Bohumín

Infobox City
official_name = Bohumín
native_name =
nickname =
settlement_type = Town
motto =


image_caption =

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image_shield = Bogumin CoA.svg
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = none
pushpin_map_caption = Location in the Czech Republic
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Czech Republic
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_name1 = Moravian-Silesian
subdivision_type2 = District
subdivision_name2 = Karviná
parts_type = Town parts
parts = 7
p1 = Nový Bohumín
p2 = Pudlov
p3 = Skřečoň
p4 = Starý Bohumín
p5 = Šunychl
p6 = Vrbice
p7 = Záblatí
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Petr Vícha (ČSSD)
established_title = First mentioned
established_date = 1256
established_title2 =
established_date2 =
area_magnitude = 1 E8
area_total_km2 = 31.02
population_as_of = 1 May 2008
population_note =
population_total = 22970
population_density_km2 = auto
latd = 49
latm = 54
lats = 13
latNS = N
longd = 18
longm = 21
longs = 16
longEW = E
elevation_m = 198
postal_code_type = Postal code
postal_code = 435 81 to 935 81
website = [http://www.mesto-bohumin.cz/ http://www.mesto-bohumin.cz/]
footnotes =

Audio|Bohumin.ogg|Bohumín (Polish: Audio-nohelp|Bogumin.ogg|"Bogumin", _de. Oderberg) is a town in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The confluence of the Oder (Odra) and Olza Rivers is situated just north of the town. The town lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia.

Bohumín consists of Old Bohumín and industrial New Bohumín, while several villages are administratively part of the town. The majority of citizens are Czech; many citizens have Polish ancestry, although the Polish minority in Bohumín is small. Before World War II, the town was inhabited by a large German community.

History

The town was first mentioned in a written document in 1256 as "Bogun" (today's Old Bohumín). [Hosák et al 1970, 84-85.] Historical documents regarding the first centuries of the town are scarce. King Louis II granted the town and château of Bohumín to George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1523. The town began to develop during rule by the House of Hohenzollern, although further development of Bogumin was halted by frequent epidemics of bubonic plague and floodings of the Olza. It was officially known in German as "Oderberg", and by the end of the 16th century the majority of citizens followed Protestantism. The successor after the Hohenzollerns in 1620 was Lazar Henckel, whose family of bankers and entrepreneurs hailed from Habsburg-ruled Hungary. In 1624 only 138 permanent residents lived in the town. After defeating Maria Theresa of Austria during the Silesian Wars, King Frederick II of Prussia annexed most of Silesia, although Oderberg remained in Austrian Silesia. The town successively became part of the Austrian Empire (1804) and Austria-Hungary (1867).

At the end of the 19th century a wire and rolling mill was built by German industrialists from Berlin, Albert Hahn and Heinrich Eisner. In 1872 the important Kassa-Oderberg railway line was opened to traffic; this increased the town's importance and contributed to the Polish - Czechoslovak dispute over Cieszyn Silesia after World War I.

After the division of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920, the town became part of Czechoslovakia. Following the Munich Agreement, Bohumín and the Zaolzie region were annexed by Poland in October 1938. The town was then annexed by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II. After the war it was restored to Czechoslovakia and the remaining German population was expelled westward.

There are few historical buildings remaining in Bohumín. It was always small with mostly wooden houses, which burnt down in frequent fires, as did the old town hall with its high tower. An old church still remains; it was rebuilt in 1850 from its Gothic style to its current form. Another landmark is a tomb of the Henckels, former owners of Bohumín.

Transport

Bohumín is one of the most important railway junctions in the Czech Republic. There are lines in the directions of Ostrava ( - Břeclav - Vienna / - Olomouc - Prague), Petrovice u Karviné ( - Katowice), (both built by the Austrian Northern Railway) and Chałupki ( - Racibórz and Wodzisław Śląski). Another importantline in the direction of Český Těšín, Žilina, and Košice also originally started here, but was relocated in 1963 and now separates from the line to Petrovice u Karviné in Dětmarovice. There is also an important depot in Bohumín.

Footnotes

References

* cite book
last = Cicha
first = Irena
coauthors = Kazimierz Jaworski, Bronisław Ondraszek, Barbara Stalmach and Jan Stalmach
title = Olza od pramene po ujście
publisher = Region Silesia
year = 2000
location = Český Těšín
pages =
doi =
isbn = 80-238-6081-X

* cite book
last = Hosák
first = Ladislav
coauthors = and Rudolf Šrámek
title = Místní jména na Moravě a ve Slezsku I, A-L
publisher = Academia
year = 1970
location = Praha
pages =
url =
doi =
id =

External links

* [http://www.mesto-bohumin.cz/ Official website] cs icon