Kelč
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Kelč (; german: Keltsch) is a town in
Vsetín District Vsetín District ( cs, okres Vsetín) is a district ('' okres'') within the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Vsetín. List of municipalities Branky - Bystřička - Choryně - Dolní Bečva - Francova Lhota - ...
in the
Zlín Region Zlín Region ( cs, Zlínský kraj; , ) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the south-eastern part of the historical region of Moravia. It is named after its capital Zlín. Together with the Olomouc Region it fo ...
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 2,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.


Administrative parts

Villages of Babice, Komárovice, Lhota and Němetice are administrative parts of Kelč.


Etymology

According to older theories, the name of the settlement was derived from the personal name Kelek or Keleč, but this theory was disproved. The name of the settlement is derived from the Slavic (including modern Czech) word ''kel'', which means "
tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share c ...
". According to
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
's map, the predecessor of Kelč was a settlement called ''Eburum'', whose name came from the Latin ''ebur'' ("mammoth tusk"), and later Slavic settlers probably derived the name of the new settlement from the old name.


Geography

Kelč is located in about northwest of
Vsetín Vsetín () is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. Originally a small town, Vsetín has become an important centre of industrial, economic, cultural and sports life during the 20th century. Administ ...
and northeast of
Zlín Zlín (in 1949–1989 Gottwaldov; ; german: Zlin) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 73,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice river. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the ...
. It lies in the
Moravian-Silesian Foothills Moravian-Silesian Foothills ( cz, Podbeskydská pahorkatina, pl, Pogórze Morawsko-Śląskie) are foothills and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. Geomorphology The region represents the westernmost section of the Western Bes ...
. The town is situated on the left bank of the Juhyně Stream.


History

The first written mention of Kelč is from 1131, when it was owned by the Olomouc diocese. The greatest development occurred from 1251 during the rule of bishop
Bruno von Schauenburg Bruno von Schauenburg (also known as Bruno Olomucensis; 1205 – 1 or 17 February 1281 in Kroměříž) was a nobleman and Catholic priest of German descent, bishop of Olomouc in 1245–1281. He was one of the main advisors and diplomats of the ...
, who had the space around the parish church rearranged, and founded a new town part called "New Kelč" around a new town square. Kelč was severely affected by wars between
Jobst of Moravia Jobst of Moravia ( cs, Jošt Moravský or ''Jošt Lucemburský''; german: Jo(b)st or ''Jodokus von Mähren''; c. 1354 – 18 January 1411), a member of the House of Luxembourg, was Margrave of Moravia from 1375, Duke of Luxembourg and Elector of ...
and
Prokop of Moravia Prokop of Moravia, or Prokop of Luxembourg ( cs, Prokop Lucemburský; german: link=no, Prokop von Mähren; c. 1358 – 24 September 1405), a member of the House of Luxembourg, was Margraviate of Moravia, Margrave of Moravia from 1375 until his ...
in the late 14th century, and by the
Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...
in the 15th century. The town recovered in the 16th century and a brewery was founded, which became a major source of income for the townspeople. The prosperity ended with the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, when the town was burned and looted several times and the population decreased by 80%. Kelč became insignificant and lost its town title. The village was restored the title of town until the end of the 18th century. In the early 19th century, Kelč was known for its production of
tobacco pipe A tobacco pipe, often called simply a pipe, is a device specifically made to smoke tobacco. It comprises a chamber (the bowl) for the tobacco from which a thin hollow stem (shank) emerges, ending in a mouthpiece. Pipes can range from very simp ...
s. In the second half of the 19th century, branches of furniture-making companies of Jacob & Josef Kohn and
Gebrüder Thonet Gebrüder Thonet or the Thonet Brothers was a European furniture manufacturer. It continues as a German company (Thonet GmbH), Austrian (Thonet Vienna) and Czech (TON). History Gebrüder Thonet were particularly known for their manufacture of be ...
were established in Kelč, however, Kelč was not a very industrial town. With restructuring 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 ...
, Kelč again lost its town statute. The statute of the town was restored only in 1994.


Sights

The landmark of Kelč is the Kelč Castle. The originally late Gothic castle from 1585–1596 was rebuilt in the 17th century in the Renaissance and later in the Baroque style. Today it houses a secondary vocational school. The parish Church of Saints Peter and Paul was first mentioned in 1247. The present appearance of the church dates from the 1780s, when it was rebuilt in the late Baroque style. It has a valuable interior mostly in the
Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 durin ...
. The town hall was built in the early 17th century.


Notable people

*
Jaroslav Křička Jaroslav Křička (; 27 August 1882 in Kelč, Moravia – 23 January 1969 in Prague) was a Czech people, Czech composer, Conducting, conductor, and Music education, music teacher. He was the brother of poet Petr Křička:de:Petr_Křička, e...
(1882–1969), composer and conductor *
Vojtěch Jasný Vojtěch Jasný (30 November 1925 – 15 November 2019) was a Czech director, screenwriter and professor who has written and directed over 50 films. Jasný made feature and documentary films in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, USA & Canada, and ...
(1925–2019), director and screenwriter *
Vlastimil Bubník Vlastimil Bubník (; 18 March 1931 – 6 January 2015) was a Czech ice hockey player and footballer. Bubník was born in Kelč, Czechoslovakia, and played in the Czechoslovak Extraliga. He played for HC Brno and Královo Pole. He al ...
(1931–2015), ice hockey player and footballer


Twin towns – sister cities

Kelč is twinned with: * Ladce, Slovakia


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelc Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Vsetín District Moravian Wallachia