Třinec

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"Trzyniec" redirects here. For the village in Poland, see Trzyniec, Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Třinec
Trzyniec
Town

Flag
Coat of arms
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°40′40″N 18°40′22″E / 49.67778°N 18.67278°E / 49.67778; 18.67278
Country Czech Republic
Region Moravian-Silesian
District Frýdek-Místek
First mentioned 1444
Town rights 1931
Town parts
Government
 • Mayor Věra Palkovská
Area
 • Total 85.38 km2 (32.97 sq mi)
Elevation 306 m (1,004 ft)
Population (1 January 2008)
 • Total 38,073
 • Density 450/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Website http://www.trinecko.cz/

Třinec (Czech pronunciation: [ˈtr̝̊ɪnɛts] ( listen); Polish: Trzyniec (info), German: Trzynietz) is a town in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The town has 37,405 inhabitants as of 2009,[1] in 2001 17.7% of the population were Poles.[2] The town is notable for its steel plant, the Třinec Iron and Steel Works, largest one in the Czech Republic, which still has a major impact on the town, on its character, demographics and air pollution.

Třinec is also an important cultural center of the Polish minority in Zaolzie.

History

The village of Třinec was founded in the 14th century. Třinec is first mentioned in a written document in 1444. The majority of the population worked in agriculture. The area was, however, rich in limestone, iron ore and clay. The area also offered a large enough work force, so it was decided to build an iron works. In 1836 the construction of the first metallurgical furnace had begun. The iron mill began operation in 1839, becoming the largest one in the entire Cieszyn Silesia. First schools (Polish-German) in Třinec were created by the initiative of the iron works in 1851. After the construction of Košice-Bohumín Railway line in 1871, the rapid development of the town occurred. After the division of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920 it became a part of Czechoslovakia. Třinec gained town rights in 1931. In October 1938, together with the whole region known as Zaolzie, it was annexed by Poland, and during World War II was a part of Nazi Germany. After the war it again became part of Czechoslovakia and eventually surrounding villages were incorporated into Třinec.

Geography

The town of Třinec is located in the Moravian-Silesian Region in the north-east of the Czech Republic, very close to the Polish border and also near the Slovak border with an elevation of approximately 300 m (984.25 ft) above sea level. It's situated approximately 45 km (28 mi) away from the city of Ostrava and about 400 km (249 mi) from the country's capital, Prague. The town is surrounded by the picturesque Beskydy mountain range, a popular place for cycling, skiing, cross-country skiing, hiking and paragliding. The town itself comprises the main town built around the steel works but also incorporates a number of surrounding villages.

A view of the town with the Beskydy mountains clearly visible in the background

Music and Culture

There are a number of musical concerts that take place in the town throughout the year. They are usually held at the local football stadium or the Třinecký Zimní Stadion sports arena, or alternatively at the Třinec-Borek football ground. The years biggest events are the 'Hutnický den' which takes place in May and 'Noc Plná Hvězd' (Star-Studded Night) in the summer, both of which feature numerous live performance from bands and artists from all over the country and abroad. This year's Hutnický den festival featured popular singer Lucie Bílá, previous years have included performances from local singing talent Ewa Farna among others, while Noc Plná Hvězd was headlined by American metal band Anthrax, and English bands Saxon and Blaze Bayley. Another yearly event is the 'Zlot' concert in the nearby town of Bystřice aimed at the local Polish population.

Sports

Ice hockey and football are by far the town's biggest sports. The ice hockey team, HC Oceláři Třinec, who currently play in the Czech Extraliga, the top tier of Czech ice hockey, have a massive following and fan base in the town. The season's bigger matches can draw a crowd of more than 5000 people. The team holds a rivalry with HC Vítkovice and also with the capital town teams HC Sparta Praha and HC Slavia Praha.

The town's football team, FK Fotbal Třinec, has seen a rise in popularity after its promotion to the Czech 2. Liga several years ago. The average attendance for league matches is now more than a thousand. A rivalry with neighboring sides FC Vítkovice and MFK Karviná has also been established.

Třinec also has a popular athletics team.

Local dialect

A view of the T.G. Masaryk square
the town's Evangelical church

Although the majority of the town's population speak Czech, a large number speaks in a Cieszyn Silesian dialect, a mixture of Czech, Polish and German. The dialect is very specific to the whole region of Cieszyn Silesia.

People

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Twin towns — Sister cities

Třinec is twinned with:

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Latest census (31st December 2009)". Czech Statistical Office. 
  2. ↑ "2001 census data". Czech Statistical Office. 
  3. ↑ "Bielsko-Biała - Partner Cities". © 2008 Urzędu Miejskiego w Bielsku-Białej. Retrieved 2008-12-10. 

References

  • Cicha, Irena; Kazimierz Jaworski, Bronisław Ondraszek, Barbara Stalmach and Jan Stalmach (2000). Olza od pramene po ujście. Český Těšín: Region Silesia. ISBN 80-238-6081-X. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Třinec.
Towns and villages in Zaolzie with significant Polish population*
* More than 10% of total population; 2001 census data. **Karviná fell under 10% in the 2001 census.
Villages with significant Polish population under the administration of another municipality are not listed.
Municipalities
in the Czech Republic
Partly
Municipalities
in Poland
Partly
Other articles

Coordinates: 49°40′40″N 18°40′22″E / 49.67778°N 18.67278°E / 49.67778; 18.67278

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