Bludov (; german: Blauda) is a spa municipality and village in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region 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 3,100 inhabitants.

Etymology

The name is derived from the name of its probable founder,

Blud of Bludov Blud of Bludov ( cs, Blud z Bludova) was the Moravian aristocrat who was ancestor of the House of Zierotin and the founder of the village of Bludov. His name appears in records around 1200 as a Grand Huntsman and from 1213 till 1215, as the burgrav ...

Geography

Bludov is located about southwest of Šumperk and northwest of Olomouc. The southwestern part of the municipal territory lies in the

Mohelnice Depression Mohelnice (; german: Müglitz) is a town in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrati ...

lowlands, the northeastern part lies in the Hanušovice Highlands. The Morava River partly forms the western border of the municipality, the Desná partly forms the eastern border.

History

Bludov was probably established at the turn of the 12th and 13th century. Since its foundation, it was purely Czech village. Until the 19th century, it was an agricultural village. Blud of Bludov's son built a castle on the slope of the Háj Hill. The Bludov Castle was destroyed during the

Bohemian–Hungarian War (1468–1478) The Bohemian War (1468–1478) began when the Kingdom of Bohemia was invaded by the king of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus. Matthias invaded with the pretext of returning Bohemia to Catholicism; at the time, it was ruled by the Hussite king, George of ...

. In the 15th century Bludov was owned by the lords of Kunštát, by the Waldstein family, and then by the

Tunkl of Brníčko Tunkl of Brníčko, fully Tunkl of Brníčko and Zábřeh (german: Tunkl von Aschbrunn und Hohenstad, la, Tunkl de brniczko et in zabrzeh) was a Moravian aristocratic family. The nobiliary particle is a reference to their major castle, called Br ...

family, who built six large ponds near the village. The ponds were dried in the 19th century, because their maintenance did not pay off economically. In 1496, Bludov was acquired by the

Zierotin The House of Žerotín or House of Zierotin was a Czech noble family in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, one of the oldest and most illustrious noble families from Bohemia and Moravia. The family was first mentioned around the year 1200 as ''Bl ...

s, who had built the Bludov Chateau. During the second half of the 19th century, Bludov was industrialized. In 1929, the Bludov Spa was opened.

Demographics

Economy

In the lowlands, corn,

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

, wheat,

oilseed rape Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains a ...

, poppy,

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

and

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

are grown and cattle and

broiler A broiler is any chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. Most commercial broilers reach slaughter weight between four and six weeks of age, although slower growing breeds reach slaughte ...

s raised. Bludov Spa is focused on treatment of

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

and

musculoskeletal disorder Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are injuries or pain in the human musculoskeletal system, including the joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, tendons, and structures that support limbs, neck and back. MSDs can arise from a sudden exertion (e.g., li ...

s, using thermal mineral water containing sulphates,

chloride The chloride ion is the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. It is formed when the element chlorine (a halogen) gains an electron or when a compound such as hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Chloride salts ...

s and

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable iso ...

. A quarry called Nový Lom is located on the northern outskirts of the village. There is occasional mining of a

metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...

known as ''bludovit'', which contains rare minerals and is used decoratively. Vlčí Důl, a natural reservoir complex with an area of , is available for recreation and also serves to organize cultural and social events. There is a small

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

plant at Habermann's Mill.

Twin towns – sister cities

Bludov is twinned with: * Lehota pod Vtáčnikom, Slovakia

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bludov (Sumperk District) Villages in Šumperk District Spa towns in the Czech Republic