Vranov nad Dyjí (until 1986 Vranov; german: Frain) is a market town in

Znojmo District Znojmo District ( cs, okres Znojmo) is one of seven districts ('' okres'') within South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Znojmo. List of municipalities Bantice - Běhařovice - Bezkov - Bítov - Blanné - '' B ...

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 800 inhabitants. It is known as a summer resort.

Geography

Vranov nad Dyjí is located on the border with

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. It borders the municipal territory of

Hardegg Hardegg () is a town in the district of Hollabrunn in Lower Austria, Austria. It is situated in the Waldviertel region on the river Thaya, directly on the border with the Czech Republic. The Thaya valley is protected as the Thayatal National Par ...

. It lies about west of

Znojmo Znojmo (; german: Znaim) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. Znojmo is the historical and cultural centre of southwestern Moravia and the second most populated town in the South Moravian ...

. Vranov nad Dyjí lies in the valley of the river

Thaya The Thaya ( cs, Dyje ) is a river in Central Europe, the longest tributary to the river Morava. Its drainage basin is . It is ( with its longest source river German Thaya) long and meanders from west to east in the border area between Lower Au ...

. Part of the Vranov Reservoir, which is named after the market town, is situated in the northern part of the municipal territory. The

Podyjí National Park Podyjí National Park ( cs, Národní park Podyjí) is a national park in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Adjacent to Austria's Thayatal National Park on the border, together they are referred to as the Inter-National park. Podyj ...

occupies the southern part of the territory. The highest point is the mountain Býčí hora with an elevation of .

History

The first written mention of Vranov is from 1100, when the Vranov nad Dyjí Castle was mentioned in ''

Chronica Boemorum The ''Chronica Boemorum'' (Chronicle of the Czechs, or Bohemians) is the first Latin chronicle in which the history of the Czech lands has been consistently and relatively fully described. It was written in 1119–1125 by Cosmas of Prague. The ...

''. In 1323, the manor was acquired by the Lords of Lipá. The Lichtenburg noble family took control of Vranov during the 15th century. From 1516 to 1629, the manor often changed owners. 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 castle was besieged and damaged by Swedish troops, and the destruction was completed by a large fire in 1665. The Althann family, who acquired the castle in 1680, reconstructed the old Gothic structure into a representative Baroque residence. In the 19th century, the extensive landscape park was added. Between 1790 and 1882, Vranov was known for its

manufactory A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

of earthenware. After 1816, the manufactory began producing

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

of the

wedgwood Wedgwood is an English fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. It was rapid ...

type.

Sights

Vranov nad Dyjí is known for the Vranov nad Dyjí Castle. Today the castle is owned by the state and is open to the public.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vranov nad Dyji Market towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Znojmo District