Stříbro (; german: Mies) is a town in
Tachov District
Tachov District ( cs, okres Tachov)( German: Bezirk Tachau) is a district ('' okres'') within Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Tachov.
List of municipalities
Benešovice -
Bezdružice -
Bor -
Brod nad Tichou -
Broumov -
...
in the
Plzeň Region
Plzeň Region ( cs, Plzeňský kraj; german: Pilsner Region) is an administrative unit (''kraj'') in the western part of Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is named after its capital Plzeň (English, german: Pilsen). In terms of area, Plzeň R ...
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 7,400 inhabitants. The town centre with the Renaissance
Stříbro bridge
Stříbro bridge ( cs, most ve Stříbře) is a Renaissance stone five-arched bridge spanning across the river Mže in Stříbro, Czech Republic. The bridge has one preserved passage tower, built between 1555 and 1560 by Benedict Volch of Ferrol ...
is well preserved and is protected by law as an
urban monument zone.
Administrative parts
Villages of Butov, Jezerce, Lhota u Stříbra, Milíkov, Otročín and Těchlovice are administrative parts of Stříbro.
Etymology
The Czech name derives from "
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
" ( cs, stříbro), which used to be mined there. The German name ''Mies'' comes from the name of the river Mies/Mže ( la, Misa).
Geography
Stříbro is located about west of
Plzeň. It lies in the
Plasy Uplands
Plasy (; german: Plass) is a town in Plzeň-North District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. It is known for its former monastery.
Administrative parts
Villages of Babina, Horní Hradiště, Lomnička, Neb ...
. The highest point is the hill Jirná at above sea level. The
Mže
The Mže (; ) is a long river, mostly in the Czech Republic. Its source is situated in the Griesbach Forest ( above sea level), Germany, near the village of Asch, in the municipality of Mähring, Tirschenreuth district. It forms the state bou ...
River flows through the town. The confluence of the river Mže and Úhlavka is located on the southern outskirts of the town. A part of the Hracholusky Reservoir, built on the Mže, lies in the eastern part of the territory.
History
![Stříbro (12)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/St%C5%99%C3%ADbro_%2812%29.jpg)
According to the 16th century chronicler
Wenceslaus Hajek
Wenceslaus Hájek of Libočany ( cz, Václav Hájek z Libočan; german: Wenzeslaus Hagek von Libotschan; la, Wenceslaus Hagecius, Wenceslaus Hagek a Liboczan; died 18 March 1553) was a Bohemian chronicler, author of famous '' Czech Chronicle'' (15 ...
, the mining settlement in the
Duchy of Bohemia
The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, ( cs, České knížectví) was a monarchy and a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early and High Middle Ages. It was formed around 870 b ...
was founded by the
Přemyslid duke
Soběslav I in 1131. The first written mention of Stříbro is in a deed of Duke
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Nobility
Anhalt-Harzgerode
*Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
Austria
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198
* Frederick ...
from 1183. It was a
mining settlement located on an important trade route (''Zlatá cesta'', "Golden Road") from
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
to
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
.
Silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
and later mainly
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
were mined here, which accelerated the growth of the settlement.
Between 1240 and 1250, the foundations of the new royal town were laid on a rocky
promontory above the old settlement.
[ Mies received ]town privileges
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
in 1263.[ The Czech name Stříbro is documented from the 14th century onwards.
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 ...
, the town was besieged by the troops of Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha ( en, John Zizka of Trocnov and the Chalice; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czech general – a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus and a Radical Hussite who led the Taborites. Žižka was a successful milit ...
in 1421, though it was not occupied until in 1426. Shortly afterwards, the Hussite
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 ...
forces under Prokop the Great
Prokop the Great ( cs, Prokop Veliký, la, Procopius Magnus) or Prokop the Bald or the Shaven ( cz, Prokop Holý, link=no, ) (c. 1380 – 30 May 1434) was a Czech Hussite general and a prominent Taborite military leader during the Hussite Wars ...
could repel an attack by the Crusaders in the Battle of Tachov
The Battle of Tachov (german: Schlacht bei Tachau) or Battle of Mies (german: Schlacht bei Mies) was a battle fought on 4 August 1427 near the Bohemian towns of Tachov (''Tachau'') and Stříbro (''Mies''). The Hussites won over the armies led by ...
.[ In 1541 the citizens turned ]Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
. Silver mining was resumed under the King Ferdinand I in 1554. Upon the Battle of White Mountain
The Battle of White Mountain ( cz, Bitva na Bílé hoře; german: Schlacht am Weißen Berg) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the n ...
, the town was subdued to the measures of the Counter-Reformation.
Until 1918, ''Mies'' was part of the Habsburg monarchy and of the Cisleithanian ("Austrian") side after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...
. It was the administrative centre of a district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
(''Bezirk'') with the same name, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in Bohemia. From 1918, Stříbro belonged to Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. After 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 opposing ...
, the remaining German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
population was expelled.
Demographics
Sights
The Renaissance Stříbro bridge
Stříbro bridge ( cs, most ve Stříbře) is a Renaissance stone five-arched bridge spanning across the river Mže in Stříbro, Czech Republic. The bridge has one preserved passage tower, built between 1555 and 1560 by Benedict Volch of Ferrol ...
is a national cultural monument with one preserved gate, built in 1555–1560.
The original town hall building, whose appearance has not been preserved, was replaced in 1543 by the current Renaissance building. The sgraffito
''Sgraffito'' (; plural: ''sgraffiti'') is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive laye ...
decoration dates from 1823–1888.
The Church of All Saints was originally a sanctuary, which disappeared in a late Gothic reconstruction from 1565. The other parts date from 1754–1757, when the building was remodeled in the Baroque style. The church tower serves as lookout tower open to the public.
There are still preserved fragments of town walls, which surrounded the old town in a large circle. They include the so-called Jewish Gate, which made it possible to enter the Jewish quarter.
The mining open-air museum with an outdoor exhibition of mining equipment shows the mining tradition in Stříbro and in whole country.
Notable people
*Jacob of Mies
Jacob of Mies ( cs, Jakoubek ze Stříbra, la, Jacobellus de Misa; 1372 – 9 August 1429) was a Czech reformer from the Kingdom of Bohemia and colleague of Jan Hus.
Life
Jacob was born in 1372 in Stříbro (called ''Mies'' in German and ''M ...
(1372–1429), reformer
* Vincent Houška (1766–1840), composer and musician
* Anton Depauly (1801–1866), painter
* Leopold Schmutzler (1864–1940), German painter
*Ernst Streeruwitz
Ernst Streeruwitz (born Ernst Streer Ritter von Streeruwitz 23 September 1874 in Mies, died 19 October 1952 in Vienna) was an Austrian military officer, businessman, political scientist and politician. A member of the industrialist wing of the ...
(1874–1952), Austrian military officer, businessman and politician
Twin towns – sister cities
Stříbro is twinned with:
* Fano
Fano is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the '' Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by po ...
, Italy
* Moncoutant, France
* Oelsnitz, Germany
* Vohenstrauß
Vohenstrauß (or ''Vohenstrauss''; ) is a town in Germany, located in the north-eastern part of the Bavarian region Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, ...
, Germany
Gallery
Stříbro (10).jpg, Panorama of the town centre
Stříbro (1).jpg, Renaissance bridge with the town gate
Stříbro (11).jpg, Masarykovo Square with a fountain and Marian column
Stříbro (3).jpg, Church of All Saints
Stříbro (2).jpg, Town hall garden
Stříbro (4).jpg, Garden of the Franciscan monastery
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stribro
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Tachov District