Nejdek (; ) is a town in

Karlovy Vary District Karlovy Vary District () is a Okres, district in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Karlovy Vary. Administrative division Karlovy Vary District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalit ...

in the

Karlovy Vary Region The Karlovy Vary Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the westernmost part of the country. It is named after its capital Karlovy Vary. It is known for spas, which include Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně. ...

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 7,700 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Nejdek consists of ten municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Nejdek (6,352) *Bernov (270) *Fojtov (134) *Lesík (55) *Lužec (16) *Oldřichov (12) *Pozorka (312) *Suchá (298) *Tisová (146) *Vysoká Štola (6)

Etymology

The name originated from German ''neue Decke'', i.e. 'new cover'. It was derived from the newly covered roof of the castle tower.

Geography

Nejdek is located about northwest of

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

. It lies in the west of the

Ore Mountains The Ore Mountains (, or ; ) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: ''Keilberg'') at ab ...

. The highest point is the mountain Tisovský vrch at above sea level. The

Rolava The Rolava () is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Ohře River. It flows through the Karlovy Vary Region. It is long. Characteristic The Rolava originates in the territory of Přebuz in the Ore Mountains at an elevation of ...

river flows through the town.

History

Nejdek was founded around 1250 as a

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

mining settlement. The first written mention of Nejdek is from 1340. During the golden era of

tin mining Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm. History Tin extraction and use ca ...

in the 14th–16th century, the town experienced its greatest expansion. From 1446 to 1602, it was owned by the Schlick family. During their rule, iron ore also began to be mined, and smelters and

hammer mill A hammer mill, hammer forge or hammer works was a workshop in the pre-industrial era that was typically used to manufacture semi-finished, wrought iron products or, sometimes, finished agricultural or mining tools, or military weapons. The featur ...

s were established in the area. In 1602–1633, the Nejdek estate was owned by the Collon family, and violent re-Catholicization took place. During this period, many inhabitants left and there was a decline in mining. In the 19th century, the town was industrialized. Ironworks and spinning mill were established. In 1899, the

Karlovy Vary–Johanngeorgenstadt railway Interior of Karlovy Vary train station

The Ka ...

was put into operation.

Demographics

Transport

Nejdek is located on the

Karlovy Vary–Johanngeorgenstadt railway Interior of Karlovy Vary train station

The Ka ...

line. The municipal territory is served by six train stations and stops.

Sights

The Romanesque-Gothic tower is the most important monument in Nejdek. It is a remnant of a castle, which was built around 1250 to protect a trade route. It was inhabited until 1790. Today the tower serves as a bell tower and contains a rare Renaissance bell. The Church of Saint Martin was first mentioned in 1354. The small Gothic church was rebuilt and extended several times, it current appearance with

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

equipment is from 1755–1756. Nejdek Château was built approximately in 1650–1653. It was originally a two-storey castle, it was destroyed by fire in 1857 and completely rebuilt in the pseudo-Baroque style with pseudo-Renaissance and pseudo-Gothic elements. Nejdek

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

was built in 1851–1858 and leads to the top of the hill Křížový vrch. Pajndl is an observation tower located on Tisovský vrch. It is a -high stone tower that dates from 1897. It is a cultural monument.

Notable people

* Ignatius Sichelbart (1708–1780), German Jesuit missionary *

Wenceslaus Linck Wenceslaus Linck () (29 March 1736 – 8 February 1797) was the last of the outstanding Jesuit missionary-explorers in Baja California. Born in Neudek, Bohemia, he entered the Jesuit order at age 18 and studied at Brno and Prague. In New Spain, ...

(1736–1797), German Jesuit missionary *

Vladimír Ráž Vladimír Ráž (1 July 1923 – 4 July 2000) was a Czechoslovak film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films and television shows between 1947 and 2000. He is buried at the Vyšehrad Cemetery in Prague. Selected filmography * ''A Dead Man ...

(1923–2000), actor *

Ewald Körner Ewald Körner (20 January 1926 in Nejdek, Czechoslovakia –11 September 2010 in Berntwinned with: *

Johanngeorgenstadt Johanngeorgenstadt (, ) is a mining town in Saxony’s Ore Mountains, 17 km south of Aue, and 27 km northwest of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, on the border with the Czech Republic, is a state-recognized hea ...

, Germany

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Karlovy Vary District Towns in the Ore Mountains