Frenštát pod Radhoštěm (; ) is a town in Nový Jičín District in the

Moravian-Silesian Region The Moravian-Silesian Region () is one of the 14 administrative regions of the Czech Republic. Before May 2001, it was called the Ostrava Region (). The region is located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Geography

Frenštát pod Radhoštěm is located about southeast of

Nový Jičín Nový Jičín (; ) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic centre of Nový Jičín is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservati ...

and south of

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

. It lies mostly in the Moravian-Silesian Foothills. The western part of the municipal territory extends into the Moravian-Silesian Beskids and contains the highest point of Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, the hill Vlčina at above sea level. The mountain of Radhošť, contained in the name of the town, is located south of the town (outside the municipal territory). The town is situated at the confluence of the Lubina River and Lomná Stream.

Climate

Frenštát pod Radhoštěm's climate is classified as

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfb''; Trewartha: ''Dcbo''). Among them, the annual average temperature is , the hottest month in July is , and the coldest month is in January. The annual precipitation is , of which July is the wettest with , while January is the driest with only . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on 1 February 1956 to on 28 August 1992.

History

The first written mention of Frenštát is from 1382. It was probably founded during the colonization between 1293 and 1316. In 1473, it was first referred to as a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

. In the 16th century, it became a prosperous market town with developed trade and handicrafts. The

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

affected the town severely as it was burned down in 1626, and occupied by the

Swedes Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...

in 1646. The plague epidemic also affected Frenštát. In the 17th century, the economy grew, possibly due to being colonized by the

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

ns. In 1781, Frenštát was promoted to a town. In the second half of the 19th century, the industrialization occurred. Weaving switched to mechanical factory production, other important industries were dyeing,

hosiery Hosiery, (, ) also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the foot, feet and human leg, legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also ...

and the production of bentwood furniture. The development was supported by the opening of the railway in 1888. In 1921, Frenštát was renamed Frenštát pod Radhoštěm. The development ended with the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as the town was occupied by the Axis, but was liberated on 6 May 1945. After the war there was an extensive housing construction.

Demographics

Transport

The I/58 road from Ostrava to Rožnov pod Radhoštěm passes through the town. Frenštát pod Radhoštěm is located on the railway lines Ostrava–Frenštát pod Radhoštěm and

Valašské Meziříčí Valašské Meziříčí (; ) is a town in Vsetín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monum ...

– Frýdlant nad Ostravicí.

Sport

Frenštát pod Radhoštěm is known as a ski centre. There is a complex with four ski jumps. Frenštát pod Radhoštěm is home to the football team SK Beskyd Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, which competes in lower amateur tiers.

Sights

The town square is lined by preserved burgher houses. The landmark of the square is the two-storey Neorenaissance town hall. It was built in the Italianizing spirit in 1889–1891 on the site of an older town hall from 1796, and has an accessible tower. The interior is decorated by several valuable sculptures, including the original of the sculpture of Slavic god Radegast, created by Albin Polasek in 1929 and originally placed on Radhošť. The Church of Saint Martin was built in the early Baroque style in 1661. The Baroque chapels of St. Barbara and St. John of Nepomuk were added in around 1740. The boys' middle-class school from 1876 was the second Czech school in Moravia. Today the building is a cultural monument and houses the town museum. A technical monument is a fruit dryer built according to the design of Dušan Jurkovič in 1899.

Notable people

* Albin Polasek (1879–1965), Czech-American sculptor and educator * Bohuslav Fiala (1890–1964), brigadier general * Břetislav Bartoš (1893–1926), painter * Záviš Kalandra (1902–1950), historian and theorist * Zdeněk Parma (1925–2006), alpine skier * Ladislav Adamec (1926–2007), politician, Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia in 1988–1989 * Jiří Raška (1941–2012), ski jumper, Olympic winner * Karel Loprais (1949–2021), rally raid driver; lived here * Jiří Parma (born 1963), ski jumper *

Iveta Bartošová Iveta Bartošová (8 April 1966 – 29 April 2014) was a Czech people, Czech singer, actress and celebrity, three-time best female vocalist in the music poll Zlatý slavík (1986, 1990 and 1991). She was also known for her turbulent lifestyle attra ...

(1966–2014), singer; grew up here

Twin towns – sister cities

Frenštát pod Radhoštěm is twinned with: * Harrachov, Czech Republic * Krásno nad Kysucou, Slovakia * La Grange, United States * Ustroń, Poland

Gallery

Frenštát pod Radhoštěm (CZE) - town hall.jpg, Town hall and Marian column at the Míru Square Barokní kostel sv. Jana Křtitele z roku 1634.JPG, Church of Saint John the Baptist

References

External links

*
Tourist Information Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frenstat Pod Radhostem Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Nový Jičín District Moravian Wallachia