Tovačov () is a town in
Přerov District
Přerov District () is a district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Přerov.
Administrative division
Přerov District is divided into three administrative districts of municipalities with extended competence: ...
in the
Olomouc Region
Olomouc Region (; , ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia (''Morava'') and in a small part of the historical region of Czech Silesia (''České Sl ...
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 2,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an
urban monument zone.
Administrative division
Tovačov consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Tovačov I-Město (2,305)
*Tovačov II-Annín (116)
Geography
Tovačov is located about west of
Přerov
Přerov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 41,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Bečva River. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The historic city centre is we ...
and east of
Prostějov
Prostějov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 43,000 inhabitants. The city is historically known for its fashion industry. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zo ...
. It lies in the
Upper Morava Valley
The Upper Morava Valley () is a lowland and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Olomouc and Zlín regions. Its name is derived from the Morava river that forms the axis of the territory.
Geomorphology
The Up ...
. The
Morava River flows through the eastern part of the municipal territory. The
Bečva
The Bečva (; , ''Betsch'') is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Morava River. It flows through the Olomouc and Zlín regions. It is formed by the confluence of the Vsetínská Bečva and Rožnovská Bečva rivers. Together ...
River flows into the Morava near Tovačov. The
Blata River flows through the western part of Tovačov and joins the Morava just outside the municipal territory. The Mlýnský náhon (a canal that connects the Morava with the Blata) flows through the town proper.
The territory of Tovačov is rich in water bodies. There is a system of four fishponds on the Mlýnský náhon; Hradecký Pond is the largest water body in Tovačov.
In the vicinity of the confluences of the Morava with the Bečva and Blata, there are four artificial lakes created in the 1950s after gravel mining. Together they have an area of more than .
History
The first written mention of Tovačov is from 1203. Shortly after its founding, it became an important crossroads of trade routes leading along the rivers. The most notable owners of the Tovačov estate were the Cimburk family (1349–1502), the
Pernštejn family
The House of Pernštejn () was one of the oldest and most important (uradel) families originating from Moravian nobility, along with the House of Rosenberg,
that played an important role in the medieval history of Bohemian nobility from the 13th ...
(1503–1597), the
Salm family
The House of Salm was an ancient Lotharingian noble family originating from Salmchâteau in the Ardennes (present-day Belgium) and ruling Salm (state), Salm. The dynasty is above all known for the experiences of the Salm (state)#Upper Salm, Upper ...
(1600–1715), and the Küenburg family (1763–1887).
The first ponds were founded here in 1464 by Jan Tovačovský of Cimburk. During the rule of the Pernštejns, another ponds were founded. The ponds were damaged in 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 ...
and abolished in the 18th century. They were partially renewed after World War II.
[
Tovačov is the site of a minor battle in the ]Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...
. On 16 July 1866, the Prussians defeated the Austrians in the Battle of Tobitschau.
Demographics
Transport
Tovačov is the start of a short railway line to Chropyně
Chropyně () is a town in Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,600 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Chropyně consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Ch ...
. Trains run on it only on weekends during the summer season.
Sights
The town can be characterized as the oldest Renaissance urban establishment in the country. The town square was founded in 1475. Among the most valuable monuments is the town hall with a Renaissance portal. The fountain on the town square is from 1692.
The main landmark is the Tovačov Castle. It was originally a fortress from the second half of the 11th century and later a water fortress, rebuilt by the Cimburk family in the 15th century. The castle tower was finished in 1492 and is high. Its Renaissance portal from the same year is the oldest Renaissance monument north of the Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
.[
The synagogue from the 15th century and the Jewish cemetery belong to the oldest in the Czech Republic. Today the former synagogue serves as a prayer houses of the ]Czechoslovak Hussite Church
The Czechoslovak Hussite Church (, ''CČSH'' or ''CČH''; ) is a Christian church that separated from the Catholic Church after World War I in former Czechoslovakia.
Both the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and Moravian Church trace their tradition ...
.
There is the Memorial of the Battle of Tobitschau near Hradecký Pond.[
]
Notable people
*Sidonie Grünwald-Zerkowitz
Sidonie Josepha Grünwald-Zerkowitz (17 February 1852 – 12 June 1907) was an Austro-Hungarian writer, poet, translator, educator, and fashion designer.
Biography
Sidonie Zerkowitz was born into a Jewish family in Tobitschau, Moravia (now in t ...
(1852–1907), Austrian writer, poet and fashion designer
* Ferdinand Steiner (1884–1968), artistic gymnast
* Hugo Kauder (1888–1972), Austrian composer and pedagogue
* Klement Slavický (1910–1999), composer
*Rudolf Bereza
Rudolf Bereza (1942–2014) was a Czech dissident. He was best known for letters he wrote to President Gustáv Husák and holding a banner in support of Charter 77.
Biography
Rudolf Bereza was born in 1942 in Tovačov, in what is today the Cze ...
(1942–2014), dissident
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tovacov
Populated places in Přerov District
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic