Znojmo (; german: Znaim) is a town in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region ( cs, Jihomoravský kraj; , ; sk, Juhomoravský kraj) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia (an exception is Jobova Lhota which trad ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. Znojmo is the historical and cultural centre of southwestern

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. Th ...

and the second most populated town in the

. The historical centre of Znojmo is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.

Administrative parts

Villages of Derflice, Kasárna, Konice, Mramotice, Načeratice, Oblekovice, Popice and Přímětice are administrative parts of Znojmo.

Geography

The town is situated on a rock outcropping on the steep left bank of the

Thaya The Thaya ( cs, Dyje ) is a river in Central Europe, the longest tributary to the river Morava. Its drainage basin is . It is ( with its longest source river German Thaya) long and meanders from west to east in the border area between Lower A ...

River, about southwest of the regional capital Brno. Located near the border with

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, it is connected to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

by railway and road.

History

A fortress at the site possibly already existed during the time of the

Great Moravia Great Moravia ( la, Regnum Marahensium; el, Μεγάλη Μοραβία, ''Meghálī Moravía''; cz, Velká Morava ; sk, Veľká Morava ; pl, Wielkie Morawy), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavs, Wes ...

n Empire in the 9th century. From about 1055, Znojmo Castle served as the residence of a Přemyslid principality within the Bohemian

March of Moravia The Margraviate of Moravia ( cs, Markrabství moravské; german: Markgrafschaft Mähren) was one of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire existing from 1182 to 1918. It was officially administrated by a margrave in cooperat ...

and a strategically important outpost near the border with the Bavarian

March of Austria The Margraviate of Austria (german: Markgrafschaft Österreich) was a medieval frontier march, centered along the river Danube, between the river Enns and the Vienna Woods (''Wienerwald''), within the territory of modern Austrian provinces of ...

in the south. In 1101,

Luitpold of Znojmo Luitpold of Znojmo (, , la, Lutoldus Znoyemsis; died 15 MarchThe day of deth: Z ČECHORODU, PEŠINA; ''Mars Moravicus III.3'', p. 286. and NOVOTNÝ, V.; ''České dějiny I.2'', pp. 513–515 (+ footnote 15) 1112), a member of the Přemyslid dy ...

, Duke of Moravia, built the Rotunda of St. Catherine in the castle. The Znojmo Castle was seized and demolished by Duke Vladislaus II of Bohemia in 1145. In 1190, Duke

Conrad II Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

founded the

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

Louka Abbey at Znojmo, which became the centre for settlement of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-speaking immigrants, as part of the medieval ''

Ostsiedlung (, literally "East-settling") is the term for the Early Medieval and High Medieval migration-period when ethnic Germans moved into the territories in the eastern part of Francia, East Francia, and the Holy Roman Empire (that Germans had alr ...

'' movement. The first written mention of Znojmo is from 1226. The royal town of Znojmo was founded shortly before 1226 by King

Ottokar I of Bohemia Ottokar I ( cs, Přemysl Otakar I.; c. 1155 – 1230) was Duke of Bohemia periodically beginning in 1192, then acquired the title of King of Bohemia, first in 1198 from Philip of Swabia, later in 1203 from Otto IV of Brunswick and in 1212 (a ...

on the plains in front of the rebuilt castle and was fortified. It was the first royal town on

. The town survived 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 Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the ...

unscathed, and prospered. In the 15th and 16th centuries, networks of burgher houses with a system of underground passages were built as a part of fortifications. The Renaissance and late Gothic houses are preserved to this day. The development ended with the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

. Znojmo was conquered and ransacked repeatedly. It took over a hundred years for the town to recover. From the 19th century, Znojmo is best known as the site for the

Armistice of Znaim The Armistice of Znaim was a ceasefire agreed between Archduke Charles and Napoleon I on 12 July 1809 following the Battle of Znaim, effectively ending hostilities between Austria and France in the War of the Fifth Coalition. Following defe ...

concluded there on 12 July 1809 after the Battle of Znaim, following the decisive

Battle of Wagram The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charle ...

, between Emperor Napoleon and the archduke Charles, which had taken place seven days earlier. Since the end of World War I, Znojmo was within the newly established state of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, except for 1938–1945 during the

Nazi German Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

occupation when it was included in ''

Reichsgau Niederdonau The Reichsgau Lower Danube (German: ''Reichsgau Niederdonau'') was an administrative division of Nazi Germany consisting of areas in Lower Austria, Burgenland, southeastern parts of Bohemia, southern parts of Moravia, later expanded with Devín a ...

''. The German population of the town were expelled in 1945 under the

Beneš decrees The Beneš decrees, sk, Dekréty prezidenta republiky) and the Constitutional Decrees of the President of the Republic ( cz, Ústavní dekrety presidenta republiky, sk, Ústavné dekréty prezidenta republiky) were a series of laws drafted by t ...

Demographics

Economy

Znojmo is famous for local production of

cucumbers Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.Znojmo wine sub-region.

Transport

There is a railway station where railway lines divide into three directions:

Břeclav Břeclav (; german: Lundenburg) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Town parts of Charvátská Nová Ves and Poštorná are administrative parts of Břeclav. Etymol ...

, Okříšky, and

Retz Retz is a town with a population of 4,168 in the Hollabrunn District in Lower Austria, Austria. Geography Retz is located in the north western Weinviertel in Lower Austria. The municipality's area covers 45,01 km². 11.83 percent of this ...

