Luby (german: Schönbach) is a town in
Cheb District
Cheb District ( cs, okres Cheb) is a district ('' okres'') within the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Cheb. It is the most western District in the Czech Republic.
List of municipalities
Aš -
Cheb -
Dolní ...
in the
Karlovy Vary Region
The Karlovy Vary Region or Carlsbad Region ( cs, Karlovarský kraj, German: ''Karlsbader Region'') is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the westernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named afte ...
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 2,100 inhabitants. It is well known for its violin-making industry, and was once dubbed the "Austrian
Cremona
Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...
" when Bohemia was part of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
.
Administrative parts
Villages of Dolní Luby, Horní Luby and Opatov are administrative parts of Luby.
History
The area was probably settled between 1100 and 1140. The first written mention of Luby is from 1158. In 1185, it was mentioned as a property of the
Waldsassen Abbey
Waldsassen Abbey (German: ''Abtei Waldsassen'') is a Cistercian nunnery, formerly a Cistercian monastery, located on the River Wondreb at Waldsassen near Tirschenreuth, Oberpfalz, in Bavaria, Germany, close to the border with the Czech Republic. ...
. Construction of a church started in 1188. The village was promoted to a town in 1319. In 1354, it became a royal property.
During the mid-13th century,
mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
ore, particularly the
vermilion
Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since ancient history, antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its correspondi ...
variety, was mined in the area of Horní Luby. In the 16th century, the ore was regarded as the most important in
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
. In 1536, about 200 miners had produced about 13.5 tons of
cinnabar
Cinnabar (), or cinnabarite (), from the grc, κιννάβαρι (), is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and ...
from several local mines.
During the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, the mining came to a complete standstill. In the latter half of the 17th century, Schönbach flourished as a centre of violin making.
In 1867–1918, Schönbach was part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. The village was located within the boundaries of the Eger District created by the Austria-Hungary monarchy. In 1899–1900, Schönbach gained access to electricity and the railroad, which helped the development of the industry.
[
The Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed in 1918, after ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and Schönbach became part of Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. In 1929, about 1,500 Schönbach craftsmen were employed making string instruments. In 1938, following the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, Germany annexed the western region of Czechoslovakia and administered in as Reichsgau Sudetenland
The Reichsgau Sudetenland was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1939 to 1945. It comprised the northern part of the ''Sudetenland'' territory, which was annexed from Czechoslovakia according to the 30 September 1938 Munich Agreement. ...
, and occupied it until the end of 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 ...
.
In 1946, right after World War II, Czechoslovakia restored the pre-1938 border and changed the German name Schönbach to the Czech name Luby. In 1949, residents with German ethnicity were expelled from Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. About two-thirds of the Luby population were German, among which, about 1,600 were instrument makers. The instrument makers mostly settled in Bubenreuth
Bubenreuth is a municipality in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany.
Location
Bubenreuth is located near the river Regnitz and ca. 4 kilometers north of Erlangen with which it's structurally connected. Neighboring towns are ...
of Erlangen, which, before then, only had about 500 residents. Bubenreuth
Bubenreuth is a municipality in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany.
Location
Bubenreuth is located near the river Regnitz and ca. 4 kilometers north of Erlangen with which it's structurally connected. Neighboring towns are ...
was, at that time, in the American zone
Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Franc ...
of occupied Germany, and therefore was within West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
afterwards.
Economy
There were several notable luthier
A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers o ...
s and music instrument companies in Luby, including Höfner
Karl Höfner GmbH & Co. KG is a German (originally Austro-Bohemian) manufacturer of musical instruments, with one division that manufactures guitars and basses, and another that manufactures other string instruments, such as violins, violas, cell ...
, Hoyer Guitars, John Juzek, and Plachta, Sander and Schuster families. Framus
Framus is a German string instrument manufacturing company, that existed from 1946 until going bankrupt in 1975. The Framus brand was revived in 1995 as part of Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG, in Markneukirchen, Germany. The company's cus ...
company was also founded here. Before World War II, Luby was the largest centre of violin production in the world.
In 1948, when the communist party took power in Czechoslovakia, the production of music instruments was nationalized and unified into a single Luby-based company called Cremona (part of Československé hudební nástroje
Československé hudební nástroje, oborový podník (Czechoslovak Musical Instruments, specialized business) was — during the era of communist Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1992 — a state owned music instrument manufacturing company headquar ...
in 1965–1992) that had been in existence since 1920. All manufactures and small workshops were part of this company. In 1992, Cremona was privatized and renamed Strunal CZ, a.s., which since was exported under the label of Josef Jan Dvořák (for bowed instruments) and Strunal or Amada (for guitars). Strunal filed for bankruptcy in 2020. Several smaller companies continue the tradition in the town.
Education
From 1873 to 2005, the Violin Making School was located in Luby. In 2005, it was moved to Cheb
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of the German-speaking population ...
.
Notable people
* John Juzek (1892 – c. 1965), exporter of orchestral string instruments; worked and died here
*Herta Huber
Herta Huber (24 January 1926 – 8 April 2018) was a German writer and poet.
Life and career
Huber was born in Schönbach, Czechoslovakia on 24 January 1926. She was known for writing in the Egerland dialect, originating from what is now part of ...
(born 1926), German writer and poet
Twin towns – sister cities
Luby is twinned with:
* Bubenreuth
Bubenreuth is a municipality in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany.
Location
Bubenreuth is located near the river Regnitz and ca. 4 kilometers north of Erlangen with which it's structurally connected. Neighboring towns are ...
, Germany
* Markneukirchen
Markneukirchen () is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in Saxony, Germany, close to the Czech border. It lies in between the Erzgebirge and the Fichtelgebirge in the Elstergebirge, southeast of Plauen, and northeast of Aš (Czech Republic) ...
, Germany
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Cheb District