Kamenický Šenov () is a town in

Česká Lípa District Česká Lípa District () is a Okres, district in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Česká Lípa. Administrative division Česká Lípa District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities ...

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 3,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.

Administrative division

Kamenický Šenov consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Kamenický Šenov (3,389) *Prácheň (407)

Geography

Kamenický Šenov is located about north of

Česká Lípa Česká Lípa (; ) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 37,000 inhabitants, making it the most populated Czech town without city status. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monume ...

and west 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 Central Bohemian Uplands. The highest point is the hill Česká skála at above sea level. The brook Šenovský potok originates in the municipal territory and flows through the town proper.

History

The first written mention of Kamenický Šenov is from 1352, as a village called ''Sonov'' founded by immigrant

Sorbs Sorbs (; ; ; ; ; also known as Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs and Wends) are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting the parts of Lusatia located in the German states of Germany, states of Saxony and Brandenburg. Sorbs tradi ...

. The village belonged to the

Česká Kamenice Česká Kamenice (; ) is a town in Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument zo ...

estate, therefore it began to be called Kamenický Šenov. In the 17th century, the local glassmakers are first mentioned, and during the 17th and 18th centuries there was a massive boom in glass refining and in glass trade. The glass industry significantly contributed to the rapid growth of Kamenický Šenov and the inhabitants began to get rich.

Demographics

Economy

The town has a long history of

glass works Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container pr ...

. It is also known for the manufacture of

chandelier A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...

s, operated by the Preciosa company.

Transport

The I/13 road (part of the

European route E442 European route E 442 is part of the international E-road network. Route * ** E48, E49 Karlovy Vary ** E55 Teplice ** E65 Turnov ** E67 Hradec Králové ** E462 Olomouc * ** E50, E75 Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of Eur ...

), which connects

with

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction. ...

, passes through the town. Kamenický Šenov is connected with

by a short railway line. Historic trains run on it. It is only in operation during the summer tourist season and on weekends in some months out of season.

Education

The Secondary Glassmaking School in Kamenický Šenov was founded in 1856 and is the oldest vocational school of its kind in the world.

Sights

The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. It consists of a medieval road network and large burgher houses from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The main landmark of the town centre is the Church of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist. It is a Baroque building, built in 1715–1718. The history of glass making in the town is presented in Glass Museum Kamenický Šenov. It is located in a historic house, built around 1770. Panská skála is a national nature monument and a symbol of the town. It is a

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

rock, locally known as the "stone organ pipes". It is the most visited geological formation in the Czech Republic.

Notable people

Ignaz Pallme Ignaz Samuel Pallme (1 February 1806 – 11 June 1877) was a German Bohemian explorer. He undertook a journey to Kordofan in 1837, on commission, for a mercantile establishment at Cairo, in the hope of discovering new channels of traffic with cent ...

(1806–1877), German explorer *

Franz Bischoff Franz Albert Bischoff (January 14, 1864 – February 5, 1929) was an American artist known primarily for his China painting, floral paintings and California landscapes. He was born in Steinschönau, Austria (now known as Kamenický Šenov, Czech R ...

(1864–1929), American artist

Twin towns – sister cities

Kamenický Šenov is twinned with: *

Rheinbach Rheinbach () is a town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district ( Landkreis), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It belongs to the administrative district (Regierungsbezirk) of Cologne. Geography Situated south-west of Bonn and south of Cologne, Rhein ...

, Germany

References

External links

*
Steinschönau Genealogy websiteSecondary Glassmaking School Kamenický Šenov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamenicky Senov Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Česká Lípa District