Bělá pod Pradědem () is a municipality in

Jeseník District Jeseník District () is a Okres, district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Jeseník. With approximately 36,000 inhabitants, it is the least populated district of the Czech Republic. Administrative division Je ...

in the

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 (''Morava'') and in a small part of the historical region of Czech Silesia (''České Sl ...

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 1,700 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Bělá pod Pradědem consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Adolfovice (715) *Bělá (18) *Domašov (845) *Filipovice (22)

Etymology

The municipality gained its name after the Bělá river and the nearby Praděd mountain.

Geography

Bělá pod Pradědem is located about south of

Jeseník Jeseník (; until 1947 Frývaldov (); , ) is a spa town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Jeseník consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 202 ...

and north of

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

. It lies in the Hrubý Jeseník mountains. The highest point is the peak of Malý Děd at above sea level; Praděd is located outside the municipal territory. The

Bělá Bělá may refer to: Places in the Czech Republic *Bělá (Havlíčkův Brod District), a municipality and village in the Vysočina Region * Bělá (Opava District), a municipality and village in the Moravian-Silesian Region * Bělá (Pelhřimov Di ...

River originates in the southern par tof the municipality and the flows across the municipality; the villages are located in the valley of the river.

History

Both villages of Adolfovice and Domašov were first mentioned in 1284. Both villages were founded in the second half of the 13th century, during the colonization by the bishops of Wrocław, who owned the area. The villages were included within the ecclesiastical

Duchy of Nysa The Duchy of Nysa (, ) or Duchy of Neisse () was one of the duchies of Silesia with its capital at Nysa in Lower Silesia. Alongside the Duchy of Siewierz, it was the only ecclesiastical duchy in the Silesian region, as it was ruled by a bis ...

, which, later on, passed under suzerainty of the

Bohemian Crown The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were the states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods with feudal obligations to the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of Bohemia, an electorate of the Hol ...

. In 1772, the hamlet of Filipov/Philippsdorf was founded by bishop Philipp Gotthard von Schaffgotsch, and in 1796 the hamlet of Bělá/Waldenburg was founded by bishop Josepf Christian Franz zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein. Both hamlets were joined to Domašov in 1848. In 1850, the duchy was secularized and dissolved, and the villages were incorporated directly to

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, since 1918, the area formed part of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the area was occupied by Germany. On 9 October 1939,

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

military Junkers F 13 on the way from

Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...

crashed into the forest in Bělá pod Pradědem. All seven soldiers died in the accident and were buried at the cemetery in Domašov. In Adolfovice, the occupiers operated three

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

subcamps (E250, E334, E595) of the Stalag VIII-B/344

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

. After the war, in 1945, the German population was expelled in accordance with the

Beneš decrees The Beneš decrees were a series of laws drafted by the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in the absence of the Czechoslovak parliament during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II. They were issued by President Edvard Beneš fr ...

, and the area was restored to Czechoslovakia. The municipality of Bělá pod Pradědem was established in 1961 by merger of municipalities of Adolfovice and Domašov, including the villages of Bělá and Filipovice.

Demographics

Transport

The I/44 road from

Šumperk Šumperk (; ) is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. It is an industrial town, but it also contains valuable historical and architectural monuments. The historic town centre is well preserved and i ...

passes through the municipality.

Sights

There are two churches in Domašov. The Church of Saint Thomas was built in the Baroque style in 1726–1730. The Church of Saint John the Baptist is a Neoclassical building with late Baroque elements.

Notable people

* Josef Odložil (1938–1993), athlete, Olympic medalist; lived here

Twin towns – sister cities

Bělá pod Pradědem is twinned with: * Tułowice, Poland

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bela pod Pradedem Villages in Jeseník District Czech Silesia