Janov (Bruntál District)

Janov
Janov
Town
	Town hall
	Flag Coat of arms
	Etymology: John's (valley)
	Janov Location in the Czech Republic
	Coordinates: 50°14′37″N 17°28′33″E / 50.24361°N 17.47583°E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Moravian-Silesian
District	Bruntál
Founded	1251
Government
• Mayor	Milan Kaloč
Area
• Total	11.01 km2 (4.25 sq mi)
Elevation	410 m (1,350 ft)
Population (2020-01-01)
• Total	284
• Density	26/km2 (67/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	793 84
Website	www.mestojanov.cz

Janov (German: Johannesthal) is a small town in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants and it is one of the least populated municipalities with town status in the Czech Republic.

Janov is situated in the western part of the Microregion Osoblažsko in the Petrovický stream valley, where the landscape steeply rises up to the ridges of Hrubý Jeseník.

History

The town was founded in 1251 by Bishop Bruno von Schauenburg and obtained its town rights in 1535 when it was assumed that there are rich deposits of precious metals around the town and its mining will bring prosperity and wealth. Although the assumptions were not met and there are no signs of precious metals mining around Janov, already granted privileges gave the town an urban character featured by a square which has preserved until these days.

Geography

The town is located deep in the Petrovický Stream valley where steep mountain ridges with forests and meadows rise up densely riddled with baulks. The natural environment of Janov includes a 500-year-old lime tree situated on the right side of Petrovický stream.

Sights

The town has a small square at the town's centre where important monuments may be found, such as the Mining Memorial erected for the 650th anniversary of the town and the baroque statue of the Virgin Mary dated back to 1739. In the western corner of the square there is the Baroque-styled Church of the Holy Trinity built in between 1780 and 1783, with a cemetery located on the grounds. The cemetery includes two artistically valuable chapels built in pseudo-Renaissance and pseudo-Gothic styles. Also of note is the presence of folk architecture in the town, including houses No. 21 and 49.

There is also the Museum of Janov and Jindřichov, a small museum which requires visitors make arrangements in advance by telephone, located on the town square which collects valuable geological artifacts about Janov, its history and life at the end of the 19th century.