Uherský Brod

Uherský Brod
Town
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Zlín
District	Uherské Hradiště
Commune	Uherský Brod
River	Olšava
Elevation	251 m (823 ft)
Coordinates	CZ 49°1′32″N 17°39′1″E / 49.02556°N 17.65028°ECoordinates: CZ 49°1′32″N 17°39′1″E / 49.02556°N 17.65028°E
Area	52.06 km^2 (20.1 sq mi)
Population	17,533 (2006-07-03)
Density	337 / km^2 (873 / sq mi)
First mentioned	1140
Mayor	Patrik Kunčar
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	687 34 - 688 01
Location in the Czech Republic
Wikimedia Commons: Uherský Brod
Statistics: statnisprava.cz
Website: www.ub.cz

Uherský Brod (Czech pronunciation: [ˈuɦɛrskiː ˈbrot]; German: Ungarisch Brod, literally Hungarian Ford) is a town of 17,000 in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated 300 kilometres southeast of Prague, in the south-east of Moravia (Czech: Morava). It lies in the Vizovice Highlands (Vizovická vrchovina) and near the White Carpathian Mountains (Bílé Karpaty).

History

The history of Uherský Brod, a name which can be loosely translated as the 'Hungarian ford' or 'river crossing to Hungary', can be traced back to the 10th century. In 1272 it had become sufficiently important that Premysl Otakar II granted it the status of a King's town.

The 16th century was the all too short golden age of the town, which flourished under the lordship of John of Kunovice (Czech: Jan z Kunovic). The town hall and lords' house were built during this time. The good times came to an end at the beginning of the 17th century when Hungarians started to attack it in a series of invasions.

Later, German and Jewish communities began to grow and in the 19th century the town was transformed by industrial development, but managed to retain its character and charm.

World War II brought further invasion and the development of military industries. Česká Zbrojovka, a precision firearms manufacturer, plays a leading role in the region's industry. It also led to the loss of the town's Jewish community, the striking reminder of which is the Jewish cemetery.

21st century

On July 22, 2011, unknown persons overturned eight tombstones in the Jewish Cemetery in what seems to have been an anti-Semitic act.^[1]

On 24 February 2015, a shooting occurred at a restaurant in Uherský Brod. Nine people were killed, including the gunman, a 63-year-old local man. One other woman suffered severe gunshot wounds, but survived. The Czech Interior Minister, Milan Chovanec, stated, "According to available information, it was not a terrorist attack".^[2]

Notable sites

With the White Carpathian national park and the trans-Carpathian cycle routes nearby, Uherský Brod has become a tourist attraction. The town has a local brewery, Janáček, that supplies mainly in the region. The name is often confused with Leoš Janáček, a Czech composer, but the two have little in common. On a hill above the town is an observatory from 1961, having been funded and built entirely by the town's residents. As of 2009 the observatory had plans for a large planetarium to help it with its educational message.

Jan Amos Komenský

Uherský Brod is a possible birthplace of Jan Amos Komenský (Latinised: Comenius). However, most likely it is just a place where he spent a part of his life. There is a museum and a secondary grammar school that bear his name. The link to Comenius was the reason for the twinning of Uherský Brod and Naarden, the Netherlands, where Comenius is buried.

Other important towns and villages in the region of Uherský Brod are Bánov, Bojkovice, Nivnice and Komňa - the latter two are also possible birthplaces of Comenius.

References

1. "Cemetery vandalized". Coordination Forum for Countering AntisemitismCFCA. July 22, 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
2. At least 8 dead as gunman opens fire in Czech restaurant - Toronto Star, Associated Press, 2015-02-24

External links

• Uherský Brod Official Site (Czech)
• Astronomical Observatory (Czech)
• Secondary Grammar School of J.A. Comenius (Czech)
• Website about czech cities (English)