Šluknov

Šluknov
Town
Šluknov Castle
Flag Coat of arms
Šluknov Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 51°0′14″N 14°27′10″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Ústí nad Labem
District	Děčín
First mentioned	1281
Government
• Mayor	Eva Džumanová
Area
• Total	47.48 km2 (18.33 sq mi)
Elevation	340 m (1,120 ft)
Population  (2020-01-01)
• Total	5,653
• Density	120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	407 77
Website	www.mestosluknov.cz

Šluknov (Czech pronunciation: [ˈʃluknof]; German: Schluckenau) is the northernmost town of the Czech Republic in its Ústí nad Labem Region. It has a population of about 5,700. It lies in the geographic region that shares its name, the Šluknov Hook, a small portion of Bohemia which lies between Saxon Switzerland and the Zittau Mountains. The administrative part of Rožany has a border crossing to Sohland an der Spree.

History

Early history

During the middle of the 14th century, on the site of the town, a Slavic settlement named Slanknov was established by the noble family of Berka z Dubé. The family's coat of arms is, to this day, the inescutcheon in the town's coat of arms.

Schluckenau was struck, in 1710 and 1830, by two large town fires. In 1813, the town was plundered by a 200,000 man army during the Napoleonic wars.

Until 1918, Schlukenau (Schluckenau since the end of the 19th century) was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), head of the district of the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.

Nazi era

In 1930, Schluckenau was home to 5578 inhabitants who were largely ethnic German. Prior to the Second World War, Schluckenau was a center in Czechoslovakia for the pro-Nazist Sudeten German Party (SdP) led by Konrad Henlein. This was one reason why, in March 1939, Adolf Hitler chose the town as the first stop of the Wehrmacht during the German annexation of Sudetenland. The Wehrmacht continued on to occupy Prague and establish the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

Following the invasion by the Wehrmacht some Czechs were driven out of Schluckenau into the interior of Bohemia. From 1938 until 1945 Schluckenau was the seat for the district administrator of the County of Schluckenau in the Nazist German Sudetenland, the district of Aussig (Czech: Ústí nad Labem).

Modern history

After the war, in 1945, the town returned to Czechoslovakia and the German inhabitants were expelled under the terms of Beneš decrees. The town was renamed Šluknov. Only a few Czechs were willing to settle in the remote northern Bohemian town following its vacancy.

Today, the town and the Šluknov region are a problem area for the Czech Republic. The population is only 1⁄7 of its prewar size. One fifth of the residents are Romani who suffer from a high unemployment rate.

Landmarks

Šluknov (Schluckenau) in 1915, historic postcard

In the past, Šluknov was the seat of power for the German nobile family Starschedel, who were Saxons and loyal to the Electorate of Saxony. Built in the 16th Century, the Šluknov castle was burned in 1986. Its reconstruction had to be postponed due to lack of funding after 1990. The work resumed in 2000 and the renovation is now completed. In addition to exhibition and event rooms located in the building there is a tourist information office. The park adjacent to the castle is often used for public events.

The burial sites of the brothers Franz and Edward Bienert, North Bohemian historians, can be found in Šluknov. The brother fell victim to murder on 16 September 1990.

External links

• Media related to Šluknov at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (in Czech)