Krnov

Krnov (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkr̩nof]; German: Jägerndorf, Polish: Karniów or Krnów, Latin: Carnovia, Silesian: Karniōw) is a town in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants.

Krnov
Town
Town Hall
Flag
Coat of arms
Krnov
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°5′26″N 17°41′55″E
Country Czech Republic
RegionMoravian-Silesian
DistrictBruntál
First mentioned1240
Government
 • MayorTomáš Hradil
Area
 • Total44.29 km2 (17.10 sq mi)
Elevation
316 m (1,037 ft)
Population
 (2020-01-01[1])
 • Total23,257
 • Density530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
794 01
Websitewww.krnov.cz

Geography

Krnov lies in the historical region of Upper Silesia, at the confluence of the rivers Opava and Opavice, near the Polish border. The highest peak of the municipal area is Bednářský vrch (588 m).

Administrative parts

The town is made up of town parts of Pod Bezručovým vrchem and Pod Cvilínem, and of village of Krásné Loučky.

History
Krnov Castle

The area has been inhabited almost without interruption since the Stone Age. Its history stretches back to the 13th century when Krnov acquired town rights. The town was first mentioned in 1240 and served as the capital of the Duchy of Krnov from 1377 to 1523, under Bohemian (Czech) suzerainty. It remained part of the Bohemian Crown until 1918, since 1867 within the Austrian-ruled part of Austria-Hungary. Following World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, it formed part of Czechoslovakia.

According to the Austrian census of 1910, the town had 16,681 inhabitants, 15,647 of whom had permanent residence there. The census had asked people for their native language; 15,390 (98.4%) were German-speaking and 247 (1.5%) were Czech-speaking. Jews were not allowed to declare Yiddish, thus most of them declared German as their native language. The most populous religious groups were Roman Catholics with 15,290 (91.7%), followed by Protestants with 885 (5.3%) and the Jews with 459 (2.8%).[2]

From 1938 to 1945 it was occupied by Germany, administratively it was made one of the municipalities in Sudetenland. During World War II, the Germans operated a Gestapo prison,[3] and four forced labour subcamps of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp in the town.[4] After the war, the German population was expelled in 1945-46, in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement.

Economy

Krnov is industrial center of the Upper-Silesian region. A factory producing the cola-based drink Kofola is located in the town. Another one of the largest local companies is the company Rieger–Kloss which manufactures pipe organs. Notable is also textile industry (especially woolens production).

Tourism is significant for Krnov. The town is a summer resort and a winter sport area with close access to the Jeseníky Mountains, the second-highest mountain range in the country.

Sights

Krnov has an 18th-century castle, several churches and abbeys as well as a lookout tower from 1903. The Krnov Synagogue is one of the few large synagogues to have survived the Nazi German occupation of Europe.

Transport

Krnov has two railway stations, a central station and a rail station called Cvilín.

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Krnov is twinned with:[5]

  • Town hall
  • Krnov Castle
  • Church of the Holy Spirit
  • Krnov Synagogue
  • Observation tower
  • Church of the Virgin Mary on Cvilín Hill
  • Shooting house
  • Swedish wall
  • Main train station

References
  1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2020". Czech Statistical Office. 2020-04-30.
  2. Ludwig Patryn (ed): Die Ergebnisse der Volkszählung vom 31. Dezember 1910 in Schlesien, Troppau 1912.
  3. "Gestapogefängnis Jägerndorf". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  4. "Working Parties". Lamsdorf.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. "Partnerská města". krnov.cz (in Czech). Město Krnov. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
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