Culture

Znojmo is known for its Znojmo

Vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In cer ...

Festival which takes place every September. The main attraction of the festival is the historical parade commemorating the visit of King

John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King ...

to Znojmo in 1327. The annual

Cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.1. SC Znojmo FK 1. SC Znojmo FK is a football club from the South Moravian town of Znojmo, Czech Republic. After the 2018–19 season, the club was relegated into the Moravian–Silesian Football League (third level league). History Znojmo won promotion fr ...

is a local football club competing in the Moravian–Silesian Football League (3rd tier of the Czech football league system). Orli Znojmo is an ice hockey club playing in the

Czech 2. Liga The Czech National Football League ( cs, Fotbalová národní liga, ''FNL''), currently known as Fortuna národní liga due to sponsorship reasons, is the second level professional association football league in the Czech Republic. Before 2013 it ...

Sights

The

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Church of St. Nicholas and the late Gothic Town Hall tower are the most recognizable landmarks. The original church was founded in around 1100, and replaced by a new church gradually built from 1338 until the late 15th century. The town hall, with its high tower, dates from 1445–1448. Overlooking the

River valley, on the edge of the medieval city, there is the Znojmo Castle, dating back to 11th century, founded by the Přemyslid dukes. The only remains of the castle used by the Přemysl dukes is the Romanesque Rotunda of Saint Catherine, the interior of which is covered with 11th-century frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible and illustrating the life of

Přemysl the Ploughman Přemysl the Ploughman ( ''Přemysl Oráč''; English: Premysl, Przemysl or Primislaus) was the legendary husband of Libuše, and ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty, containing the line of princes (dukes) and kings which ruled in the Lands of ...

. Beneath the grounds of the old town, there is a vast labyrinth of connected passageways and cellars, Znojmo Catacombs, developed in the 14th and 15th centuries for defence purposes, containing wells, drainage, fireplaces, trap doors and escapeways that led beyond the fortifications of the town. The catacombs are the largest system of underground corridors and cellars in the Czech Republic – they are almost long and up to 4 levels deep. The

Church of Saint Michael the Archangel Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

was probably built in the 12th century. It is the second most significant church in the town after Church of Saint Nicholas. The church was first mentioned in 1226 and completely rebuilt in the late Gothic style in 1508. It is considered a monument of national importance.

Notable people

Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death ...

(1368–1437), king of Bohemia; died here * Prokop Diviš (1698–1765), inventor, catholic priest; served here in 1736–1741 * Clement Mary Hofbauer, C.Ss.R. (1751–1820),

Redemptorist The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

priest and saint; served here as an apprentice baker in 1767–1770 *

Charles Sealsfield Charles Sealsfield was the pseudonym of Austrian-American journalist Carl (or Karl) Anton Postl (3 March 1793 – 26 May 1864), an advocate for a German democracy. He lived in the United States from 1822 to 1826, and then again in 1828/1829. Du ...

(1793–1864), German-American writer and lawyer * Hugo Lederer (1871–1940), sculptor * Otte Wallish (1903–1977), Israeli graphic designer *

Anna Spitzmüller Anna Spitzmüller (September 6, 1903 – September 25, 2001) was an Austrian art historian, curator, and educator. She taught art history to generations of American college students through the Austro-American Institute of Education. Early life Sp ...

(1903–2001), art historian and curator * Franz Woidich (1921–2004), German fighter pilot * Petr Rosol (born 1964), ice hockey player *

Jitka Schneiderová Jitka Schneiderová (born 23 March 1973) is a Czech film, television and stage actress. She studied at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno. She acted at Studio Ypsilon in Prague between 1996 and 2003. Schneiderová took p ...

(born 1973), actress *

Květoslav Svoboda Květoslav Svoboda () (born August 25, 1982 in Znojmo) is an Olympic freestyle swimmer from the Czech Republic. He swam for the Czech Republic at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics.Michal Ordoš (born 1983), footballer *

Jiří Orság Jiří Orság (; born 5 January 1989 in Znojmo) is a Czech weightlifter. Career In 2014 Orság was sanctioned for the use of Tamoxifen. After the sanction he stopped training for 6 months; during this time he began a different healthy lifes ...

(born 1989), weightlifter *

Jiří Procházka Jiří Procházka (; ; born October 14, 1992) is a Czech mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was the ...

(born 1992), mixed martial artist *

Andrea Stašková Andrea Stašková (born 12 May 2000) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish Liga F club Atlético Madrid and the Czech Republic women's national team. Career Stašková was voted talent of the year at the 2017 ...

(born 2000), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Znojmo is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Chrudim, Czech Republic *

Nové Zámky Nové Zámky (; hu, Érsekújvár; german: Neuhäus ; la, Novum Castrum; tr, Uyvar) is a town in Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of southwestern Slovakia. Geography The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, ...

, Slovakia * Pontassieve, Italy * Povo (Trento), Italy *

, Austria * Ružinov (Bratislava), Slovakia *

Strzegom Strzegom (german: Striegau) is a town in Świdnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina Strzegom administrative district ( gmina). It lies approximately north-west of Świdnica, and west of t ...

, Poland *

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies forces firs ...

, Germany * Villazzano (Trento), Italy

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places in Znojmo District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic 1226 establishments in Europe