Odry (; ) 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 7,300 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.

Administrative division

Odry consists of nine municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Odry (5,209) *Dobešov (211) *Kamenka (155) *Klokočůvek (150) *Loučky (502) *Pohoř (188) *Tošovice (232) *Veselí (153) *Vítovka (209) Kamenka and Klokočůvek form 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.

Etymology

The name of Odry is derived from the river

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

Geography

Odry is located about northwest of

Nový Jičín Nový Jičín (; ) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic centre of Nový Jičín is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservati ...

and southwest 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 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 in the valley of the

River. The highest point is the hill Suchá at above sea level. A set of fishponds is situated in the southern part of the municipal territory.

History

A predecessor of Odry was a settlement known as Vyhnanov. The first written mention of Vyhnanov is from 1234. In the second half of the 13th century, a new fortified town was established on the site of Vyhnanov. In the 14th century, Odry became a local economic centre. 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 ...

, Odry served as a military base of the

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

. In 1481, the town became a part of 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 ...

and

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. In the 18th century, lead and silver were mined in Odry and surrounding area. In 1774, a woolen goods factory was established here, and in the mid-19th century, drapery industry developed. In 1866, the first rubber factory in the country started operating here.

Demographics

Transport

Odry is located on a railway line of local importance heading from

Suchdol nad Odrou Suchdol nad Odrou () is a market town in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Suchdol nad Odrou consists of two municipal parts (in brackets populatio ...

Budišov nad Budišovkou Budišov nad Budišovkou (; ) is a town in Opava District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Mo ...

Sights

The historic centre is formed by the Masarykovo Square and surroundings. The square is lined with Renaissance burgher houses and in the middle are the statue of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary from 1785 and a Neoclassical fountain from 1897. Remains of the town fortifications from the 15th century with a semi-circular bastion are preserved to this day. The most important monument is the Church of Saint Bartholomew. The originally Gothic church was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1691–1692. The bell in the church tower dates from 1374 and is the oldest bell in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. Notable is also the rectory, which was rebuilt into its current form in 1700.

Notable people

Gustav Kreitner Gustav Ritter von Kreitner (2 August 1847 – 20 November 1893) was a Silesian-Austrian military geographer, traveller and diplomat. He travelled through Asia as part of an expedition organized by Count Béla Széchenyi and contributed to the repo ...

(1847–1893), Austrian geographer, traveller and diplomat *

Leopold Münster Leopold Münster (13 December 1920 – 8 May 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 95 aerial victories achieved in over 500 combat missions. This figure includes 70 aerial victories ...

(1920–1944), German Luftwaffe pilot *

Ferdinand Ulrich Ferdinand Ulrich (23 February 1931 – 11 February 2020) was a German Catholic philosopher and professor at the University of Regensburg from 1960 to 1996. Life Ulrich studied philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, and fundamental theology at the Fr ...

(1931–2020), German philosopher

Twin towns – sister cities

Odry is twinned with: *

Kuźnia Raciborska Kuźnia Raciborska () is a town in Racibórz County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland, with 5,359 inhabitants (2019). It is situated on the Ruda River. History The settlement was founded in 1641. During World War II, it was the location ...

, Poland *

Niefern-Öschelbronn Niefern-Öschelbronn is a municipality in the Enz district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Enz, 6 km east of Pforzheim. History Öschelbronn had been a possession of the Duchy of Württemberg since 1504, while ...

, Germany

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Nový Jičín District Lichnowsky family