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Highway D1 (Czech Republic)
Encyclopedia
D1 motorway is the main highway of the Czech Republic
. Currently it connects the two biggest Czech cities, Prague
and Brno
, in the future it will link Ostrava
and the border with Poland
(Autostrada A1
). As of November 2009 it is 334.661 km (207.949 mi) long, but the planned length is 376.487 km (233.938 mi).
discussions were brought forward regarding the construction of new roads designed to carry the large volume of traffic. The discussions dealt with a backbone road from Bohemia
, through Moravia
and Slovakia
to Carpathian Ruthenia
with many variants. The plan of a Cheb
– Plzeň – Německý Brod – Brno
– Žilina
- Užgorod – Chust
highway was the one chosen, which was sponsored by the Bata Shoes
company owner Jan Antonín Baťa
in 1937. A year later the detailed project was ready to be realized.
The Munich Agreement
in 1938 deprived the country of some fundamental road and rail routes. The government hurried works for the preparation of three major infrastructure projects to the new borders, the Německý Brod - Brno railway, the Plzeň - Ostrava
road and a 4-lane highway from Prague to Velký Bočkov
(on the Czechoslovak - Romania
n border). The project for the first segment Prague - Lužná
was ready in January 1939, and construction began on 24 January in Chřiby
on the Zástřizly
- Lužná segment.
The German occupation of Czechoslovakia
brought only small technical changes to the project and the construction of another segment Prague - Humpolec began in May 1939. The increasing demands of World War II
slowed down the construction and the works were completely halted in 1942. After the war the works were resumed mainly on major bridges in 1946, but only with a small workforce. The segment in Chřiby was abandoned in 1949 and the segment Prague - Humpolec one year later. All 77 km remain in disuse.
In 2008, civil engineers have said that there is an average of 50,000 motorists that passes through D1 motorways daily, 20% of the said motorists are new passers-by.
In the 1960s, traffic was growing very quickly, and a new plan for a D1 highway Prague - Soviet Union
border was formulated. Work on the Prague - Brno section started in 1967, mainly using the old highway route. The 21 km long Prague - Mirošovice
segment was completed in 1971, and the 205 km long route to Brno in 1980.
In the Slovakian part construction started in 1973 with the 14 km long Ivachnová
- Liptovský Mikuláš
section, together with the construction of the Liptovská Mara
dam. The 19 km Prešov
- Košice
highway was added in 1980. In the late 1980s and the early 1990s the 19 km long Brno - Vyškov
segment was built and another 20 km from Liptovský Mikuláš to Hybe
in Slovakia.
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia
route changes, construction was no longer planned to Slovakia, but instead to Lipník nad Bečvou (the replacement of the planned route is the R49 expressway). Due to growing traffic near Prague, the first segment to Mirošovice was widened from 4 lanes to 6 lanes and there are similar plans for widening around Brno as well. After the dissolution, no new sections were built. In 2002, construction of an 18 km long extension from Vyškov
eastwards started and it was opened in 2005. Currently, segments around Kroměříž
are under construction.
The segment from Lipník nad Bečvou
to Ostrava
and then to the Polish border is being planned and is to be constructed (due to historical reasons) as Highway D47, however it will be opened as part of D1 highway. The first part of this segment was opened in December 2007 (Ostrava
-Rudná - Bohumín
, 17 km).
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....
. Currently it connects the two biggest Czech cities, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, in the future it will link Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
and the border with Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(Autostrada A1
Autostrada A1 (Poland)
The autostrada A1 in Poland is a planned and under-construction motorway which will run from north to south through central Poland, from Gdańsk on the Baltic Sea through Łódź and the Upper Silesian Industry Area to the Polish-Czech border in Gorzyczki /Věřňovice , where it will connect with the...
). As of November 2009 it is 334.661 km (207.949 mi) long, but the planned length is 376.487 km (233.938 mi).
History
With increasing automobile traffic in the 1930s in CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
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...
discussions were brought forward regarding the construction of new roads designed to carry the large volume of traffic. The discussions dealt with a backbone road from 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...
, through Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
to Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
with many variants. The plan of a Cheb
Cheb
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...
– Plzeň – Německý Brod – Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
– Žilina
Žilina
Žilina is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Slovakia with a population of approximately 85,000, an important industrial center, the largest city on the Váh river, and the seat of a...
- Užgorod – Chust
Khust
Khust is a city located on the Khustets River in the Zakarpattia oblast in western Ukraine. It is near the confluence of the Tisza and Rika Rivers...
highway was the one chosen, which was sponsored by the Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production...
company owner Jan Antonín Baťa
Jan Antonín Bata
Jan Antonín Baťa was a Czech shoe manufacturer from Uherské Hradiště , brother of Tomáš Baťa....
in 1937. A year later the detailed project was ready to be realized.
