Karviná
Encyclopedia
Karviná (ˈkarvɪnaː; ) is a city in Moravian-Silesian Region
of the Czech Republic
, on the Olza River
. It is administrative center of Karviná District
. Karviná lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia
and is one of the most important coal mining
centers in the Czech Republic. Together with neighboring towns it forms industrial Ostrava-Karviná Coal Basin.
It has 65,141 inhabitants (2001 census). 8.5% of the population are Slovaks
and 8% of the population are Poles
. Polish population is historically declining. In the past the town had a significant German
community. There is also a growing Roma community.
. Discovery of coal
led to rapid development of Karviná and surrounding villages, railroad tracks were soon built. After the split of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920 it became a part of Czechoslovakia
as a main mining center of the country. In 1923 it gained city rights. In October 1938 was annexed by Poland
, together with whole region known as Zaolzie
and during World War II
was a part of Nazi Germany
. After the war it again became a part of Czechoslovakia. In 1948 Karviná, Fryštát and the surrounding villages of Darkov
, Ráj
and Staré Město were merged into one city named Karviná. The coat of arms of Fryštát was chosen as the coat of arms of Karviná and Fryštát became the historical center of this industrial city.
The period after WWII is characterized by economic orientation on heavy industry. Currently the town ranks among the ones with the dense heavy industry but slow restructuralization of heavy industry influence and the development of other spheres of economic acitivites. At the same time Karviná is the center of education in this region with its wide range of specialized secondary schools and, especially, the Faculty of Commerce and Business of Silesian University. Since 1995 Karviná became the member of the national network of statutary towns in the Czech Republic.
Karviná is also an important cultural and educational center of the Polish minority in the Czech Republic
.
was a home to many football clubs, which were established by particular ethnic groups after World War I
. At that time many football clubs of Polish, German, Czech and Jewish communities were founded. Most known and strongest Polish club was PKS Polonia Karwina founded in 1919. After World War II
German and Jewish clubs were not re-established. Czech and Polish clubs still existed until 1950s, when as a part of communist unification of sport life in Czechoslovakia Czech clubs were joined to ZSJ OKD Mír Karviná and Polish Polonia Karwina incorporated into that club. Today, the only football club in the city is MFK Karviná
, playing the second division
.
Karviná is also home to successful handball
club, HCB Karviná, which became twice Czechoslovak champions and nine times Czech champions. Other sport clubs in the city include ice hockey
team SK Karviná, playing in the lower division; and the athletics
club.
with:
Moravian-Silesian Region
Moravian-Silesian Region , or Moravo-Silesian Region, is one of 14 administrative Regions of the Czech Republic, until May 2001 it was formerly called the Ostrava Region . The region is located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most of the Czech part of the...
of the Czech Republic
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....
, on the Olza River
Olza River
is a river in Poland and the Czech Republic, the right tributary of the Oder River. It flows from the Silesian Beskids through southern Cieszyn Silesia in Poland and Frýdek-Místek and Karviná districts of the Czech Republic, often forming the border with Poland. It flows into the Oder River north...
. It is administrative center of Karviná District
Karviná District
Karviná District is a district within the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is the city of Karviná. It was created by 1960 reform of administrative divisions in the area of former Fryštát District...
. Karviná lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
and is one of the most important coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
centers in the Czech Republic. Together with neighboring towns it forms industrial Ostrava-Karviná Coal Basin.
It has 65,141 inhabitants (2001 census). 8.5% of the population are Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
and 8% of the population are Poles
Polish minority in the Czech Republic
The Polish minority in the Czech Republic is a Polish national minority living mainly in the Zaolzie region of western Cieszyn Silesia. The Polish community is the only national minority in the Czech Republic that is linked to a specific geographical area. Zaolzie is located in the north-eastern...
. Polish population is historically declining. In the past the town had a significant German
Germans
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....
community. There is also a growing Roma community.
History
Till 19th century it was a low importance village of Cieszyn Silesia, lying near the important town of FryštátFryštát
is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic, now administratively a part of the city of Karviná. Until 1948 it was a separate town. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
. Discovery of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
led to rapid development of Karviná and surrounding villages, railroad tracks were soon built. After the split of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920 it became a part of 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...
as a main mining center of the country. In 1923 it gained city rights. In October 1938 was annexed by 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...
, together with whole region known as Zaolzie
Zaolzie
Zaolzie is the Polish name for an area now in the Czech Republic which was disputed between interwar Poland and Czechoslovakia. The name means "lands beyond the Olza River"; it is also called Śląsk zaolziański, meaning "trans-Olza Silesia". Equivalent terms in other languages include Zaolší in...
and during 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...
was a part of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. After the war it again became a part of Czechoslovakia. In 1948 Karviná, Fryštát and the surrounding villages of Darkov
Darkov
is a village in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic, now administratively a part of the city of Karviná. Till 1948 it was a separate municipality. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia...
