Holešov (; ) is a town in
Kroměříž District
Kroměříž District () is a Okres, district in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Kroměříž.
Administrative division
Kroměříž District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities wi ...
in the
Zlín Region
Zlín Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-eastern part of the historical region of Moravia. It is named after its capital Zlín. Together with the Olomouc Region it forms a cohesion area of Central M ...
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 12,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an
urban monument zone.
Administrative division
Holešov consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Holešov (7,847)
*Dobrotice (438)
*Količín (344)
*Tučapy (406)
*Všetuly (1,998)
*Žopy (486)
Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name
Holeš.
Geography
Holešov is located about east of
Kroměříž
Kroměříž (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is known for Kroměříž Castle with its castle gardens, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic town centre with the castle ...
and north of
Zlín
Zlín (in 1949–1989 Gottwaldov; ; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 75,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice River. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the modern city ...
. The Rusava Stream flows through the town.
The western and southern parts of the municipal territory with the town proper lie in a flat landscape of the
Upper Morava Valley
The Upper Morava Valley () is a lowland and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Olomouc and Zlín regions. Its name is derived from the Morava river that forms the axis of the territory.
Geomorphology
The Up ...
. The northern part with the villages of Dobrotice and Tučapy lies in the
Moravian-Silesian Foothills. A small eastern part of the territory extends into the
Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains
Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains () is a mountain range in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic.
The mountains are densely forested mainly by secondary spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of conifer ...
and includes the highest point of Holešov, the hill Lysina with an elevation of .
Climate
Holešov has a
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''). The annual average temperature is . The annual precipitation is . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on 7 January 1985 to on 1 August 2013.
History
The first written mention of Holešov is from 1141 in a deed of
Jindřich Zdík
Jindřich Zdík (also anglicized as ''Henry Zdík''; – 1150 in Prague) was a Czech bishop and diplomat. He served as bishop of Olomouc from 1126 to 1150. He was a promoter of church reforms and is considered one of the most educated Czechs of ...
, when the settlement was a
fief
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
of
bishops of Olomouc. Between 1300 and 1322, the market village transformed into a town.
In the second half of the 14th century, Holešov was acquired by the lords of Sternberg. In the late 16th century, the town was held by Karel Sr. of
Zierotin and later by Ladislav IV Popel of
Lobkowicz
The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is an important Bohemian noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest noble families of the region. Over the ce ...
. In 1574, the local Gothic fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence. Holešov suffered during 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 ...
and in 1643, the castle and two thirds of the town were burned down. From 1650 to 1762, Holešov was owned by the Rottal family. During their rule, the town was reconstructed, and a large castle with a Baroque
French-style garden and the Church of Assumption of the Virgin Mary were built.
The last owners of Holešov was the Vrbna family. After 1848, Holešov became the administrative centre of the Holešov 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, municip ...
and the economic centre of the region. The town began to industrialize and the main industries were the woodworking, furniture, knitting and food industries. In 1960, the district of Holešov was dissolved.[
]
Jewish presence
The first mention of Jewish presence in the town is from 1391. The Jewish community began to form here after 1454, when the Jews were expelled from royal towns. During the 17th century, Rabbi Shach served as a rabbi in Holešov until his death. From 1849 until 1918, the Jewish community had its own administration separated from the town. In these times, the community participated on the town's industrialization and included successful entrepreneurs. The Jews almost disappeared from Holešov during World War II as the result of the Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
.[
The Old Synagogue was built after the local wooden synagogue was destroyed by a fire in 1560. The New Synagogue was built in 1893 and destroyed by the Nazis in 1941.][
]
Demographics
Economy
The public airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
of regional importance in the southern part of Holešov was transformed into Strategic Industrial Zone, which is one of the largest industrial zones in the country.
Transport
The short finished section of the D49 motorway connects Holešov with Hulín, where is the junction of the D1 and D55 motorways.
Holešov is located on the railway line Rožnov pod Radhoštěm
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm (; ) is a town in Vsetín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants.
Geography
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is located about northeast of Vsetín and south of Ostrava. It lies in the ...
–Kojetín
Kojetín () is a town in Přerov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,700 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Kojetín consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Koje ...
.
Sights
Holešov is known for its large castle with the French-style garden complex and a game park. The early Baroque castle was built in 1655–1674. Today the castle is open to the public and houses also the town museum and gallery.[
The landmark of the town square is the parish Church of Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The Baroque church was built in 1708 and consecrated in 1735. In 1748, the Black Chapel was added to the church. Under the chapel is the crypt of the Rottal and Vrbna noble families.]
Trinitarian
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...
monastery is a valuable Baroque complex of buildings, built in 1748–1750. Its Church of Saint Anne was originally a part of the pre-castle complex.[
The Old Synagogue is the second oldest synagogue in ]Moravia
Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The medieval and early ...
. It is an uncommon synagogue of the Polish type built in the Renaissance style which includes ornate ironwork and paintings on ceilings and walls using floral and animal motifs. The Old Synagogue, also known as the "Shakh" or "Šach" Synagogue, was preserved because it looked like an ordinary building from outside. Today it containts an exhibition about the life of Jews in Moravia.[
The Jewish cemetery contains about 3,000 graves. The oldest preserved tombstones are from 1647.]
Notable people
* Jan of Holešov (1366–1436), writer, linguist, musicologist and ethnographer
*Franz Xaver Richter
Franz ( Czech: František) Xaver Richter, known as ''François Xavier Richter'' in France (December 1, 1709 – September 12, 1789) was an Austro-Moravian singer, violinist, composer, conductor and music theoretician who spent most of his life ...
(1709–1789), Austro-Moravian singer, violinist and composer
* Josef Drásal (1841–1886), the tallest Czech ever; lived and died here
* Mavro Frankfurter (1875–1942), Croatian rabbi
* Oldřich Vyhlídal (1921–1989), poet and translator
Twin towns – sister cities
Holešov is twinned with:
* Desinić, Croatia
* Považská Bystrica
Považská Bystrica (; ; ) is a town in northwestern Slovakia. It is located on the Váh river, around 30 km from the city of Žilina. It belongs to Upper Váh region of tourism.
Profile
Považská Bystrica is situated in a fold of mounta ...
, Slovakia
* Pszczyna
Pszczyna (, ) is a town in Silesia Province in Poland, with a population of 25,823 (2019), and is the seat of a local gmina (commune) and district.
It was previously part of Katowice Province from 1975 until 1998 administrative reforms.
Etymo ...
, Poland
* Skawina
Skawina is a town in southern Poland with 27,328 inhabitants (2008). Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Kraków Voivodeship (1975–1998), Kraków Voivodeship (1975–1998). The town is located on the Skawinka ri ...
, Poland
* Topoľčianky, Slovakia
* Turčianske Teplice, Slovakia
Holešov also cooperates with Gloggnitz
Gloggnitz is a mountain town in the Neunkirchen (Austrian district), Neunkirchen district of Lower Austria, Austria.
Gloggnitz is situated in the south-western part of the Viennese Basin, Vienna Basin in Lower Austria. It is surrounded by the hi ...
in Austria.[
]
References
External links
*
Official information portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holesov
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Kroměříž District
Jewish communities in the Czech Republic