Šluknov
Encyclopedia
Šluknov (ˈʃluknof; ) is the northernmost town
of the Czech Republic
in its Ústí nad Labem Region
. It lies in the geographic region that shares its name, the Šluknov Hook
, a small portion of Bohemia
which lies between Saxon Switzerland
and the Zittau Hills
. The district of Rožany (Rosenhain) has a border crossing to Sohland an der Spree
. It is situated at 347 m above sea level and, as of January 1, 2005, it had 5741 inhabitants.
. The family's coat of arms
is, to this day, the inescutcheon in the city's coat of arms.
Schluckenau was struck, in 1710 and 1830, by two large city fires. In 1813, the city was plundered by a 200,000 man army during the Napoleonic wars
.
. Prior to the Second World War, Schluckenau was a center in Czechoslovakia
for the pro-Nazi Sudeten German Party (SdP) led by Konrad Henlein
. This was one reason why, in March 1939, Adolf Hitler
chose the city as the first stop of the Wehrmacht
during the German annexation of Sudetenland
. The Wehrmacht continued on to occupy Prague
and establish the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
.
Following the invasion by the Wehrmacht some Czechs were driven out of Schluckenau into the interior of Bohemia. From 1938 until 1945 Schluckenau was the seat for the district administrator of the County of Schluckenau in the Nazi German Sudetenland, the district of Aussig .
under the terms of Beneš decrees
. The city was renamed Šluknov. Only a few Czechs were willing to settle in the remote northern Bohemian town following its vacancy.
and Romani who suffer from a high unemployment rate.
family Starschedel
, who were Saxons and loyal to the Electorate of Saxony
. Built in the 16th Century, the Šluknov castle was burned in 1986. Its reconstruction had to be postponed due to lack of funding after 1990. The work resumed in 2000 and the renovation is now completed. In addition to exhibition and event rooms located in the building there is a tourist information office. The park adjacent to the castle is often used for public events.
The burial sites of the brothers Franz and Edward Bienert, North Bohemian historians, can be found in Šluknov. The brother fell victim to murder on 16 September 1990.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
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....
in its Ústí nad Labem Region
Ústí nad Labem Region
Ústí nad Labem Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of its historical region of Bohemia...
. It lies in the geographic region that shares its name, the Šluknov Hook
Šluknov Hook
The Šluknov Hook or Šluknov Projection is a "panhandle" region found in the northern Czech Republic along the border with Germany. The area is part of the southern Lusatian Highlands, between the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the west and the Lusatian Mountains in the east. It is administratively...
, a small portion of 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...
which lies between Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sandstone Mountains....
and the Zittau Hills
Zittau Hills
The Zittau Mountains , formerly also called the Lusatian Ridge refers to the German part of the Lusatian Mountains that straddle the Saxon-Bohemian border in the extreme southeast of the German state of Saxony.- Location :The Zittau Mountains lie in the extreme south of the district of Görlitz in...
. The district of Rožany (Rosenhain) has a border crossing to Sohland an der Spree
Sohland an der Spree
Sohland an der Spree is a municipality in the district of Bautzen in Saxony in Germany near the border to the Czech Republic in a region called Lusatia. The river Spree flows right through the village. Together with some smaller villages it constitutes one of the biggest villages or communities...
. It is situated at 347 m above sea level and, as of January 1, 2005, it had 5741 inhabitants.
Early history
During the middle of the 14th Century, on the site of the city, a Slavic settlement named Slanknov was established by the noble family of Berka z DubéBerka z Dubé
Berka z Dubé was a medieval Bohemian aristocracy line established by Hynek Berka z Dubé .-Domanial:Houska, Bělá, Bezděz, Lemberk, Dubí, Zákupy, Milštejn, Tolštejn, Kokořín, Kuřívody, Berštejn-Notable aristocrats:...
. The family's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is, to this day, the inescutcheon in the city's coat of arms.
Schluckenau was struck, in 1710 and 1830, by two large city fires. In 1813, the city was plundered by a 200,000 man army during the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Nazi era
In 1930, Schluckenau was home to 5578 inhabitants who were largely ethnic GermanEthnic German
Ethnic Germans historically also ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship...
. Prior to the Second World War, Schluckenau was a center in 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...
for the pro-Nazi Sudeten German Party (SdP) led by Konrad Henlein
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein was a leading pro-Nazi ethnic German politician in Czechoslovakia and leader of Sudeten German separatists...
. This was one reason why, in March 1939, Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
chose the city as the first stop of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
during the German annexation of Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
. The Wehrmacht continued on to occupy 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 establish the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
.
Following the invasion by the Wehrmacht some Czechs were driven out of Schluckenau into the interior of Bohemia. From 1938 until 1945 Schluckenau was the seat for the district administrator of the County of Schluckenau in the Nazi German Sudetenland, the district of Aussig .
Modern history
After the war, in 1945, the town returned to Czechoslovakia and the German inhabitants were expelledExpulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia
The expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II was part of a series of evacuations and expulsions of Germans from Central and Eastern Europe during and after World War II....
under the terms of 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 was renamed Šluknov. Only a few Czechs were willing to settle in the remote northern Bohemian town following its vacancy.
Roma
Today, the city and the Šluknov region are a problem area for the Czech Republic. The population is only 1/7 of its prewar size. One fifth of the residents are SintiSinti
Sinti or Sinta or Sinte is the name of a Romani or Gypsy population in Europe. Traditionally nomadic, today only a small percentage of the group remains unsettled...
and Romani who suffer from a high unemployment rate.
Landmarks
In the past, Schluckenau was the seat of power for the German nobileGerman nobility
The German nobility was the elite hereditary ruling class or aristocratic class from ca. 500 B.C. to the Holy Roman Empire and what is now Germany.-Principles of German nobility:...
family Starschedel
Starschedel
- History :Most of the properties owned by the family of Starschedel were in Saxony. At times members ruled the North Bohemian settlement of Schluckenau...
, who were Saxons and loyal to the Electorate of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
. Built in the 16th Century, the Šluknov castle was burned in 1986. Its reconstruction had to be postponed due to lack of funding after 1990. The work resumed in 2000 and the renovation is now completed. In addition to exhibition and event rooms located in the building there is a tourist information office. The park adjacent to the castle is often used for public events.
The burial sites of the brothers Franz and Edward Bienert, North Bohemian historians, can be found in Šluknov. The brother fell victim to murder on 16 September 1990.