Josefův Důl

Josefův Důl
Josefsthal[1]
Municipality and village
Church in Josefův Důl
Flag
Name origin: Joseph's valley[2], Joseph's Mine[3]
Motto: The gateway to Jizera Mountains
Country Czech Republic
Region Liberec
District Jablonec nad Nisou District
River Kamenice, Jizera
Elevation 625 m (2,051 ft)
Coordinates
Highest point
 - elevation 850 m (2,789 ft)
Lowest point
 - elevation 600 m (1,969 ft)
Area 22 km2 (8 sq mi)
Population 1,021
First mentioned 1697
Mayor John Miksa [4]
Timezone CET (UTC+1)
 - summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 468 44
Area code 420-483
Location in the Czech Republic
Statistics: http://www.statnisprava.cz
Website: http://www.josefuvdul.cz

Josefův Důl (German: Josefsthal) is a village and municipality in the Jablonec nad Nisou District of the Liberec Region in the Czech Republic. The municipality covers an area of 22km² and, as of 2006, it had a population of 1021. It is located at 625m above sea level in the Valley of the Kamenice river (German: Kamnitz) in the southeastern part of the Jizera Mountains (German: Isergebirge). Above the town 2.5 km lies the Kamenice river that is collected by the Josefův Důl dam. Just 8 km northeast sits the town of Jablonec nad Nisou.

Contents

History

Beginning in the year 1690, Maximilian II Emanuel populated the area with German immigrants. In 1700, the city of Karlsberg was founded, which produced glass and crystal products. Karlsberg was divided into Untermaxdorf, Karlsberg and Josefsthal in 1827. Fifty years later Untermaxdorf and Antoniwald were incorporated.

The Munich Agreement permitted Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler to annex the area in 1938 into what he called the Sudetenland. Shortly thereafter Karlsberg was dissolved becoming Obermaxdorf and Antoniwald. Josefsthal and Untermaxdorf formed a new community named Iserwald. Following World War II, in 1945, the town returned to Czechoslovakia and the German inhabitants were expelled under the terms of Beneš decrees.

The Church

The Josefův Důl church was built between 1862 and 1865 in a neo-gothic style. It's construction was partially funded by a lottery and 4000 gold pieces were collected. The ceremonial laying of the foundation stone was held in September 1862. The church tower is 45 meters high, the interior fittings house three valuable altar paintings by Wilhelm Kandler.[5]

Present day

Known as "the gateway to Jizera Mountains" it is a popular destination for skiers, hikers and cyclists. Rivers in the town include the Kamenice, which is a tributary of the Jizera river, and the Jedlová river which flows through the Jedlový dul nature reserve.[6]

Landmarks

Neighbouring communities

The municipality of Josefův Důl includes the villages of Ortsteile Antonínov (Antoniwald), Karlov (Karlsberg) and Dolní Maxov (Untermaxdorf).

List of people from Josefův Důl

References

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the Czech Wikipedia.
This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.