 February 1322 – 12 November 1375), a member of the House of Luxembourg, was Count of Tyrol from 1335 to 1341 and Margrave of Moravia from 1349 until his death. Early life Henry was born at Mělník, the third ...

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

Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...

. In 1624, Štramberk was acquired by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), 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, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, 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, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in 1938–1945.

Demographics

Economy

The town is known for the production of

, 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.

Transport

Štramberk is located on the railway line Studénka– Veřovice.

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 racing, 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. Honours Jerseys As of the 2013 edition: ...

. The town is home to the association football club FK Štramberk. It plays in lower amateur tiers. It was founded in 1932 as Sokol kopané Štramberk.

Sights

The main landmark of Štramberk is a remnant of the Štramberk Castle, a cylindrical 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 in the early 20th century. The

Cave is freely accessible. On the Bílá hora hill is a high observation tower in the shape of a

double helix In molecular biology, the term double helix refers to the structure formed by base pair, double-stranded molecules of nucleic acids such as DNA. The double Helix, helical structure of a nucleic acid complex arises as a consequence of its Nuclei ...

Notable people

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

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

Zdeněk Burian Zdeněk Michael František Burian (11 February 1905 – 1 July 1981) was a Czech painter, book illustrator and palaeoartist. Burian's artwork played a central role in the development of palaeontological reconstruction and he is regarded as one ...

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