Josefův Důl () is a municipality and village in

Jablonec nad Nisou District Jablonec nad Nisou District () is a district in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Jablonec nad Nisou. Administrative division Jablonec nad Nisou District is divided into three administrative districts of municip ...

in the

Liberec Region Liberec Region () is an administrative unit (Czech language, Czech: ''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located in the northernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Liberec. The region shares international bor ...

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 900 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Josefův Důl consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Josefův Důl (419) *Antonínov (190) *Dolní Maxov (246) *Karlov (44)

Geography

Josefův Důl is located about northeast of

Jablonec nad Nisou Jablonec nad Nisou (; ) is a city in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It is the second-largest city in the region. It is a local centre for education, and is known for its glass and jewelry production, espe ...

and east of

Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...

. It lies in the southeastern part of the

Jizera Mountains Jizera Mountains (), or Izera Mountains (; ), are part of the Western Sudetes on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. The range got its name from the Jizera (river), Jizera River, which rises at the southern base of the Smrk (Jizera), ...

and in the eponymous protected landscape area. The highest point is at above sea level. The village is situated in the valley of the Kamenice River. Other watercourses in the municipality include the Jedlová Stream, which flows through the Jedlový důl

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

, and the streams Červený potok, Jelení potok, Pekelný potok and Hluboký potok. Due to the rugged terrain there are multiple waterfalls in the area. Josefův Důl Reservoir, located in the northwestern part of the municipal territory, was built on the Kamenice in 1976–1982.

History

Around 1690, Count Maximilian II Desfours-Walderode settled the area with

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

immigrants. The village of Karlov was founded in 1700 and Josefův Důl was founded in 1701, and both villages were named after Maximilian's newborn son, Karl Josef Desfours-Walderode. Dolní Maxov was founded in 1670 and named after Albrecht Maximilian Desfours-Walderode. The livelihood of the inhabitants of the villages was glassmaking, grinding and herding. The first glassworks was built in the 17th century. 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 ...

permitted

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 ...

to annex the area in 1938 and administer it as part of

Reichsgau Sudetenland The Reichsgau Sudetenland was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1939 to 1945. It comprised the northern part of the ''Sudetenland'' territory, which was annexed from Czechoslovakia according to the 30 September 1938 Munich Agreement. ...

. Shortly thereafter Karlov was dissolved becoming Horní Maxov and Antonínov. Josefův Důl and Dolní Maxov formed a new municipality named Josefodol. Following

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 ...

, in 1945, the municipality was returned to

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 ...

and the German inhabitants were expelled under the terms of

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

Transport

There is a railway station in Josefův Důl. The Josefův Důl–

Smržovka Smržovka () is a town in Jablonec nad Nisou District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,900 inhabitants. Etymology The name Smržovka was given to town by overgrown mountain forest, where there was a large amount of Morch ...

local railway starts here.

Sport

Known as "the gateway to Jizera Mountains", Josefův Důl is a popular destination for

skiers Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International ...

, hikers and

cyclists Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world for pur ...

. There is a small ski resort.

Sights

The main landmark of Josefův Důl is the Church of the

Transfiguration of Christ The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event described in the New Testament where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) recount the occasion, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers t ...

with a high tower. It was built in the pseudo-Gothic style in 1862–1865. The interior fittings house three valuable altar paintings by Wilhelm Kandler. The Chapel of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Karlov was built in the Baroque style in 1803 and rebuilt into its current form in 1865. It replaced an old wooden chapel from 1762.

Notable people

* Gustav Leutelt (1860–1947), poet and writer * Fidelio F. Finke (1891–1968), composer

References

External links

*
Tourist portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Josefuv Dul Villages in Jablonec nad Nisou District