, Ráj
Ráj
Ráj is a district of the city of Karviná in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. It was a separate municipality but in 1948 became administratively a part of the city of Karviná....
and Staré Město were merged into one city named Karviná. The coat of arms of Fryštát was chosen as the coat of arms of Karviná and Fryštát became the historical center of this industrial city.
The period after WWII is characterized by economic orientation on heavy industry. Currently the town ranks among the ones with the dense heavy industry but slow restructuralization of heavy industry influence and the development of other spheres of economic acitivites. At the same time Karviná is the center of education in this region with its wide range of specialized secondary schools and, especially, the Faculty of Commerce and Business of Silesian University. Since 1995 Karviná became the member of the national network of statutary towns in the Czech Republic.
Karviná is also an important cultural and educational center of the Polish minority in the Czech Republic
Polish minority in the Czech Republic
The Polish minority in the Czech Republic is a Polish national minority living mainly in the Zaolzie region of western Cieszyn Silesia. The Polish community is the only national minority in the Czech Republic that is linked to a specific geographical area. Zaolzie is located in the north-eastern...
.
Sport
Karviná as a multi-ethnic city of Cieszyn SilesiaCieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
was a home to many football clubs, which were established by particular ethnic groups after World War I
World War I
World 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...
. At that time many football clubs of Polish, German, Czech and Jewish communities were founded. Most known and strongest Polish club was PKS Polonia Karwina founded in 1919. After 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...
German and Jewish clubs were not re-established. Czech and Polish clubs still existed until 1950s, when as a part of communist unification of sport life in Czechoslovakia Czech clubs were joined to ZSJ OKD Mír Karviná and Polish Polonia Karwina incorporated into that club. Today, the only football club in the city is MFK Karviná
MFK Karviná
MFK OKD Karviná is an Czech football club located in Karviná, Czech Republic. It currently plays in Czech 2. Liga. The team's colors are green and white.- History :...
, playing the second division
Czech 2. Liga
The 2. liga or Druhá liga is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in the Czech Republic. The top two teams are promoted to the Gambrinus liga.-Structure:There are 16 clubs in the Czech 2. Liga...
.
Karviná is also home to successful handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
club, HCB Karviná, which became twice Czechoslovak champions and nine times Czech champions. Other sport clubs in the city include ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team SK Karviná, playing in the lower division; and the athletics
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
club.
People
- Jaroslav BábaJaroslav BábaJaroslav Bába is a Czech high jumper.At the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships he jumped 2.25 metres and won a joint bronze medal along with Germaine Mason and Ştefan Vasilache...
, Czech athlete - Emanuel GrimEmanuel GrimEmanuel Grim was a Polish Catholic priest, writer and journalist from the region of Cieszyn Silesia. He was one of the most important figures of the Polish-Catholic political camp in Cieszyn Silesia in the interwar period.He was born in the coal mining town of Karviná to a coal miner's family...
, Polish Catholic priest and writer - Louis KentnerLouis KentnerLouis Kentner was a Hungarian, later British, pianist who excelled in the works of Chopin and Liszt, as well as the Hungarian repertoire....
, Hungarian pianist - Eva KurfürstováEva KurfürstováEva Kurfürstová is a Czech alpine skier, a specialist of Slalom and Giant Slalom...
, Czech alpine skier - Gustaw MorcinekGustaw MorcinekGustaw Morcinek was a Polish writer, educator and later member of Sejm from 1952 to 1957. He is considered one of the most important writers from Silesia....
, Polish writer - Petra NěmcováPetra NemcováPetra Němcová is a Czech model, television host, author, and philanthropist. She is the founder and chair of the Happy Hearts Fund. In December 2004, she was injured in Thailand by a tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake; her fiancé, photographer Simon Atlee, was killed in the...
, Czech model - Wacław OlszakWacław OlszakDr. Wacław Olszak was a Polish physician, activist and politician from the region of Zaolzie, Czechoslovakia. He was a mayor of the town of Karviná for seven years. Ten days after outbreak of World War II he was murdered by Nazis.Olszak was born in Šenov as a tenth child of a peasant...
, Polish mayor of Karviná (1929–1936) - Wilhelm PrzeczekWilhelm PrzeczekWilhelm Przeczek was a Polish teacher, poet, writer, and activist from Zaolzie region of Cieszyn Silesia. He is considered one of the most important Polish writers of his generation from Zaolzie....
, Polish writer - Denisa ŠčerbováDenisa ŠcerbováDenisa Rosolová, née Ščerbová is a Czech athlete. Her main event is the long jump, but she competes also in heptathlon. Her best are 6.68 m in the long jump and 5,828 points in the heptathlon...
, Czech athlete - Radek ŠtěpánekRadek ŠtepánekRadek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
, Czech tennis player - Dana ZátopkováDana ZátopkováDana Zátopková was a Czech javelin thrower. She won the gold medal for javelin in the 1952 Summer Olympics , and the silver medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics. She was the European champion in 1954 and 1958...
, Czech athlete
Twin towns — Sister cities
Karviná is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
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