Hustopeče (; ) is a town in

Břeclav District Břeclav District () is a district in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Břeclav. Administrative division Břeclav District is divided into three administrative districts of municipalities with extended c ...

in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region (; , ; ), or just South Moravia, is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, th ...

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 6,400 inhabitants. It is known for fruit and wine growing.

Etymology

The name of the town is derived from the name of the nobleman and alleged founder of Hustopeče, named Úsopek.

Geography

Hustopeče is located about northwest of

Břeclav Břeclav (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. Located at the Czech-Austrian state border and near the Czech–Slovak state border, it is an important railway hub. Administrative divis ...

and south of

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

. The northern part of the municipal territory lies within the southern foothills of the Ždánice Forest range and the southern part lies in the

Lower Morava Valley The Lower Morava Valley (; ; ) is a geomorphological formation (special type of valley) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is formed by the depression in the Western Carpathians (Ždánice Forest, Kyjov Hills and Pálava Protected Landscap ...

lowland. The town lies in the warmest part of the country.

History

The first written mention of Hustopeče is from 1247. In the 13th century, the area was settled by German colonizators, who brought

viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

here. The German name of Hustopeče ''Auspitz'' was first documented in 1279. From the beginning of the 14th century until 1599, Hustopeče was owned by the Cistercian abbey in Brno. The advantageous location on the border of three countries made Hustopeče an important economic centre with markets. In 1572, Emperor Maximilian II promoted Hustopeče to a town. From 1599 to 1848, Hustopeče was property of the

House of Liechtenstein The House of Liechtenstein (), from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only Dynasty#Dynast, dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the thro ...

. In 1531,

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term (tra ...

led by Jakob Hutter came into the town from

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

and

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

, and founded a

Hutterite Hutterites (; ), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th century and have formed intent ...

community. Hustopeče became the centre of Moravian Anabaptists. Hustopeče was badly damaged 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 ...

During this period, the acreage of vineyards fell to 10% of its original state. However, winemaking gradually recovered, and in the mid-18th century, Hustopeče was the largest wine-growing municipality in Moravia. In 1726, the winemaking guild was established. In 1756, the

Piarists The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the Catholic Church founded in 1617 by Spanish priest Joseph Calasanz ...

established a first gymnasium here. On 18 July 1894, Hustopeče received access to a ''

Lokalbahn A ''Lokalbahn'' or ''Localbahn'' ("local line", plural: -en) is a secondary railway line worked by local trains serving rural areas, typically in Austria and the south German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. ''Lokalbahnen'' appeared at t ...

'' branch line to Šakvice and the

Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway The Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway (; ; ) was a railway company during the time of the Austrian Empire. Its main line was intended to connect Vienna with the salt mines in Bochnia near Kraków. The name is still used today in referring to a ...

from

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. Until 1918, ''Auspitz – Hustopeče'' was part of the

Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ( composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it ...

(Austrian side after the

Compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (, ) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereign ...

), in the district with the same name, one of the 34 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in the

Cisleithania Cisleithania, officially The Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council (), was the northern and western part of Austria-Hungary, the Dual Monarchy created in the Compromise of 1867—as distinguished from ''Transleithania'' (i.e., ...

n Margraviate of Moravia. According to the 1910 census, most of its inhabitants were ethnic Germans. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the dissolution of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, large parts of the South Moravian region were claimed by the newly established

Republic of German-Austria The Republic of German-Austria (, alternatively spelt ), commonly known as German-Austria (), was an unrecognised state that was created following World War I as an initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking and ethn ...

; nevertheless, according to the 1919

Treaty of Saint-Germain A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventi ...

, Hustopeče and it surroundings passed the

First Czechoslovak Republic The First Czechoslovak Republic, often colloquially referred to as the First Republic, was the first Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak state that existed from 1918 to 1938, a union of ethnic Czechs and Slovaks. The country was commonly called Czechosl ...

. After the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...

in 1938, it was occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and incorporated into '' Reichsgau Niederdonau'' as one of the

municipalities in Sudetenland A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...

. After

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 ...

, Hustopeče returned to Czechoslovakia and the remaining German-speaking population was expelled according to the

Beneš decrees The Beneš decrees were a series of laws drafted by the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in the absence of the Czechoslovak parliament during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II. They were issued by President Edvard Beneš fr ...

Demographics

Economy

Hustopece 20210903 170948 Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Hustopeče is known for

and also for

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

growing, which is unique in

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

Transport

The D2 motorway from

to the Czech-Slovak border in

Lanžhot Lanžhot () is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. Located on the border with Austria and Slovakia, it is the southernmost Moravian town. Etymology The original Latin name ...

runs through the town. Hustopeče is a terminus and starting point of the railway line from/to Křižanov via Brno.

Sport

Each year, Hustopeče is host to the world's best high jumpers competing in the Moravia High Jump Tour.

Sights

The main landmark of Hustopeče is the Church of Saints Wenceslaus and Agnes of Bohemia. The original Church of St. Wenceslaus was built in the early 14th century. Though renovated several times, its steeple collapsed in 1961 and damaged the church's structure greatly. Despite efforts to preserve the valuable remaining part, it was decided to demolish the entire building. The new modern church was built on the site of the old one in 1994 and consecrated to Saints Wenceslaus and Agnes of Bohemia. The new church has a high steeple. The second landmark of the town square is the town hall. This Neo-Renaissance building dates from 1906.

Notable people

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech name, Czech and Slovak name, Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas (name), Thomas. Tomáš is also a surname (feminine: Tomášová). Notable people with the name include: Given name Sport *Tomáš Berdych (born 198 ...

(1850–1937), politician, the first president of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

; lived here in 1861–1868 * Ilse Tielsch (1929–2023), Austrian writer * Josef Šural (1990–2019), footballer * Michal Sáček (born 1996), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Hustopeče is twinned with: * Benátky nad Jizerou, Czech Republic * Miedźna, Poland *

Modra Modra (, , Latin: ''Modur'') is a city and municipality in the Bratislava Region in Slovakia. It has a population of 9,201 as of 2013. It nestles in the foothills of the Malé Karpaty (Little Carpathian mountains) and is an excellent centre for ...

, Slovakia

References

External links

*
Hustopečsko Municipal Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hustopece Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Břeclav District Jewish communities in the Czech Republic