Čáslav
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Čáslav (; german: Tschaslau) is a town in
Kutná Hora District Kutná Hora District ( cs, okres Kutná Hora) is a district ('' okres'') within Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Kutná Hora. Complete list of municipalities Adamov - Bernardov - '' Bílé Podolí'' - B ...
in the
Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( cz, Středočeský kraj, german: Mittelböhmische Region) is an administrative unit ( cz, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in ...
of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.


Administrative parts

Čáslav is made up of town parts of Čáslav-Nové Město ("New Town") and Čáslav-Staré Město ("Old Town"), and of village of Filipov.


History

The history of Čáslav begins after the year 800 with the founding of a citadel and settlement called Hrádek. Near Hrádek, a new town with a huge square was founded by King
Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...
in around 1250. In 1421, Bohemian parliament debated in Čáslav and voted in a new
Hussite The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...
government. Two large fires in 1452 and 1522 severely damaged the town. During the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, in 1639 and 1642, Čáslav was devastated and burnt down by Swedish troops. The town however recovered and in 1715, Čáslav became the centre of a
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
.


Jewish population

From the 14th century there was a Jewish settlement in Čáslav, but in the 15th century the Jews were expelled. In the middle of the 19th century, only one Jewish family lived in the town. After the equality of the Jews in 1867, many from the area moved to the town of Čáslav. Around 1893, 245 Jews lived in the town, which was about 1–2% of the population.


Demography


Sights

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is an early Gothic building from the end of the 13th century. The building included the Romanesque Church of St. Michael from the 11th century (today's sacristy), which originally stood here. The town area was delimited by walls, which are preserved in one third of their original length. A unique monument of the Čáslav Gothic fortifications is the cylindrical Otakar's Tower, which stood at the Brod Gate. Čáslav Town Museum, one of the oldest regional museums in Bohemia, was founded in 1864. Its building is from 1884. The
synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
was built between 1899 and 1900 in
Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...
style, designed by architect Wilhelm Stiassny. It was used until 1939 by the local Jewish community, which was then almost totally wiped out during
The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the abandoned building saw use as a warehouse, and then (between 1970–1989) as a gallery. In 1994, however, it was returned to the Jewish Community in
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
and has recently been restored. In 1910, part of the
skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...
of famous Hussite general
Jan Žižka Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha ( en, John Zizka of Trocnov and the Chalice; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czech general – a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus and a Radical Hussite who led the Taborites. Žižka was a successful milit ...
was discovered in Čáslav parish church. The skull is exhibited in Žižka's Hall of Čáslav Town Hall.


Sport

Čáslav is sometimes called a town of majorettes, because of the local team, which won medals from Czech and world competitions. The town's football club, FK Čáslav, plays on the fourth tier of the Czech football system. Notable is the Athletics Club Čáslav. Two of its most known sportswomen are
Ludmila Formanová Ludmila Formanová () (born 2 January 1974) is a former Czech middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. She was born in Čáslav. In 1999 she broke Maria de Lurdes Mutola's winning streak at the World Indoor Championships, and w ...
and Jarmila Kratochvílová, both World Champions in 800 m sprint.


Air base

To the northeast of the town, there is an active air base of the
Czech Air Force "The air is our sea" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , battle_honours = , battle_honours_label = , flying_hours = , websi ...
.


Notable people

*
Jan Ladislav Dussek Jan Ladislav Dussek (baptized Jan Václav Dusík, Černušák, p. 271 with surname also written as Duschek or Düssek; 12 February 176020 March 1812) was a Czech classical composer and pianist. He was an important representative of Czech music ...
(1760–1812), composer and pianist * Jan Karafiát (1846—1929),
calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
ic priest and children writer *
Antonín Chittussi Antonín Chittussi (1 December 1847, in Ronov nad Doubravou – 1 May 1891, in Prague) was a Czech Impressionist landscape and cityscape painter. Biography His father came from an Italian merchant family who lived in Ferrara and he moved to ...
(1847–1891), Impressionist painter * Rudolf Těsnohlídek (1882–1928), writer *
Jiří Mahen Jiří Mahen (born: Antonín Vančura; 12 December 1882 – 22 May 1939) was a Czech novelist, playwright and essayist. Life He was born Antonín Vančura, in Čáslav, to an old noble family of the Bohemian Brethren faith. In his grammar-s ...
(1882–1939), writer * František Moravec (1895–1966), military intelligence officer *
Josef Svoboda Josef Svoboda (10 May 1920 – 8 April 2002) was a Czech artist and scenic designer. He was a production designer and director, known for Amadey (1984), Laterna Magika: Puzzles (1996) and Laterna Magika: Trap (1999). Education Svoboda was ...
(1920–2002), scenographer *
Antonín Rükl Antonín Rükl (September 22, 1932 – July 12, 2016) was a Czech astronomer, cartographer, and author. He was born in Čáslav, Czechoslovakia. As a student he developed what was to be a lifelong interest in astronomy. He graduated from the Cze ...
(1932–2016), astronomer * Miloš Forman (1932–2018), film director * Jarmila Kratochvílová (born 1951), athlete *
Ludmila Formanová Ludmila Formanová () (born 2 January 1974) is a former Czech middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. She was born in Čáslav. In 1999 she broke Maria de Lurdes Mutola's winning streak at the World Indoor Championships, and w ...
(born 1974), athlete *
David Jarolím David Jarolím (; born 17 May 1979 in Čáslav) is a Czech former footballer and manager of Ústí nad Labem. A central midfielder by position, Jarolím was known for his stamina, passing and technical skill. Club career Born in Caslav, Czecho ...
(born 1979), footballer


Twin towns – sister cities

Čáslav is twinned with: *
Opfikon Opfikon (; in the local Swiss German dialect: )Andres Kristol/Gabrielle Schmid, ''Opfikon ZH (Bülach)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni sviz ...
, Switzerland


References


External links

*
Čáslav group at flickrvirtual show
Populated places in Kutná Hora District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Shtetls {{KutnáHora-geo-stub