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...
in 1938 deprived the country of some fundamental road and rail routes. The government hurried works for the preparation of three major infrastructure projects to the new borders, the Německý Brod - Brno railway, the Plzeň - Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
road and a 4-lane highway from Prague to Velký Bočkov
Velykyy Bychkiv
Velykyi Bychkiv is a town in the Rakhiv Raion of Zakarpattia Oblast , in the west-most part of Ukraine. It has a population of 9,423 and lies 36 kilometres east of Tiachiv, where the river Sopurka meets the Tisza River....
(on the Czechoslovak - Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n border). The project for the first segment Prague - Lužná
Lužná (Rakovník District)
Lužná is a village in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 1,800 inhabitants.The Czech Railway Museum, opened in 1999, is near the Lužná railway station.- External links :* *...
was ready in January 1939, and construction began on 24 January in Chřiby
Chřiby
Chřiby is a geographic region of the Czech Republic, part of the Central Moravian Carpathians of the Outer Western Carpathians....
on the Zástřizly
Zástřizly
Zástřizly is a village and municipality in Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 149 ....
- Lužná segment.
The German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
brought only small technical changes to the project and the construction of another segment Prague - Humpolec began in May 1939. The increasing demands of World War II
World War II
World 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...
slowed down the construction and the works were completely halted in 1942. After the war the works were resumed mainly on major bridges in 1946, but only with a small workforce. The segment in Chřiby was abandoned in 1949 and the segment Prague - Humpolec one year later. All 77 km remain in disuse.
In 2008, civil engineers have said that there is an average of 50,000 motorists that passes through D1 motorways daily, 20% of the said motorists are new passers-by.
Segments
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
border was formulated. Work on the Prague - Brno section started in 1967, mainly using the old highway route. The 21 km long Prague - Mirošovice
Mirošovice
Mirošovice is a village and municipality in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. -References:*This article was initially translated from the Czech Wikipedia....
segment was completed in 1971, and the 205 km long route to Brno in 1980.
In the Slovakian part construction started in 1973 with the 14 km long Ivachnová
Ivachnová
Ivachnová is a village and municipality in Ružomberok District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 508 metres and covers an area of 5.894km². It has a population of about 500 people.-External links:...
- Liptovský Mikuláš
Liptovský Mikuláš
Liptovský Mikuláš is a town in northern Slovakia, on the Váh River. It lies in the Liptov region, in Liptov Basin near the Low Tatra and Tatra mountains...
section, together with the construction of the Liptovská Mara
Liptovská Mara
Liptovská Mara is a reservoir in northern Slovakia, on the Váh river near Liptovský Mikuláš, in the Liptov region. The dam is named after one of the inundated villages....
dam. The 19 km Prešov
Prešov
Prešov Historically, the city has been known in German as Eperies , Eperjes in Hungarian, Fragopolis in Latin, Preszów in Polish, Peryeshis in Romany, Пряшев in Russian and Пряшів in Rusyn and Ukrainian.-Characteristics:The city is a showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic...
- Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
highway was added in 1980. In the late 1980s and the early 1990s the 19 km long Brno - Vyškov
Vyškov
Vyškov is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,300 inhabitants.- History :By the middle of the 14th century, pest epidemics and starvation had virtually depopulated the entire area. The Catholic Church, the owners of the lands, administrated their properties...
segment was built and another 20 km from Liptovský Mikuláš to Hybe
Hybe
Hybe is a village and municipality in the Liptovský Mikuláš District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.-History:The village of Hybe was first mentioned in historical records in 1239....
in Slovakia.
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined separation of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, entities which had arisen in 1969 within the framework of Czechoslovak federalisation, became...
route changes, construction was no longer planned to Slovakia, but instead to Lipník nad Bečvou (the replacement of the planned route is the R49 expressway). Due to growing traffic near Prague, the first segment to Mirošovice was widened from 4 lanes to 6 lanes and there are similar plans for widening around Brno as well. After the dissolution, no new sections were built. In 2002, construction of an 18 km long extension from Vyškov
Vyškov
Vyškov is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,300 inhabitants.- History :By the middle of the 14th century, pest epidemics and starvation had virtually depopulated the entire area. The Catholic Church, the owners of the lands, administrated their properties...
eastwards started and it was opened in 2005. Currently, segments around Kroměříž
Kromeríž
Kroměříž is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. The town's main landmark is the Baroque Kroměříž Bishop's Palace, where some scenes from Amadeus and Immortal Beloved were filmed...
are under construction.
The segment from Lipník nad Bečvou
Lipník nad Becvou
Lipník nad Bečvou is a small town located in the Olomouc Region, in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. The nearest larger towns are Přerov and Hranice, approximately ten to twelve kilometers distant....
to Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
and then to the Polish border is being planned and is to be constructed (due to historical reasons) as Highway D47, however it will be opened as part of D1 highway. The first part of this segment was opened in December 2007 (Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
-Rudná - Bohumín
Bohumín
Bohumín is a town in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The confluence of the Oder and Olza Rivers is situated just north of the town. The town lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
, 17 km).
Highway altitude
- Maximum: 655 meters above sea level (km 104)
- Minimum: 197 meters above sea level (km 370)