| Prostějov | |||
| Town | |||
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Town Hall
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| Country | Czech Republic | ||
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| Region | Olomouc | ||
| District | Prostějov | ||
| Commune | Prostějov | ||
| Rivers | Hloučela, Romže | ||
| Elevation | 223 m (732 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Area | 46.58 km2 (17.98 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 46,436 (2006-10-02) | ||
| Density | 997 / km2 (2,582 / sq mi) | ||
| First mentioned | 1141 | ||
| Mayor | Jan Tesař | ||
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 796 01 | ||
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Location in the Czech Republic
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| Wikimedia Commons: Prostějov | |||
| Statistics: statnisprava.cz | |||
| Website: www.mestopv.cz/ | |||
Prostějov (Czech pronunciation: [ˈproscɛjof]; German: Proßnitz in Mähren) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Today the city is known for its fashion industry and special military forces based there.
Prostějov is situated on the northern edge of Hornomoravský úval basin, at the foothill of Prostějovská pahorkatina upland, in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. On its western side, the Drahanská vrchovina highland rises. The town is flat, with minimum elevation differences, from 212 to 262 meters above sea level.
The town came into existence in 1141 as a small settlement of Prostějovice, deriving its name from Lord Prostěj. The first written records about the town, also referred to as the "Jerusalem of Hana", date back to the 1st half of the 12th century. The historical core of the town has been declared a historical town preserve.
One of the oldest sights in town is the Church of Holy Cross, built towards the end of the 14th century to replace a former Augustinian monastery. Among other sights, there is the Prostějov Castle at Pernštýnské náměstí square, completed in early 16th century in the Renaissance style and later reconstructed in early 20th century, with a rich decorated portal by Italian architect Casper Cuneus. The sgraffito decoration of the castle was made by Jano Kohler. Above the entrance, there is the famous sentence: "Hanák tade bode do skonání světa..." (People of Hana will live to the end of time...). The Renaissance architecture of Italian builders of the 1520s and 1530s can also be seen in the former town-hall. The building was completed in 1538 with a noteworthy portal, decorated with the municipal coat-of-arms. It now houses the Museum of Prostějov. Today, the main cultural and community centre and one of the architectonic dominants of Prostějov is the Národní dům (National House), an outstanding cultural monument of the Czech Republic, it was built in 1905-1907 according to a design by Jan Kotěra, a professor at the Prague School of Applied Arts and a prominent representative of Czech Art Nouveau. In addition to Jan Kotěra. the Národní dům was decorated by painter František Kysela and sculptors Stanislav Sucharda and Karel Petr. The centre of the town is dominated by the building of the new town-hall, erected in 1911 - 1914 according to a project by prof. K. H. Kepka, replacing former military barracks, designed in the style of Historicism, with elements of Art Nouveau in the interior. The front side was decorated with sculptures by Vl. Pleský. On the right side, there is a relief of architect Matěj Rejsek, made by Jan Tříska, on the left side, there is a relief by sculptor Bohumil Teplý, devoted to the philosopher Edmund Husserl. Among other architectonic sights, there is a Plague Column with the sculpture of Virgin Mary, erected in 1714 by an unknown author, a Baroque church of St. John of Nepomuk, Parish Church of St. Peter and Paul and the Church of St. Constantine and Method.
The town lives not only in its history. In early May, Prostějov welcomes all those who are keen on dancing to Discodrome - The Championship of the Czech Republic and World Championship in Disco Dance Formation and Disco Show Formation and the European Championship in Break Dance. Since 1957, the town has also been organising Wolkrův Prostějov - a national festival of poetry. In September, the town enlivens with three-day Prostějov Haná Festival, the largest Czech festival of children and adult Haná ethnic ensembles, also featuring folk craft fair.