Moravian Wallachia

Districts of the Czech Republic that comprise Moravian Wallachia in full (red) and in part (orange)

Moravian Wallachia (Czech: Moravské Valašsko), or simply Valašsko (Romanian: Valahia Moravă), is a mountainous region located in the easternmost part of Moravia in the Czech Republic, near the Slovak border, roughly centered on the cities Vsetín, Valašské Meziříčí and Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.[1] The name Wallachia used to be applied to all the highlands of Moravia and neighboring Silesia, although in the 19th century a smaller area came to be defined as ethno-cultural Moravian Wallachia. The traditional dialect (rarely heard these days) represents a mixture of elements from the Czech and Slovak languages, and has a distinct lexicon of Romance and Balkan origin relating to the pastoral economy of the highlands. The name originated in the "Vlachs", an originally Romance-speaking community that migrated to Moravia from the Balkans.

Geography

Veřovice hills, typical landscape of Wallachia.

Moravian Wallachia is a mountainous region located in the easternmost part of Moravia in the Czech Republic, near the Slovak border, roughly centered on the cities Vsetín, Valašské Meziříčí and Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. It is part of the Western Carpathians.

Culture

Wallachian vernacular architecture: open-air museum (skansen) in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.

The population is traditionally pastoralist. Although animal husbandry was long associated with agriculture practiced in the lowlands adjacent to the Western Carpathians, the Vlach methods and associated rituals of sheep and goat tending were unique and newly introduced by them, as were the introduction of grazing in the highlands and the emphasis upon the production of milk and cheese (bryndza). The "Vlach" dress are still important elements of the ethnography of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. The music of the area is thought to have been influenced by the Vlachs (e.g. see Lachian Dances), but it also represents a locally vibrant mixture of Vlachian with Slovak, Czech, German, and Polish music cultures from the Tatras and Morava valley.[2]

History

Origin

It is unclear exactly why and when the Vlach migrations into what is today Czech Republic and Slovakia occurred.[3] The Vlachs, at first Romance-speaking and Orthodox Christian, were transhumant pastoralists originating in the Balkans.[4] They migrated up along the Carpathians to Moravia between the 13th and 18th centuries.[4] Most preserved Orthodox Christianity but were Slavicized.[4]

Early modern period

Moravian Vlach from Brumov, 1787

The Vlachs in eastern Moravia rose up during the Thirty Years' War (1618–48). They fought successfully against Habsburg rule in 1620–23, and were initially supported by rebellious Protestant Hungarians. Having had all of Moravia east of the Morava river under their control by 1621, the Vlachs were defeated in 1623, after which a series of public executions took place. They renewed attacks in late 1623, and notably defeated a Polish contingent in March 1624. In 1625–30 Habsurg and Danish armies repeatedly crossed Moravia. The Vlachs joined the Danes, and later, the Swedes. After the Danish retreat in 1627, and Swedish retreat in 1643, the Habsburgs finally defeated the Vlachs in 1644.[5]

Modern period

In 1866, Hyde Clarke reported that the Moravians viewed the Moravian Vlachs (Wallachians) as an "alien race", but Slavic-speaking. They had characteristic habits and dress.[6]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Wallachian Village-a short history on Wallachian region. In open-air museum Rožnov Pod Radhoštěm 2012
  2. ↑ Johnston 2010.
  3. ↑ Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America (1968). Czechoslovakia Past and Present: Political, international, social, and economic aspects. Mouton. p. 686.
  4. 1 2 3 Kamusella 2008, p. 64.
  5. ↑ Polišenský 1971.
  6. ↑ The Anthropological Review. Trübner and Company. 1866. pp. 91–.

Further reading

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