Orlová
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Orlová (; pl, ; german: Orlau) is a town in
Karviná District Karviná District ( cs, okres Karviná, pl, powiat Karwina) is a district ('' okres'') 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 di ...
in the
Moravian-Silesian Region The Moravian-Silesian Region ( cs, Moravskoslezský kraj; pl, Kraj morawsko-śląski; sk, Moravsko-sliezsky kraj) is one of the 14 administrative regions of the Czech Republic. Before May 2001, it was called the Ostrava Region ( cs, Ostravský ...
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 28,000 inhabitants.


Administrative parts

Orlová is made up of four town parts: Lazy, Lutyně, Město and Poruba.


Etymology

The name is most probably possessive in origin, derived from the personal Slavic name ''Orel / Orzeł'' (literally "
eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
" in English), although it may also be of topographic origins.


Geography

Orlová is located about east of
Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four riv ...
, in the historical region of
Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( pl, Śląsk Cieszyński ; cs, Těšínské Slezsko or ; german: Teschener Schlesien or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český T ...
. It lies in the
Ostrava Basin Ostrava Basin ( cs, Ostravská pánev, german: Ostrauer Becken, pl, Kotlina OstrawskaProf. Jerzy Kondracki. Geografia fizyczna Polski. Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. Warszawa. 1988. ) is a lowland region, located in eastern Czech Republic and s ...
. The town is situated at the confluence of the streams Rychvaldská Stružka and Petřvaldská Stružka. There are several ponds in the territory.


History


12th–18th centuries

According to legend, Duke
Mieszko IV Tanglefoot Mieszko IV Tanglefoot ( pl, Mieszko IV Plątonogi) (c. 1130 – 16 May 1211) was Duke of Kraków and High Duke of Poland from 9 June 1210 until his death one year later. He was also Duke of Silesia from 1163 to 1173 (with his brother as co-ruler) ...
went hunting with his pregnant wife Ludmila. As they rested upon a hill, an
eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
suddenly took flight, frightening the couple. The eagle dropped his prey, which fell to earth near them. Ludmila prematurely gave birth to her child,
Casimir I of Opole Casimir I of Opole ( pl, Kazimierz I opolski; – 13 May 1230), a member of the Piast dynasty, was a Silesian duke of Opole and Racibórz from 1211 until his death. Early life Casimir was the eldest child and only son of Duke Mieszko I Tanglef ...
. The couple, seeing a sign from God in this incident, founded a chapel on that spot and later named the subsequent settlement after the eagle ( pl, orzeł, cs, orel). The first written mention of Orlová is from 1223, when a settlement in this locality was mentioned in a deed of bishop Wawrzyniec. The name of ''Orlova'' was first used in a document of
Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...
issued on 7 December 1227 for Benedictine abbey in Tyniec. Between 1268 and 1291, a separate but dependent from Tyniec
Benedictine monastery , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...
was founded. Politically it belonged then to the
Duchy of Opole and Racibórz The Duchy of Opole and Racibórz ( pl, Księstwo opolsko-raciborskie, german: Herzogtum Oppeln und Ratibor) was one of the numerous Duchies of Silesia ruled by the Silesian branch of the royal Polish Piast dynasty. It was formed in 1202 from the ...
and the
Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...
y of
Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; cs, Těšín ; german: Teschen; la, Tessin; szl, Ćeszyn) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitan ...
, which was in 1290 formed in the process of feudal fragmentation of Poland into the
Duchy of Teschen The Duchy of Teschen (german: Herzogtum Teschen), also Duchy of Cieszyn ( pl, Księstwo Cieszyńskie) or Duchy of Těšín ( cs, Těšínské knížectví), was one of the Duchies of Silesia centered on Cieszyn () in Upper Silesia. It was split o ...
, ruled by a local branch of
Silesian Piast dynasty The Silesian Piasts were the elder of four lines of the Polish Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile (1105–1159), eldest son of Duke Bolesław III of Poland. By Bolesław's testament, Władysław was granted Silesia as his h ...
. In 1327 the duchy became a
fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in cont ...
of the
Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...
, which after 1526 became a part of the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
. For centuries, the settlement had mostly agricultural character, although there were also crafts, especially linen. After the secularization of the monastery property in 1560, Orlová was acquired by the Cikán of Slupek family, who held it until 1619. From 1619 to 1838 it was owned by the Bludovský of Bludov family, who had built here a castle in 1765.


