Nová Bystřice (, ) is a town in
Jindřichův Hradec District
Jindřichův Hradec District () is a Okres, district in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Jindřichův Hradec.
Administrative division
Jindřichův Hradec District is divided into three Districts of the Cz ...
in the
South Bohemian Region
The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''Regions of the Czech Republic, kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western ...
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 3,200 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an
urban monument zone.
Administrative division
Nová Bystřice consists of 13 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Nová Bystřice (2,449)
*Albeř (136)
*Artolec (49)
*Blato (33)
*Hradiště (51)
*Hůrky (143)
*Klášter (46)
*Klenová (27)
*Nový Vojířov (59)
*Ovčárna (67)
*Senotín (19)
*Skalka (5)
*Smrčná (5)
Geography
Nová Bystřice is located about southeast of
Jindřichův Hradec
Jindřichův Hradec (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urb ...
. It lies on the border with
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, close to Austria's northernmost point near
Haugschlag.
Nová Bystřice lies in the
Javořice Highlands
The Javořice Highlands (, ) is a mountain range in the Czech Republic. The highlands, together with the Jevišovice Highlands threshold, form the Western-Moravian part of Moldanubian Zone - east south part of Bohemian Massif.
Geography
The Javo ...
. Most of the municipal territory lies in the Česká Kanada Nature Park. The highest point is the hill Kunějovský vrch at above sea level. The
Dračice
The Dračice (, ''Kastenitzer Bach'') is a river in the Czech Republic and Austria, a right tributary of the Lužnice River. It flows through Lower Austria and the South Bohemian Region. It is long.
Etymology
The name Dračice means 'female drag ...
River flows through the town. The stream
Koštěnický potok
The Koštěnický potok () is a stream in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Lužnice (river), Lužnice River. It flows through the South Bohemian Region, and a short section forms the Austrian-Czech state border. It is long.
Characteri ...
flows along the western municipal border. There are several fishponds in the municipal territory, the largest of which is Osika with an area of .
History
The first written mention of Bystřice is from 1175 when the area was colonized by
Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...
of the
Mailberg commandry, at the behest of the
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
burgrave
Conrad II of Raabs.
In 1260, the estate was
enfeoffed
In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of t ...
to the
Rosenberg family
The House of Rosenberg ( or ''Páni z Rožmberka'') was a prominent Bohemian noble family that played an important role in Czech medieval history from the 13th century until 1611. Members of this family held posts at the Prague royal (and ...
by King
Ottokar II. From the 13th to 16th century, Bystřice was a part of the
Landštejn estate.
[
In 1276, the Landštejn estate became the personal dominion of ]Judith of Habsburg
Judith of Habsburg (; 13 March 1271 – 21 May 1297) was queen of Bohemia and Poland from 1285 until her death as the wife of the Přemyslid king Wenceslaus II.
Early life
Judith was the youngest daughter of King Rudolf I of Germany and G ...
, who later became Bohemian Queen. From 1282, it was owned by the Lords of Landštejn. A rebellion of Vilém of Landštejn in 1318 led to a great famine. In 1341, during the reign of King John of Bohemia
John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...
, Nová Bystřice became a town. From 1381 to 1575, the town was property of the Krajíř of Krajek family. The town was burned down by Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha (; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czechs, Czech military leader and Knight who was a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus, and a prominent Radical Hussite who led the Taborites, Taborite faction during the Hu ...
during the Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...
in 1420. Shortly after, it was rebuilt and since then it has been called Nová ("New") Bystřice.
The Paulaner Order
The Order of Minims (; abbreviated OM), known in German-speaking countries as the Paulaner Order (), are a religious order of friars in the Catholic Church, founded by Francis of Paola in fifteenth-century Italy. The order soon spread to France, ...
came to the region in 1493 and founded here a monastery. In 1533, a group of religious reformers killed 40 monks and destroyed the monastery. After the family of Krajíř of Krajek became extinct in 1575, Nová Bystřice was shortly owned by the 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 ...
and Kinsky
The House of Kinsky (formerly Vchynští, sg. ''Vchynský'' in Czech; later (in modern Czech) Kinští, sg. ''Kinský''; ) is a prominent Bohemian noble family originating in the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the Thirty Years' War, the Kinsky fam ...
families. In 1615, it was bought by Countess Lucie Otýlie of Hradec. During the rule of her son Adam Pavel Slavata, Nová Bystřice experienced the greatest development. He re-established the Paulaner monastery, but it was abolished in 1783. After the last member of the Slavata family died, the owners of the town frequently changed until the establishment of a sovereign municipality in 1850.[
In 1945 the German 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 ...
and replaced by Czechs. During the Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, the Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...
garrison was located in the town. The village of Mnich, part of Nová Bystřice, was abandoned in 1952 due to its vicinity to the border.
Demographics
Economy
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing.
Industry process
Cotton manufacturing
Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...
was the traditional business activity, however the 2000s saw a drop in the demand. ''Alma Nová Bystřice'' and ''Otavan'' factories finished their operations.
Transport
On the Czech-Austrian border is the ''Nová Bystřice / Grametten'' road border crossing.
Nová Bystřice is the endpoint of a narrow-gauge railway
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter cur ...
to Jindřichův Hradec
Jindřichův Hradec (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urb ...
operated by Jindřichohradecké místní dráhy
Jindřichohradecké místní dráhy (''Jindřichův Hradec Local Railways'') was the company which Operated the narrow gauge railway lines from Jindřichův Hradec to Nová Bystřice and Obrataň in the Czech Republic. Both lines are gauge.
H ...
. During the tourist season, the trains are powered by historic steam engines and offer various entertainment.
Sport
The Monachus golf resort, situated on the town's southwestern edge, is a major attraction for golfers. It consists of 18-hole championship course and nine-hole public golf academy.
Sights
The main landmark of Nová Bystřice is Church of Saints Peter and Paul, located on the town square. It was built in the Gothic style around 1335. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was modofied in the Baroque style.[
Nová Bystřice Castle was built on the foundations of a Gothic castle from the 13th century. The eastern wing of today's castle with cellars with barrel vaults and a two-storey Renaissance arcade on the courtyard side have been preserved from the original castle. Today it is privately owned and inaccessible.
The narrow-gauge railway is one of the main tourist attractions. In the railway station is the Regional Narrow Gauge Museum.][
Veteran Museum is the largest museum of American pre-war cars in the Czech Republic, but also includes cars from the 1950s and 60s. It consists of more than 70 cars.][
]
Twin towns – sister cities
Nová Bystřice is twinned with:
* Heidenreichstein, Austria
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nova Bystrice
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Jindřichův Hradec District