Prostějov

Prostějov
Town
Town Hall
Flag
Coat of arms
Country Czech Republic
Region Olomouc
District Prostějov
Commune Prostějov
Rivers Hloučela, Romže
Elevation 223 m (732 ft)
Coordinates 49°28′N 17°5′E / 49.467°N 17.083°ECoordinates: 49°28′N 17°5′E / 49.467°N 17.083°E
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
Location in the Czech Republic
Wikimedia Commons: Prostějov
Statistics: statnisprava.cz
Website: www.mestopv.cz/

Prostějov (Czech pronunciation: [ˈproscɛjof]; German: Proßnitz) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic, in the historical region of Moravia. Today the city is known for its fashion industry and special military forces based there. The historical core of the town has been declared a historical town preserve.

Geography

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.

History

The town came into existence in 1141 as a small settlement of Prostějovice, deriving its name from Lord Prostěj.[1] The first written records about the town, also referred to as the "Jerusalem of Hanakia", date back to the 1st half of the 12th century.

Until 1918, PROSSNITZ - PROSTĚJOV was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), in the district with the same name, one of the 34 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Moravia.[2] The name PROSSNITZ was used until the end of the 19th century.

PROSSNITZ circa 1850 in the KK Austria

Sights

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..." (The Hanakians 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 Hanakian Festival, the largest Czech festival of children and adult Hanakian ethnic ensembles, also featuring folk craft fair.

People

Administration

Prostějov consists from seven administrative parts: Čechovice, Čechůvky, Domamyslice, Krasice, Prostějov, Vrahovice and Žešov.

References

  1. ↑ Details needed.
  2. ↑ Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm KLEIN, 1967

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Prostějov.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prostějov.