Vejprty (; ) is a town in

Chomutov District Chomutov District () is a district in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Chomutov. Administrative division Chomutov District is divided into two administrative districts of municipalities with extended ...

in the

Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region () is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad Labem. I ...

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 2,800 inhabitants. It lies along the border with

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Until World War II, it was a large town.

Administrative division

Vejprty consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Vejprty (2,651) *České Hamry (39) *Výsada (5)

Geography

Vejprty is located about west of

Chomutov Chomutov (; ) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 47,000 inhabitants. There are almost 80,000 inhabitants in the city's wider metropolitan area. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as ...

and southeast 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

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 below the top of the mountain Vlčí kopec, at above sea level. The territory stretches along the border with

, from which it is separated by the Polana stream. It borders the German municipalities of

Bärenstein Bärenstein is a municipality in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany. History From 1952 to 1990, Bärenstein was part of the Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt of East Germany. References

Erzgebirgskreis {{Erzgebirgskreis-geo ...

and

Oberwiesenthal Oberwiesenthal (; officially Kurort Oberwiesenthal) is a town and a ski resort in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony in Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, on the border with the Czech Republic, 19 km south of Annaberg-Buchho ...

History

The first written mention of Vejprty is from 1506. In 1550, silver ore was discovered in the area. The mining settlement of Neugeschrei was established near the newly created

adit An adit (from Latin ''aditus'', entrance) or stulm is a horizontal or nearly horizontal passage to an underground mine. Miners can use adits for access, drainage, ventilation, and extracting minerals at the lowest convenient level. Adits are a ...

, today the local part of Vejprty under the name Nové Zvolání. In 1607, Emperor

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...

allowed all the miners and craftsmen settled here to deal freely with their property. Vejprty was promoted to a royal mining town in 1617. Vejprty was badly damaged during 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 ...

by the army of

Johan Banér Johan Banér (23 June 1596 – 10 May 1641) was a Swedish field marshal in the Thirty Years' War. Early life Johan Banér was born at Djursholm Castle in Uppland. As a four-year-old he was forced to witness the execution of his father, the ...

, and the mines were flooded. In 1688, mining was resumed and the town began to flourish again. In the first half of the 18th century, however, profitability began to decline, and mining stopped in 1751. Although mining resumed briefly in the 19th century, it ended for good in 1845. The livelihood of the inhabitants was thus gradually reoriented to the manufacture of

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

s and to

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

making. Rapid development took place in the second half of the 19th century. It was helped by the establishment of the Chomutov–Vejprty railway, which was put into operation in 1872.

Demographics

Transport

Vejprty is located on the railway line Chomutov–

Cranzahl Sehmatal is a municipality in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany, which was created in 1999 through the union of ''Neudorf'', ''Cranzahl'' and ''Sehma''. The three villages are located along the Sehma river, aligned in a north-so ...

. However, trains run on it only on weekends in the summer season.

Sights

The most important monument is the Church of All Saints. The original church was built in 1660. In 1777–1785, it was rebuilt in

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 ...

style. The church tower was rebuilt after a fire caused by lightning in 1827, and in 1912 it was raised to a height of . A valuable building is the Chapel of Saint Martin. It dates from the 16th century, when it replaced an old wooden church.

Notable people

Ottokar Tumlirz Ottokar Tumlirz (17 January 1856 – 4 May 1928) was an Austrian physicist. He received his education at the University of Prague, obtaining his doctorate with a thesis on the expansion of sound and light waves (1879). At Prague he worked as an ...

(1856–1928), Austrian physicist *

Theodor Innitzer Theodor Innitzer (25 December 1875 – 9 October 1955) was Archbishop of Vienna and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. Early life Innitzer was born in Neugeschrei (Nové Zvolání), part of the town Weipert (Vejprty) in Bohemia, at that time ...

(1875–1955), cardinal and Archbishop of Vienna *

Wilhelm Dick Wilhelm Josef Dick (10 September 1897 –1980) was a Czechoslovak ski jumper who competed in the 1920s. He won two ski jumping medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with a gold in 1925 and a silver in 1927. At the 1926 FIS Nordic Worl ...

(1897–1980), German ski jumper *

Viktor Petermann Viktor Petermann (26 May 1916 – 19 May 2001) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or suc ...

(1916–2001), German Luftwaffe fighter ace *

Walter W. Müller Walter Wilhelm Müller (26 September 1933 – 22 October 2024) was a German specialist in the field of ancient South Arabia and Semitic epigraphy. After studying Semitic and Arabic studies at the University of Tübingen Müller graduated in 19 ...

(born 1933), German academic

Twin towns – sister cities

Vejprty is twinned with: *

Erzgebirgskreis {{Erzgebirgskreis-geo ...

, Germany Vejprty also cooperates with

Gunzenhausen Gunzenhausen (; ) is a town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Altmühl, northwest of Weißenburg in Bayern, and southwest of Nuremberg. Gunzenhausen is a nationally recognized recreation a ...

, Germany.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Chomutov District Czech Republic–Germany border