SVITAVY

Svitavy is the biggest city not only of the district of Svitavy but also a wide region which goes from the Orlicke Mountains to Brno in one direction and from Pardubice to Olomouc in the other.

The town lies on the boundary of Bohemia and Moravia, and is an important junction. It is on the international road which goes from Vienna to Brno and to the nearby Polish border.

Svitavy is named after the small river Svitava. The water of it was once so crystal-clear that the early Slav settlers compared it with the word "svitati", which meant to be clear and limpid.

The town is first mentioned in a document dating from 1256. In 1996 the town celebrates its 740th anniversary. It is one of the oldest towns in the Czech Republic. In fact, the first Czech settelment - Old Svitava (Antiqua Zuitawia) was founded on the present-day site of Svitavy as early as 1160. From its foundation until 1848 Svitavy was, intermittently, subject to the ecclesiascial capital of Olomouc, home of bishops and later archbishops.

In the middle of the 13th century the area of Svitavy was colonized. People from Wesphalia and Franconia came here and biult their new dwellings. The town was never setteld with only German inhabitans although it had a German character, at least on the outside, until the 14th century. In the latter half of that century Svitavy was widely Czechized, especially as a result of the Husite wars. After 1850, the town of Svitavy became an important industrial centre. Because of the superiority of the textile industry, the town is sometimes called the Moravian Manchester.

In the period of the so-called first republic, Czechs again made up the minority of the population of Svitavy. The most tragic era in the history of the town began in the 1930s. Svitavy's history was in large part determined by its location in the Sudetenland - the region within Czech Republic which bordered Germany (and also Poland). While parts of the Sudetenland were inhabited by a Czech majority, there was also a substantial German population, which, as mentioned, outnumbered the Czech citizenry in Svitavy. Due to this German majority, Svitavy was easily nazified. The Czech state was destroyed by Hitler with the help of Sudeten Germans. The Jewish synagogue was burnt down and the Jewish cemetery was desacred. The horrible fate of Svitavy Jews was fulfilled. The majority of Czechs inhbitans left the town and Svitavy was joined to the Reich. The drama continued after WWII. As a result of the war, German inhabitants were evacuated and Czech inhabitants began to return to the town.

Truly paceful and independent life began in the town only after many decades even as late as after the revolution in 1989.

Svitavy boasts a lovely historical centre which consists of the town square (with the second longest arcade in the country) and many houses in the Renaissance and Baroque style. One who knew the town before revolution - dirty and delapidated, with partly demolished houses, lining the once stately town square - cannot belive the rapid pace of improvments and beautification following the Revolution.

The changes in the town are best-represented by the thorough reconstruction of the square. It was evaluated as the best one in the country in 1994.

In addition, the town has embraked upon several new projects. Some of the most important new buildings are an indoor swimming pool, a dialysis centre and a retirement pension. Economic development in Svitavy is also thriving as is shown by the recent construction of a large printing facility by the American company Westvaco.

Svitavy is well-situated geographicaly for tourists and has very interesting surroundings. It is the gateway to the Czech-Moravian Highlands, an ecologicaly unspoiled region of the country of European importance.

The town of Svitavy and its inhabitants warmly invite you for a visit. Your journey to our town can also be a starting point for your visit to other historically important and beatiful towns in Bohemia and Moravia.

Re-typed from the stitched book Svitavy

Other sites with the informations about Svitavy

• Official Svitavy WWW pages
• More about Svitavy