19th–20th centuries

The first attempts of
coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting 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 ...
took place in 1817. In 1838 Orlová was acquired by the House of Mattencloit. In 1844, they allowed coal mining in the region, which led to a fundamental change in the character of Orlová. The population grew rapidly and typical mining colonies were established in the vicinity of the mines. Another important event was the completion of the
Košice–Bohumín Railway The Košice–Bohumín Railway ( cs, Košicko-bohumínská dráha, sk, Košicko-bohumínska železnica, pl, Kolej koszycko-bogumińska, german: Kaschau-Oderberger Bahn, hu, Kassa-Oderbergi Vasút) can refer to: *originally: A private railway com ...
in 1868. Industrial development has also brought a social and cultural boom. In the early 20th century, Orlová became an important centre of
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
and Czech education and home to many cultural and sport organizations of both communities. After the Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire, a modern municipal division was introduced in the re-established
Austrian Silesia Austrian Silesia, (historically also ''Oesterreichisch-Schlesien, Oesterreichisch Schlesien, österreichisch Schlesien''); cs, Rakouské Slezsko; pl, Śląsk Austriacki officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, (historically ''Herzogth ...
. The municipality was subscribed at least since 1880 to
political district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polit ...
and
legal district A judicial district or legal district denotes the territorial area for which a legal court (usually a district court) has jurisdiction. By region Europe Austria In texts concerning Austria, "judicial district" (german: Gerichtsbezirk) refers ...
of
Freistadt Freistadt (, literally "Freetown") is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel. With a population of approximately 7,500 residents, it is a trade centre for local villages. Freistadt is the economic centre of ...
. In 1908 the municipality was promoted to a
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
and in 1922 to a town. According to the censuses conducted in 1880–1910, the dominant language spoken ''colloquially'' was alternating. In 1880 and 1900 the majority were Polish-speakers (2,287 or 79.8% in 1880 and 3.919 or 60.3% in 1900), whereas in 1890 and 1910 the majority were Czech-speakers (2.199 or 65.8% in 1890 and 4.799 or 58.5% in 1910). They were accompanied by a German-speaking minority (at least 4.7% in 1890, at most 7.3% in 1910). In terms of religion, in 1910 the majority were
Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(6,140 or 73.6%), followed by Protestants (1,801 or 21.6%),
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
(374 or 4.5%) and others (19 or 0.3%). After
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
,
Polish–Czechoslovak War The Poland–Czechoslovakia War, also known mostly in Czech sources as the Seven-day war ( cs, Sedmidenní válka) was a military confrontation between Czechoslovakia and Poland over the territory of Cieszyn Silesia in early 1919. After a vai ...
and the division of
Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( pl, Śląsk Cieszyński ; cs, Těšínské Slezsko or ; german: Teschener Schlesien or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český T ...
in 1920, Orlová became a part of
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
. Following the
Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...
, in October 1938 together with the
Zaolzie Trans-Olza ( pl, Zaolzie, ; cs, Záolží, ''Záolší''; german: Olsa-Gebiet; Cieszyn Silesian: ''Zaolzi''), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia ( Polish: ''Śląsk Zaolziański''), is a territory in the Czech Republic, which was disputed betwe ...
region it was annexed by
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, administratively organised in
Frysztat County Frysztat County () was an administrative territorial entity of the Second Polish Republic. Named after its capital in the town of Frysztat (now Fryštát district of the town Karviná, Czech Republic), it was part of Silesian Voivodeship, and exis ...
of
Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province ( pl, województwo śląskie ) is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ('), with Katowice serving as its capital. Despite the Silesian ...
. The village was then annexed by
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
at the beginning of
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 ...
. After the war it was restored to Czechoslovakia. In 1950 the municipalities of Lazy and Poruba were administratively joined to Orlová. In 1961, Lutyně (that time named Horní Lutyně) was joined. From 1974 to 1990, Doubrava was also part of the town. Widespread coal mining, especially during the communist era, had a devastating impact on the town, its buildings and architecture, especially in Lazy. The complete liquidation of Orlová and the relocation of its citizens to the surrounding municipalities were even considered. After the annexation of Horní Lutyně, this plan was changed into the idea of building a large housing estate in this village, which would offer a new home to people from undermined parts of the town and new citizens. Construction of the housing estate began in 1963. After the
Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
in 1989, there was a shift away from the town's one-sided focus on coal mining, and revitalization efforts began.


