Velké Němčice () is a market town in

Břeclav District Břeclav District () is a district in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Břeclav. Administrative division Břeclav District is divided into three administrative districts of municipalities with extended c ...

in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region (; , ; ), or just South Moravia, is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, th ...

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 2,100 inhabitants.

Geography

Velké Němčice is located about northwest of

Břeclav Břeclav (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. Located at the Czech-Austrian state border and near the Czech–Slovak state border, it is an important railway hub. Administrative divis ...

and south of

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

. Most of the municipal territory lies in the

Dyje–Svratka Valley The Dyje–Svratka Valley () is a valley and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the South Moravian Region. Its name is derived from the rivers Thaya (Dyje) and Svratka. Geomorphology The Dyje–Svratka Valley ...

, but it also extends into the

Ždánice Forest The Ždánice Forest (in Czech, ''Ždánický les''; known in German as the ''Steinitzer Wald'') is a mountain range and forest in the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a land ...

range in the east and to the

Lower Morava Valley The Lower Morava Valley (; ; ) is a geomorphological formation (special type of valley) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is formed by the depression in the Western Carpathians (Ždánice Forest, Kyjov Hills and Pálava Protected Landscap ...

in the south. The highest point is at above sea level. The market town is situated on the left bank of the Svratka River.

History

The first written mention of Velké Němčice is in a deed of King Ottokar I from 1228. Until 1550, the village was owned by the monastery in

Velehrad Velehrad is a municipality and village in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. It is known for the former Cistercian monastery with the Basilica of the Assumption of Mary and Saints ...

, but in 1423–1550, the monastery rented the village to various nobles, including

Vilém II of Pernštejn Vilém II of Pernštejn ( or ''Wilhelm II. von Bernstein'', or ''Vilém z Pernštejna a na Helfštejně''; 1438 – 8 April 1521) was a Czech nobleman. He held the office of High Treasurer of Moravia from 1474 to 1487. He was High Marshall of B ...

. In 1549, Velké Němčice was promoted to a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

. In 1562, Emperor Ferdinand I promoted Velké Němčice to a town with the condition of building town walls, but they were not built, so Velké Němčice remained just a market town. Approximately in the years 1528–1600, the community of

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term (tra ...

lived here. Velké Němčice was badly damaged during the

Bocskai uprising The Bocskai uprising, known in Hungary as Bocskai's War of Independence () was a revolt which took place in Hungary, Transylvania and modern Slovakia during the Long Turkish War (between 1604 and 1606) against Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, Emper ...

in 1605 and during 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 ...

. Further suffering followed in 1705 during the

Rákóczi's War of Independence Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711) was the first significant attempt to topple the rule of the Habsburgs over Royal Hungary, Hungary. The war was conducted by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by F ...

. In 1726, a large fire damaged the market town. In 1774, Velké Němčice was bought by the

Dietrichstein family The House of Dietrichstein was one of the oldest and most prominent Austrian noble families originating in the Duchy of Carinthia. The family belonged to the high nobility (German: ''Hochadel''). The Nikolsburg branch was elevated to the rank o ...

and annexed to the

Židlochovice Židlochovice (; ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,700 inhabitants. Etymology According to one theory, the name is derived from Old Czech word ''židlina'', meaning 'swamp'. Acc ...

estate, which remained so until the establishment of an independent municipality in 1848.

Demographics

Transport

The D2 motorway (part of the

European route E65 European route E65 is a north-south Class-A European route that begins in Malmö, Sweden and ends in Chania, Greece. The road is about in length. After crossing the Baltic Sea, it proceeds on land from north to south through Poland, the Czech Re ...

) from

to the Czech-Slovak border in

Lanžhot Lanžhot () is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. Located on the border with Austria and Slovakia, it is the southernmost Moravian town. Etymology The original Latin name ...

passes through the municipal territory.

Sights

The main landmark of Velké Němčice is the Church of Saints Wenceslaus and Vitus. It was originally a Gothic church with a Romanesque core, but it was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. Before 1652, it was completely rebuilt in the late Renaissance style, which is unique for the region.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Velke Nemcice Populated places in Břeclav District Market towns in the Czech Republic