Drahany is a market town in

Prostějov District Prostějov District () is a Okres, district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Prostějov. Administrative division Prostějov District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with ext ...

in the

Olomouc Region Olomouc Region (; , ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia (''Morava'') and in a small part of the historical region of Czech Silesia (''České Sl ...

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 500 inhabitants.

Etymology

According to one theory, the name is derived from the personal name Drahan. According to other theory, it is derived from the old Czech word ''draha'' (i.e. 'way', 'road') and referred to a road 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 ...

Prostějov Prostějov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 43,000 inhabitants. The city is historically known for its fashion industry. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zo ...

that led this way.

Geography

Drahany is located about west of

and southwest of

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

. It lies in the Drahany Highlands. The highest point is the hill Horka at above sea level. The Velká Haná Stream, which is the main source of the

Haná Haná or Hanakia ( or ''Hanácko'', or ''Hanakei'') is an ethnographic region in central Moravia in the Czech Republic. Etymology The region was named after the Haná (river), Haná River. Description Its core area is located along the ep ...

River, originates here and flows to the south. In the western part of the municipal territory is the fishpond Nebeský rybník. Together with its surroundings, it is protected as a nature monument with an area of .

History

The first written mention of Drahany is from 1310, when the local castle, occupied by marauding knights, was conquered by King

John of Bohemia John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...

. In 1322, King John sold the village to Lords of Kravaře, who annexed it to their

Plumlov Plumlov ( or ''Plumau'') is a town in Prostějov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Plumlov consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 c ...

estate. In 1348, Drahany was first referred to as 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 rura ...

. During 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 Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

, Drahany was badly damaged and lost its status of a market town. In 1495, the Plumlov estate with Drahany was acquired by the

Pernštejn family The House of Pernštejn () was one of the oldest and most important (uradel) families originating from Moravian nobility, along with the House of Rosenberg, that played an important role in the medieval history of Bohemian nobility from the 13th ...

. During their rule, Drahany developed. The prosperity ended in the times of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, during which the village was damaged and depopulated. From 1590 until the establishment of an independent municipality in 1848, Drahany was owned by the Liechtenstein family. Drahany was again promoted to a market town in 1908. After World War II, the population decreased, as Drahany remained an agricultural municipality without significant industry.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Drahany is the Church of Saint John the Baptist. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1790.

Notable people

Wilhelm Kosch Wilhelm Franz Josef Kosch (2 October 1879 – 20 December 1960) was an Austrian historian of literature and theatre and lexicographer. The lexicon that he conceived and later revised several times, the ''Deutsches Literatur-Lexikon'' is a refere ...

(1879–1960), Austrian historian of literature

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places in Prostějov District Market towns in the Czech Republic