Demography


Economy

In the Quality of Life Index, which has been comparing the standard of living in the cities and towns of the Czech Republic since 2018, Orlová has always finished in last place out of 206 evaluated. The town is facing high unemployment and lack of job opportunities, air pollution, insufficient infrastructure, demographic issues and other problems.


Education

There are seven
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
s in Orlová, including one in the Polish language. Five entities provide secondary education in the town and one entity provides a higher vocational education.


Sport

Orlová organises annually a women's cycle stage race
Gracia–Orlová Gracia–Orlová is a women's staged cycle race which takes place in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic and in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland. It was created in 1987. Since 2004, it starts in Dětmarovice. A mountain stag ...
and hosts the final stage of the race. The town's football club FK Slavia Orlová plays in the lower amateur tiers of the Czech football system.


Sights

The most important landmark in Orlová is the
neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, built in 1903–1906. Its neo-Gothic appearance is the cleanest in the Czech Republic. This church replaced an older church from 1466, which was built on a pilgrimage site documented in the 13th century. It has a presbytery from the previous church. The church complex includes a valuable set of statues with a staircase, and is surrounded by the adjacent castle park. The building is undermined and has been threatened with extinction several times in its history. The castle park is located on the site of a castle from 1765, which was damaged by coal mining and subsequently demolished in 1974. The park was established in the first half of the 19th century. Another notable landmark is the town hall from 1928. It is a three-storey house with Neoclassical façade, protected as a cultural monument. The
Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
church is a Neoclassical building. It was consecrated in 1862.


Notable people

*
Emanuel Chobot Emanuel Chobot (; 1 January 1881 – 7 June 1944) was a Polish trade union activist and politician. He was the chairman of the Polish Socialist Workers Party, the social democratic party active amongst the Polish minority in Czechoslovakia. He w ...
(1881–1944), Polish politician * Karol Piegza (1899–1988), Polish writer, folklorist and artist * Józef Berger (1901–1962), Polish theologian and politician * Adolf Fierla (1908–1967), Polish poet * Gustaw Przeczek (1913–1974), Polish poet and writer * Stanislav Kolíbal (born 1925), artist and sculptor *
Bohdan Warchal Bohdan Warchal (27 January 1930 in Orlová, Czechoslovakia – 30 December 2000 in Bratislava, Slovakia) was a Slovaks, Slovak violinist, a member of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and founder, chief conductor and soloist of the Slovak Chambe ...
(1930–2000), Slovak violinist * Eugene K. Balon (1930–2013), Polish-Czech-Canadian zoologist and ichthyologist * Radim Uzel (1940–2022), sexologist; studied here *
Martina Janková Martina Janková (born 1972, Orlová) is a Czech operatic soprano. She has been successful in a number of opera contests, including winning first prize at the competition Neue Stimmen in Gütersloh. She has been a member of the Zürich Opera since ...
(born 1972), opera singer


Twin towns – sister cities

Orlová is twinned with: *
Crikvenica Crikvenica () is a city in Croatia, located on the Adriatic in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Names The names of the town in various languages include: * la, Ad Turres * it, Cirquenizza * hu, Cirkvenica, Cirkvenicza, Czirkvenicza, Czirkweni ...
, Croatia *
Czechowice-Dziedzice Czechowice-Dziedzice (, szl, Czechowice-Dziydzice), previously known until 1958 as Czechowice, is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 35,684 inhabitants as of December 2021. It lies on the northeastern edge of t ...
, Poland *
Illnau-Effretikon Illnau-Effretikon is a municipality in the district of Pfäffikon in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It includes the villages of Illnau, Effretikon, Ottikon and Bisikon. On 1 January 2016 Kyburg and Illnau-Effretikon merged to form the m ...
, Switzerland *
Námestovo Námestovo ( hu, Námesztó; pl, Namiestów) is a town in northern Slovakia. It is the capital and largest town of Námestovo District in the Žilina Region. its population was 7,827. Etymology The name is derived from a word ''námesta'' (a r ...
, Slovakia *
Rydułtowy Rydułtowy (german: Rydultau) is a town in southern Poland, in the Wodzisław County of the Silesian Voivodeship. Rydułtowy is in the south-western part of the Silesian Highland, on the Rybnik Plateau, in the Oświęcim-Racibórz Valley. A mini ...
, Poland


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Orlova Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Karviná District Cieszyn Silesia Socialist planned cities