Janov () is a town in

Bruntál District Bruntál District () is a Okres, district in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Bruntál, but the most populated town is Krnov. Administrative division Bruntál District is divided into three Districts o ...

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 300 inhabitants, making it one of the least populous towns in the country.

Geography

Janov is located about north of

Bruntál Bruntál (; ) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument zon ...

and northwest 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 is situated in the

Osoblažsko Osoblažsko (literally ''Osoblaha Region'', , ) is a microregion in the Bruntál District in the northernmost part of the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. The microregion is also called Osoblaha Hook or Silesian Haná, Hanakia. It i ...

microregion, on the border with Poland. It lies in the Zlatohorská Highlands. The highest point of the municipal territory is on the slopes of Solný vrch Hill at above sea level. The town is situated in the valley of the

Osoblaha Osoblaha (; , ) is a municipality and village in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants. Etymology The Czech name of the village came from Latin names of two local watercourses, Os ...

River.

History

Janov was probably founded in 1251 by Bishop

Bruno von Schauenburg Bruno von Schauenburg (also known as Bruno Olomucensis; 1205 – 1 or 17 February 1281 in Kroměříž) was a nobleman and Catholic priest of German descent, bishop of Olomouc in 1245–1281. He was one of the main advisors and diplomats of th ...

as an agricultural forest village. From its inception until 1588, Janov was part of the Osoblaha estate, owned by the bishops of Olomouc. In 1535, it was promoted to a free mining town by bishop

Stanislav I Thurzo Stanislav I Thurzo ( in Kraków – 16 or 17 April 1540 in Olomouc) was a Bishop of Olomouc, bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olomouc, Diocese of Olomouc. Although a Roman Catholic, Catholic, he was the son of János Thurzó, a protestan ...

. It was assumed that there are rich deposits of precious metals around the town and its mining will bring prosperity and wealth. Although the assumptions were not met and the mining ended in 1581, the already granted privileges helped the development of Janov and gave the town an urban character. The prosperity ended with 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 ...

, when Janov was occupied by the

Swedish army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

. In 1741 during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

, the town was burned down by Prussians. However, the town recovered. In 1938, Janov was annexed by the

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 ...

. 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 ...

, the German population was expelled and the town depopulated.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The square is considered architecturally valuable. In the western corner of the square there is the late Baroque Church of the Holy Trinity built in 1780–1783, with a cemetery located on the grounds. In the middle of the square are the Mining Memorial erected for the 650th anniversary of the town and the baroque statue of the Virgin Mary Immaculate from 1739. The cemetery includes two valuable chapels from the 19th century. A regional museum is located on the premises of the town hall. On the right bank of the Osoblaha there is a linden tree that can be up to 1000 years old. It is one of the oldest and largest trees in the country.

Notable people

Rudolf Mildner Rudolf Mildner (10 July 1902, Janov – unknown) was an Austrian-German SS-'' Standartenführer''. He served as the chief of the Gestapo at Katowice and was the head of the political department at Auschwitz concentration camp, conducting "third ...

(1902–?), Austrian-German SS officer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Janov Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Bruntál District