Dolní Kounice (; german: Kanitz) is a town in

Brno-Country District Brno-Country District ( cs, okres Brno-venkov) is one of seven districts ('' okres'') within South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is in the city of Brno. The most populated town of the district is Kuřim. The distr ...

in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region ( cs, Jihomoravský kraj; , ; sk, Juhomoravský kraj) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia (an exception is Jobova Lhota which trad ...

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 2,500 inhabitants.

Geography

Dolní Kounice is situated about south of

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

in the valley of the

Jihlava Jihlava (; german: Iglau) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 50,000 inhabitants. Jihlava is the capital of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava River on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia. Historically, Jihlava i ...

River. It lies in the

Bobrava Highlands Bobrava (russian: Бобрава) is a rural locality (a selo) and the administrative center of Bobravskoye Rural Settlement, Rakityansky District, Belgorod Oblast Belgorod Oblast (russian: Белгоро́дская о́бласть, ''Belg ...

History

The first written mention of Kounice is from 1183, when a

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

''Rosa coeli'' convent was built here. It was founded in 1181 and was the oldest convent in

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

. A church already stood here in 1183. In 1284–1330, a Gothic convent castle was built here. Since the 15th century, the village has been named Dolní Kounice. In 1527, the convent was abolished. An attempt was made to restore it in 1702, but a year later it was destroyed by a fire and never restored again. From 1537, the manor was owned by various noble families. In 1571, Dolní Kounice was promoted to a town and obtained coat of arms. During the rule of the Drnovský of Drnovice family in 1588–1622, the castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance fortified residence. During the

Thirty Year's War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

in 1622, the castle was burned down, and was repaired in 1682 in the Baroque style. From 1622 to 1862, Dolní Kounice Castle with the manor was property of the

Dietrichstein family The House of Dietrichstein was the name of one of the oldest and most prominent Austrian noble families originating from Carinthia. The family belonged to the High Nobility, the Hochadel. The Nikolsburg (Mikulov) branch was elevated to the rank of ...

, which was its most famous and longest owners. In 1964, Dolní Kounice lost the title a town. The title was returned to it in 1998.

Sights

Dolní Kounice is known for the Gothic-Renaissance castle and for ruins of the convent. The castle is gradually being repaired and since 2007 has been open to the public. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul on the town square is a neo-Renaissance structure from 1877–1879. The Chapel of Saint Anthony is a landmark above the town. The way to the pilgrimage chapel is lined by

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

. There are several monument commemorating the Jewish community in the town. The Dolní Kounice Synagogue was built in the early Baroque style in 1652–1655 and is one of the oldest synagogues in Moravia. The Jewish cemetery was founded in 1680.

Notable people

Gotthard Deutsch Gotthard Deutsch (; 31 January 1859 – 14 October 1921) was a scholar of Jewish history. Education Deutsch was born in Dolní Kounice, Moravia, Austria, as Eliezer Deutsch, the son of Bernhard L. Deutsch, a merchant, and Elise Wiener. He alwa ...

(1859–1921), Austrian scholar * Jan Helcelet (1812–1878), naturalist and politician * Antonín Brabec (1946–2017), canoeist

Twin towns – sister cities

Dolní Kounice is twinned with: * Azay-le-Brûlé, France *

Caprese Michelangelo Caprese Michelangelo is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. It is the birthplace of the Renaissance artist Michelangelo. The village is roughly east of Florence. The village is situated in the Valtiberina or High ...

, Italy

Gallery

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolni Kounice Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Brno-Country District