Osek (german: Ossegg) is a town in

Teplice District Teplice District ( cs, Okres Teplice) is one of seven districts ('' okres'') located within the Ústí nad Labem Region in the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is the city of Teplice. The Teplice District takes up only about a twelfth of t ...

in the

Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region ( cs, Ústecký kraj, , ), is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad La ...

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 4,600 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Dlouhá Louka and Hrad Osek are administrative parts of Osek.

Geography

Osek is located about west of

Teplice Teplice () (until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; german: Teplitz-Schönau or ''Teplitz'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest Czech spa town, after Karlovy Vary. The hi ...

and west of

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (, , ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of its eponymous region and district. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway ju ...

. A short part of the municipal territory borders with

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The southern part of the territory with the built-up area lies in the

Most Basin The Most Basin (also known as North Bohemian Basin; cs, Mostecká pánev, german: Nordböhmisches Becken) is a tectonic depression and geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is named after the city of Most. It forms the southwes ...

, the northern part lies in the Ore Mountains. The highest point is the mountain Vlčí hora at above sea level. The Osecký Stream flows through the town. Salesiova výšina is a rock city of huge

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tec ...

blocks, pillars and fissures. It is protected as a nature monument.

History

The history of the area is closely connected with the Osek Monastery. Between 1196 and 1197, Cistercian monks arrived from

Mašťov Mašťov (german: Maschau) is a town in Chomutov District in the Ústí nad Labem of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Haml ...

and founded the monastery. The monastery complex grew over time to become the economic and social hub of the region. In 1278, it was looted by Brandenburg troops. The village of Osek was founded shortly before the monastery. Until the early 14th century, the inhabitants of the village made a living mainly by cattle breeding. In the 14th century, mining of silver and tin developed. In 1421 and then again in 1429, the monastery was burned down by the

Hussites The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...

and many monks were killed. The property of the monastery was gradually dismantled, and in 1580 it was abolished by Emperor

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

. Osek was acquired by the Prague archbishopric and the monks were forced to leave for

Zbraslav Monastery The Cistercian Abbey of Zbraslav ( la, Aula Regia, cs, Zbraslavský klášter) located in Zbraslav near Prague (today part of Prague) was one of the most significant monasteries of the Cistercian Order in the Kingdom of Bohemia (present-day Czech ...

. The dissolution of the monastery was annulled in 1614 by

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

. During the

Thirty Years' 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 ...

, the Osek estate was confiscated by Protestants and sold to several buyers. In 1626, the monastery was returned to the Cistercians and began to regain its glory, which fully developed in the 18th century.

Demographics

Culture

Osek Festival is an annual event with fairground markets, demonstrations of traditional crafts and funfair attractions.

Sights

The main landmark is the Osek Monastery. It is an extensive complex of buildings, built from the Romanesque to the Baroque era. The main reconstruction into its current Baroque appearance took place in 1712–1718, when it was rebuilt by the architect Octavio Broggio. The interior of the monastery Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was decorated by painters Václav Vavřinec Reiner and Jan Kryštof Liška. The ruin of the medieval Rýzmburk (''Riesenburg'') Castle is located northwest of the town. It belonged to its founders, the noble Rýzmburk family until 1398; the ownership then shifted to the

margraves of Meissen This article lists the margraves of Meissen, a march and territorial state on the eastern border of the Holy Roman Empire. History King Henry the Fowler, on his 928-29 campaign against the Slavic Glomacze tribes, had a fortress erected on a h ...

. The castle was built shortly before 1250. It was abandoned in 1538 and fell into disrepair. It was one of the strongest fortresses in Bohemia that was probably never conquered. It has two parts, the first one is the core with residential towers and a chapel, and the second one is a large complex surrounded by a wall with shooting turrets, dominated by a massive ''

bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Spanish: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under Germ ...

''. Today it is freely accessible.

In popular culture

Parts of the film '' Anna Proletářka'' were filmed on location in Osek and Osek railway station.Anna proletárka (1953) – Filming locations
/ref>

Notable people

Karl Lieffen Karl Lieffen (17 May 1926 – 13 January 1999), born Karel František Lifka, was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 140 films on screen and television between 1949 and 1998. He was born in Ossegg (Osek), Czechoslovakia and atten ...

(1926–1999), German actor * Kamil Střihavka (born 1965), singer

Gallery

Osek, Klášterní sq.jpg, Klášterní square Osek, shopping centre.jpg, Local shopping centre Osek, Slovenská str.jpg, South part of Osek Hrad Osek - Rýzmburk.JPG, Rýzmburk Castle

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Teplice District Towns in the Ore Mountains