Aš
Encyclopedia
Aš is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic
.
colonists. Slavic settlements in the area are not known. The dialect
spoken in the town was that of the Upper Palatinate
, also known as northern Bavarian. In the adjacent Saxon
Vogtland
, which borders Karlovy Vary
on the north, this dialect is only found in localities lying on the Czech border such as Adorf and Markneukirchen
. The Upper Palatinate dialect has a stronger presence in the Bad Brambach
region, where it is known as Southern Vogtlandic (Südvogtländisch).
The first recorded rulers were the Vögte von Weida, who gave the Bohemia
n Vogtland region its name. In 1281, they turned control of the region over to the Holy Roman Emperor
.
1331 – Herr von Neuberg puts his town and lands under protection of Elector and king John I of Bohemia
1394 – Konrad von Neuburg dies without a male heir, and by virtue of Hedwig von Neuburg's marriage to Konrad von Zedtwitz, Asch passes into the control of the Zedtwitz family.
1557 – Region claimed for the Bohemian crown by Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
, but remains Protestant as later Counter Reformation does not stretch this far
1775 – Asch is granted freedom of religion
from Empress Maria Theresia.
1854 – A county
legal code is granted to the region, ending five centuries of legal control by the Zedtwitz family.
1864 – Asch is linked to the Eger (Cheb)–Hof railway line
.
1872 – Town status obtained, as the population grows due to a flourishing textile
industry.
1910 - The population rose to 21.880, from 9.405 in 1869
1918 – At the end of the war, soldiers' council
seizes power and rejects the demands of separatists from Eger for annexation to Bavaria
, preferring to remain in German Austria
, which is soon denied by the Paris Peace Conference
1919 - Treaty of St. Germain: the Americans, like Allan W. Dulles, have failed to persuade other powers to make at least the exclave-like peninsulas within Germany, Asch
and Rumburg, legal parts of Weimar Germany. Thus the area becomes part of new Czechoslovakia
, and is called Aš by Czechs
1920 - on 18 November, Czech militia topples the monument of Emperor Joseph. Locals protest, and three of them get shot: 27yo Ferdinand Künzel, 45yo baker Eduard Schindler, 22yo Robert Käßmann
1921 - Czech Census: 183 ethnic Czechs, in a population of 40 000 in the district
1930 - Czech Census: 520 ethnic Czechs, in a population of 45 000 in the district
1937 – The Third Reich aligned Sudeten German Party takes over in Asch. Czech residents, mainly officials, leave
1938 – 22 September, days before the Munich agreement
, a Sudeten German Freikorps
declares the "Free state of Asch". In October, according to the Munich agreement, German troops officially arrive, unopposed
1939 – Population of 23,130 in the town, almost 100% German Lutherans
1945 – Occupied by U.S. Army on April 20
1945 - Czechs arrest 64 men on 7 June and abduct them to Plzeň prison "Bory", where half of them perish
1946 - Due to the expulsion
of Germans from Czechoslovakia
in 1946 by the Beneš decrees
, the city's population was reduced, according to the official website to "half of the pre - war number of inhabitants", suggesting the other half were Czechs at the time. In contrast, a German expellee website states that 30,327 have been expelled from March to October in 27 trains, leaving both town and district basically depopulated, considering that many soldiers were dead or POW at the time, and some Germans already had moved over US-occupied Germany voluntarily.
In 1949, 3000 expellees meet in far away Rüdesheim am Rhein, to protest, stating that their area never was inhabited by Slavs other than as a tiny minority.
The official website states that population shrank further in 1950 due to the establishment of the Iron Curtain
and the Czechoslovakian border fortifications during the Cold War
by the ruling Communists, the whole Aš district was included into the border zone and that is why many people moved out.
Because of the lowering number of inhabitants some houses remained uninhabited. There was lack of money for their renovation and it was necessary to demolish them.
Present day population in the town, 18 years after the end of the Iron Curtain, is at approximately 12,000, roughly half of the pre-WW2 population.
s, four elementary school
s, a gymnasium
, a special school and a school of art located in Aš. A few years ago, a high school of textile also existed here.
-Hranice v Čechách
) goes through the town. There are three train stations located here: Aš (main trainstation), Aš-město and Aš-předměstí (currently just a shelter).
This railway and the first trainstation was built in 1865. In 1968, the old Bavaria
train station was demolished, and the current one was built in 1969. The railway also continues to Hranice
, but there is only one service per day.
Train station Aš is also a station on the railway Aš-Selb
. But, at present, this railway is closed.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
History
Previously uninhabited hills and swamps, the town of Asch was founded in the early 11th century by GermanGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
colonists. Slavic settlements in the area are not known. The dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
spoken in the town was that of the Upper Palatinate
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of Bavaria.- History :The region took its name first in the early 16th century, because it was by the Treaty of Pavia one of the main portions of the territory of the Wittelsbach Elector...
