Bílovec (; ) is a town in
Nový Jičín District
Nový Jičín District () is a district in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Nový Jičín.
Administrative division
Nový Jičín District is divided into five administrative districts of municipalitie ...
in the
Moravian-Silesian Region
The Moravian-Silesian Region () is one of the 14 administrative regions of the Czech Republic. Before May 2001, it was called the Ostrava Region (). The region is located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most ...
of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an
urban monument zone.
Administrative division
Bílovec consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Bílovec (5,479)
*Bravinné (289)
*Lhotka (119)
*Lubojaty (388)
*Ohrada (64)
*Stará Ves (593)
*Výškovice (227)
Výškovice forms an
exclave
An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
of the municipal territory.
Geography
Bílovec is located about west of
Ostrava
Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...
. It lies mostly in the
Nízký Jeseník
Nízký Jeseník (, ) is a flat highland and Geomorphological division of the Czech Republic, geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the east of the country in the Olomouc Region, Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian Region, M ...
range, only a small part of the territory extends into the
Moravian Gate
The Moravian Gate (, , , ) is a geomorphological feature in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic and the Upper Silesia region in Poland. It is formed by the depression between the Carpathian Mountains in the east and the Sudetes in the west. ...
. The town is situated on both banks of the
Bílovka River. Bílovec Reservoir is located on the outskirts of the town.
History
The first written mention of Bílovec is from 1324. The town was probably founded by Vok V of Kravaře between 1293–1324. It was located on the crossroads of two trade routes and belonged to the
Duchy of Troppau
The Principality of Opava (; ) or Duchy of Troppau () was a historic territory split off from the Margraviate of Moravia before 1269 by King Ottokar II of Bohemia to provide for his natural son, Nicholas I. The Opava territory thus had not b ...
. Bílovec was heavily fortified with walls with two gates and a fortress.
In 1575–1576, the then-owner Bernard Pražma of Bílkov had rebuilt the fortress into a four-wing Renaissance castle. From 1652 until the 20th century, the estate was held by the Sedlnický of Choltice family. The town gained various privileges which allowed it to develop further. After a large fire in 1729, the castle was reconstructed in the Baroque style.
[
In the second half of the 19th century, Bílovec was industrialized. A cloth factory (later a hat factory and then an iron factory), a steam saw, a book printer and a liqueur factory were established. In 1890, the railway connection was opened.][
Until 1918, Bílovec was part of Austria-Hungary, in the district with the same name. In 1938, it was occupied by Nazi Germany and administered as part of the ]Reichsgau Sudetenland
The Reichsgau Sudetenland was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1939 to 1945. It comprised the northern part of the ''Sudetenland'' territory, which was annexed from Czechoslovakia according to the 30 September 1938 Munich Agreement. ...
, the portion of Czechoslovakia turned over to Germany in the wake of the Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...
. After the conclusion of World War II, the German speaking population was expelled from the region in 1945 according to the Beneš decrees
The Beneš decrees were a series of laws drafted by the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in the absence of the Czechoslovak parliament during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II. They were issued by President Edvard Beneš fr ...
and replaced by Czech settlers.
After World War II, prefabricated houses were constructed, which disrupted the ancient character of the town.[
]
Demographics
Transport
The D1 motorway (the section from Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
to Ostrava
Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...
) passes southeast of the town, outside the municipal territory.
Bílovec is the terminus of a short railway line from Studénka
Studénka (; ) is a town in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,300 inhabitants. The town is situated on both sides of the historical border between Moravia and Czech Silesia.
Administrative ...
.
Education
There is one secondary school in Bílovec, the Gymnasium of Mikuláš Koperník.
Sights
The town square is lined by preserved burgher houses. The landmarks of the square are the town hall and the Church of Saint Nicholas. The Renaissance town hall with gothic cellars dates from 1593. In a baroque burgher house from the 18th century there is the town museum.
The originally Gothic church was built in the 14th century. In 1771, baroque modifications of the church were made. The tower was built in 1614–1615. It is high and open to the public.
In the middle of the square is a giant chessboard, with an area of the largest one in the Czech Republic.[
Bílovec Castle is open to the public. It containts several expositions and a gallery.
]
Notable people
*Johann Ignaz Cimbal
Johann Ignaz Cimbal (1722 – 27 December 1795) was an Austrian painter and etcher, who produced many altarpieces and frescoes for churches, monasteries and other Church buildings. He painted many works in Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Vienna and Hu ...
(1722–1795), Bohemian-Austrian painter
*Felix Ivo Leicher
Felix Ivo Leicher (18 or 19 May 1727 – 20 February 1812) was a Czech-Austrian painter of altarpieces and secular works, which was spread to a wide area throughout the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Empire and beyond.
Early life
He was born in the ...
(1727–1812), Bohemian-Austrian painter
*Miloš Holaň
Miloš Holaň (born April 22, 1971) is a retired Czech professional ice hockey player and currently the head coach of HC Nové Zámky in the Tipos Extraliga, the first tier in Slovakia. He played 49 games in the National Hockey League between 199 ...
(born 1971), ice hockey player and coach
*Květa Peschke
Květoslava Peschke (, née Hrdličková; born 9 July 1975) is a Czech former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in doubles.
She reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 26 in November 2005, winning one WTA singles titl ...
(born 1975), tennis player
* Rostislav Olesz (born 1985), ice hockey player
* Lukáš Hejda (born 1990), footballer
*Petra Kvitová
Petra Kvitová (; born 8 March 1990) is a Czech professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes and variety, Kvitová has won 31 career singles titles, including two Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major titles ...
(born 1990), tennis player
*Adam Pavlásek
Adam Pavlásek (born 8 October 1994) is a Czech professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. He reached his career-high ATP doubles ranking of world No. 29 on 4 November 2024 and a singles ranking of world No. 72 in January 2017. He is ...
(born 1994), tennis player
Twin towns – sister cities
Bílovec is twinned with:
* Bad Neustadt an der Saale
Bad Neustadt an der Saale (, ), officially Bad Neustadt a.d.Saale and often simply called Bad Neustadt, is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the Rhön-Grabfeld district in Lower Franconia. It is situated on the rivers Fran ...
, Germany
* Kietrz
Kietrz (; ) is a town in Głubczyce County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland, near the border with the Czech Republic. As of 2019, it has a population of 6,005.
History
It was granted town rights in 1321.
During World War II, in 1941, Nazi ...
, Poland
* Lipany
Lipany ('lindens;' , , all lit. 'seven lindens') is a town in the Sabinov District, Prešov Region in northeastern Slovakia.
History
The first written mention about Lipany comes from 1312. It gained town privileges in the 16th century.
Geog ...
, Slovakia
References
External links
*
Tourist Information Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilovec
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Nový Jičín District