The city of Jablunkov If
you come to the Czech Republic from the east, the town of Jablunkov will
be the first town which will welcome you. It is the town with history,
modern buildings, central town area as well as scattered cottages on
slopes of this hills. 7,000 inhabitants live here.
In the Middle Ages the town belonged to the Těšín principality.
Documents concerning its origin are not at the disposal nowadays. The
first historical written mention comes from 1435. The original Jablunkov
castle was situated in the area of the present village of Hrádek (about
4 km to the north). The castle was destroyed by the Hungarians in 1447.
Then Jablunkov started to flourish in the contemporary area. Jablunkov
obtained municipal right by prince Václav in 1560.
Because of the good position of the town, crafts, especially pottery and
became, in the 18th century, the main source of income. Regular markets
held here, too. On the other side, wars, plague and cholera epidemics
have harmful effect on the town development. Styled wooden houses formed
the town till the 19th century. A great number of fires especially the
last fire in 1890 resulted in the fact that the inhabitants of Jablunkov
started to build brick houses characterized by ground floor vaults.
These houses are today's centre of the town - The Mariánské nám. Square
with little streets. In the centre of the square there is a public
fountain decorated by the Baroque sculpture - "Immaculata" which comes
from 1655. Wooden water pipes originally belonged to the fountain. The
house No. 150 from the 14th century is the oldest brick house. Princess
Kateřina Sidonie possessed this house and therefore it its still called
"the princess house". The town hall, built in the Vienna style in 1904
belongs to the most important buildings in the town.
A pilot Antonín Velebnovský, a colonel, has been an important person
in the town. He took a part in the battle for England in the World War
II. The memorial tablet located on his native house in the street called
after him commemorates his importance.
The church buildings characterize the historical development of the town.
The first wooden church was built in about 1223 and the new and larger
one in 1401. In 1620 this church was replaced by a brick building
designed in the late Gothic style. The height of the tower is 47 m. Near
the God's Body church you can visit the old monastery where there is an
exhibition and concert hall today. The new convent of St. Alžběta with
the hospital was finished in 1932. The Jablunkov cemetary has played its
important role in the town since 1800. In 1994 the monastery of
Františkáni was rebuilt from originally family house and it was
consecrated in the same year.
"The Sarmatian Jazygs" were original inhabitants of the town and the
name of the middle class people - the Jackové - just comes from this
original name. Till the 19th century the Jackové differentiated from its
surroundings, which was especially agricultural and mountain one, by
their special middle class slothing. Josef Mánes, a Czech painter,
described this clothing in his pictures. People commemmorates the old
tradition by a traditional folk festival -
Gorolski Święto -
which is held annually at the beginning of August. A great number of
folk groups from this country as well from abroad take part in this
festival.
During 1933 - 1935 the hospital for treating tuberculosis and other
respiratory diseases was built in the west part of the town. There are
also reconditional and rehabilitation stays here. The hospital is a
cultural sight - it is an important and beautiful building designed by
an architect Miloš Laml. The hospital park with the area of 37 ha is a
place of several little lakes and about 350 kinds of trees originated
from Europe, Asia, as well as from the American continent, there are
also statues of Vincenc Makovský and Jan Tříska. The park was founded in
the 20th of the 20th century.
 The
town of Jablunkov is situated in the valley of the Olše river and is
surrounded by beautiful Beskydy mountains. The hills of Čantoryje (994
m), Velký Stožek (978 m), and Bahenec are in the east. The mountains are
decorated by the Olše river. In the south part of the mountains there is
the Gírová hill (840 m) and then over the hill of Velký Polom (1,067 m)
the Moravskoslezské Beskydy mountains begin. In the west from Jablunkov
one can visit the valley of the Lomná river which is a very attractive
place. There is a natural reserved area - a virgin forest Mionši of 172
ha in the area. This forest is not open for public.
The international motorway E75 goes through the town. The are several
frontiers- in Bukovec to Poland and in Mosty u Jablunkova to Slovakia.
Fast trains stop at the railway station in nearby Návsí. There are
several hotels with a good accomodation in the town and there is a great
number of recreational centres in the surroundings.
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