, also known as northern Bavarian. In the adjacent Saxon
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
Vogtland
Vogtland
The term Vogtland refers to a region reaching across the German free states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and into the Czech Republic . The name of the region contains a reference to the former leadership by the Vögte of Weida, Gera and Plauen, which translates approximately to advocates or lord...
, which borders Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
on the north, this dialect is only found in localities lying on the Czech border such as Adorf and Markneukirchen
Markneukirchen
Markneukirchen is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It lies in between the Erzgebirge and the Fichtelgebirge in the Elstergebirge, southeast of Plauen, and northeast of Asch ....
. The Upper Palatinate dialect has a stronger presence in the Bad Brambach
Bad Brambach
Bad Brambach is a municipality in the Vogtlandkreis district, in Saxony, Germany....
region, where it is known as Southern Vogtlandic (Südvogtländisch).
The first recorded rulers were the Vögte von Weida, who gave the Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n Vogtland region its name. In 1281, they turned control of the region over to the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
.
1331 – Herr von Neuberg puts his town and lands under protection of Elector and king John I of Bohemia
1394 – Konrad von Neuburg dies without a male heir, and by virtue of Hedwig von Neuburg's marriage to Konrad von Zedtwitz, Asch passes into the control of the Zedtwitz family.
1557 – Region claimed for the Bohemian crown by Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
, but remains Protestant as later Counter Reformation does not stretch this far
1775 – Asch is granted freedom of religion
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
from Empress Maria Theresia.
1854 – A county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
legal code is granted to the region, ending five centuries of legal control by the Zedtwitz family.
1864 – Asch is linked to the Eger (Cheb)–Hof railway line
Cheb–Oberkotzau railway
The Cheb–Oberkotzau railway is a railway line in Bavaria, Germany, and the Czech Republic which was built as a main line. It begins in Cheb and runs via Františkovy Lázně , Aš and Selb to Oberkotzau...
.
1872 – Town status obtained, as the population grows due to a flourishing textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industry.
1910 - The population rose to 21.880, from 9.405 in 1869
1918 – At the end of the war, soldiers' council
Workers' council
A workers' council, or revolutionary councils, is the phenomenon where a single place of work or enterprise, such as a factory, school, or farm, is controlled collectively by the workers of that workplace, through the core principle of temporary and instantly revocable delegates.In a system with...
seizes power and rejects the demands of separatists from Eger for annexation to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, preferring to remain in German Austria
German Austria
Republic of German Austria was created following World War I as the initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population within what had been the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without the Kingdom of Hungary, which in 1918 had become the Hungarian Democratic Republic.German...
, which is soon denied by the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
Asch
Asch may refer to:In People:*Frank Asch , American writer*Moe Asch , founder of Folkways Records, son of Sholem Asch*Nathan Asch , American writer*Peter Asch , American water polo player...
and Rumburg, legal parts of Weimar Germany. Thus the area becomes part of new Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, and is called Aš by Czechs
1920 - on 18 November, Czech militia topples the monument of Emperor Joseph. Locals protest, and three of them get shot: 27yo Ferdinand Künzel, 45yo baker Eduard Schindler, 22yo Robert Käßmann
1921 - Czech Census: 183 ethnic Czechs, in a population of 40 000 in the district
1930 - Czech Census: 520 ethnic Czechs, in a population of 45 000 in the district
1937 – The Third Reich aligned Sudeten German Party takes over in Asch. Czech residents, mainly officials, leave
1938 – 22 September, days before the Munich agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
, a Sudeten German Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
declares the "Free state of Asch". In October, according to the Munich agreement, German troops officially arrive, unopposed
1939 – Population of 23,130 in the town, almost 100% German Lutherans
1945 – Occupied by U.S. Army on April 20
1945 - Czechs arrest 64 men on 7 June and abduct them to Plzeň prison "Bory", where half of them perish
1946 - Due to the expulsion
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
of Germans from Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1946 by the Beneš decrees
Beneš decrees
Decrees of the President of the Republic , more commonly known as the Beneš decrees, were a series of laws that were drafted by the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile in the absence of the Czechoslovak parliament during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II and issued by President...
, the city's population was reduced, according to the official website to "half of the pre - war number of inhabitants", suggesting the other half were Czechs at the time. In contrast, a German expellee website states that 30,327 have been expelled from March to October in 27 trains, leaving both town and district basically depopulated, considering that many soldiers were dead or POW at the time, and some Germans already had moved over US-occupied Germany voluntarily.
In 1949, 3000 expellees meet in far away Rüdesheim am Rhein, to protest, stating that their area never was inhabited by Slavs other than as a tiny minority.
