Chvalšiny (german: Kalsching) is a municipality and village in

Český Krumlov District Český Krumlov District ( cs, okres Český Krumlov) is a district ('' okres'') within South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Český Krumlov. The area was the hereditary home of the Rosenberg (Rožmberk) family, Lords of Kr ...

in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

The villages of Borová, Červený Dvůr and Hejdlov are administrative parts of Chvalšiny.

Etymology

The village was originally called ''Chvališín''. It was derived from the personal name Chvališa, meaning "Chvališa's (court)".

Geography

Chvalšiny is located about northwest of

Český Krumlov Český Krumlov (; german: Krumau, , or ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The historic centre with the Český Krumlov Castle complex is protected by law as an urban monument reservation, and sin ...

and southwest of České Budějovice. Chvalšiny lies in the

Bohemian Forest Foothills Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, ori ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. The stream of Chvalšinský potok flows through the municipality. Most of the municipal territory lies in the Blanský les Protected Landscape Area.

History

The first written mention of Chvalšiny is from 1281, when it was confirmed as property of Zlatá Koruna Monastery. The settlement rapidly developed and already in 1293, it was referred to as a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

. From 1400 to 1785, the religious administration in Chvalšiny was performed by the monastery. During this period, the German settlers came to the area and slowly formed a majority. During the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

, Oldřich II of Rosenberg acquired most of properties of the monastery, including Chvalšiny. Chvalšiny was owned by the Rosenberg family until 1601, when they sold it to Emperor

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–160 ...

. From 1622, it was owned by the Eggenberg family, and after their extinction, in 1719 it became property of the

House of Schwarzenberg The House of Schwarzenberg is a German ( Franconian) and Czech ( Bohemian) aristocratic family, and it was one of the most prominent European noble houses. The Schwarzenbergs are members of the German nobility and Czech nobility and they held the ...

. The Schwarzenbergs held Chvalšiny until the abolition of

serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which develop ...

in 1848. In 1938, Chvalšiny was annexed to

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 ...

. After the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the German population was expelled and the area was resettled by Czech citizens.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark is the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. It was built in the late Gothic style in 1487–1507 on the site of an older church. The former town hall is a Baroque building from 1667. Today it houses the Schwarzenberg Canal Museum and is thus a monument to the architect of the canal Josef Rosenauer, who is a local native. Červený Dvůr Castle is a

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

manor house, surrounded by an

English park The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (french: Jardin à l'anglaise, it, Giardino all'inglese, german: Englischer Landschaftsgarten, pt, Jardim inglês, es, Jardín inglés), is a sty ...

. Today the building serves as a psychiatric hospital.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chvalsiny Villages in Český Krumlov District