The official website states that population shrank further in 1950 due to the establishment of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting 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 1989...
and the Czechoslovakian border fortifications during the Cold War
Czechoslovakian border fortifications during the Cold War
The border of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic to Western Europe, mainly to NATO-member Federal Republic of Germany , was during the Cold War until 1989 as fortified as the Inner German border of the German Democratic Republic, to prevent citizens of the Eastern Bloc from escaping to the West,...
by the ruling Communists, the whole Aš district was included into the border zone and that is why many people moved out.
Because of the lowering number of inhabitants some houses remained uninhabited. There was lack of money for their renovation and it was necessary to demolish them.
Present day population in the town, 18 years after the end of the Iron Curtain, is at approximately 12,000, roughly half of the pre-WW2 population.
| Year | 1850 | 1930 | 1947 | 1961 | 1970 | 1975 | 1976 | 1980 | 1985 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6825 | 22930 | 11378 | 9667 | 11622 | 11963 | 13954 | 14054 | 13419 | 13229 |
| Year | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 13193 | 12298 | 12314 | 12445 | 12516 | 12486 | 12377 | 12340 | 12302 | 12285 | 12264 | 12590 | 12582 | 12676 | 12866 | 12814 | 12840 | 12957 |
Buildings
- Town Hall was built in 1733 in baroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
, but in 1814 was burn-out. In 1816 was built again, according the original plans. - Town museum is building from 1892, which is after completely reconstruction from 2009-2010. A central evidence of stone crosses of Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
is located in this building. Also a collection of 25 000 pairs of gloves is located here. - Catholic church of St. Nicholas from 1871.
- Salva Guardia is stone relief with imperial symbols. In this days is part of town museum' gardens.
- Watchtower Háj from 1902-1903] was designed by W. Kreis. Tower is 36 metres high.
- Town firehouse from 1930 designed by Emil Rösler.
Memorials and statues
- Memorial of J. W. GoetheJohann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
from 1932, designed by Johannes Watzal is located on Goethe plaza. - Memorial with statue of Martin LutherMartin LutherMartin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
from 1883, designed by J. Rössner is located on Hus plaza. It is only Martin Luther memorial in Czech republic. - Edvard BenešEdvard BenešEdvard Beneš was a leader of the Czechoslovak independence movement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the second President of Czechoslovakia. He was known to be a skilled diplomat.- Youth :...
memorial from 1947 is located on Okružní street. - Gustav Geipel memorial from 1924, designed by Johannes Watzal is located on Okružní street. Gustav Geipel was citizen of Aš (?-1914), who sponsored a poor weaverWeaverThe Ploceidae, or weavers, are small passerine birds related to the finches.These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which are from Sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical Asia. A few species have been introduced outside their native range. The weaver group is...
s, children and old people. - Theodor KörnerTheodor Körner----Theodor Körner, Edler von Siegringen served as the fifth President of Austria, between 1951 and 1957.- Life :...
memorial from 1903 is located close to watchtower. - Friedrich Ludwig JahnFriedrich Ludwig JahnFriedrich Ludwig Jahn was a German gymnastics educator and nationalist. He is commonly known as Turnvater Jahn, roughly meaning "father of gymnastics" Jahn.- Life :...
memorial from 1909 is also located close to watchtower. - Robert SchumannRobert SchumannRobert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
memorial desk from 1901 is located on school of art. - War Memorial (1848–1869) is located on central cemetery. Before World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
created a one part with World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
memorial. - World War II memorial is located also on central cemetery.
- US memorial is located on Masaryk plaza.
- USSRSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
memorial is located on central cemetery.
Destroyed memorials
- Memorial with statue of emperor Joseph IIJoseph II, Holy Roman EmperorJoseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
from 1883 (a pedestal is still exist, and is a part of town museum gardens), - Friedrich SchillerFriedrich SchillerJohann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
memorial desk from 1905, - World War I memorial,
- First statue of Soviet soldier was destroyed in early 1970s. Second statue is located in gardens of the town museum now.
Schools
There are five kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s, four elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s, a gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, a special school and a school of art located in Aš. A few years ago, a high school of textile also existed here.
Railway
A railway 148 (ChebCheb
Cheb is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with about 33,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Ohře , at the foot of one of the spurs of the Smrčiny and near the border with Germany...
-Hranice v Čechách
Hranice (Cheb District)
Hranice is a border town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. In 2005 the village had a population of 2,272.-Geography:...
) goes through the town. There are three train stations located here: Aš (main trainstation), Aš-město and Aš-předměstí (currently just a shelter).
This railway and the first trainstation was built in 1865. In 1968, the old Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
train station was demolished, and the current one was built in 1969. The railway also continues to Hranice
Hranice (Cheb District)
Hranice is a border town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. In 2005 the village had a population of 2,272.-Geography:...
, but there is only one service per day.
Train station Aš is also a station on the railway Aš-Selb
Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof.-Notable people:...
. But, at present, this railway is closed.