Abertamy

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Abertamy
Town
View on Abertamy from a road to Plešivec
Flag Coat of arms
Abertamy Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°22′8″N 12°49′6″E / 50.36889°N 12.81833°E / 50.36889; 12.81833Coordinates: 50°22′8″N 12°49′6″E / 50.36889°N 12.81833°E / 50.36889; 12.81833
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Karlovy Vary
District	Karlovy Vary
First mentioned	1529
Government
• Mayor	Jana Rojovská
Area
• Total	8.70 km2 (3.36 sq mi)
Elevation	840 m (2,760 ft)
Population  (2021-01-01)[1]
• Total	924
• Density	110/km2 (280/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	362 35
Website	www.mesto-abertamy.cz

Abertamy (German: Abertham) is a town in Karlovy Vary District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants. It is located in Ore Mountains about 16 km (10 mi) north of Karlovy Vary. With an altitude of 840 meters above sea level, the place serves as a winter sports centre.

Administrative parts[]

The village of Hřebečná is the administrative part of Abertamy.

History[]

Church of Fourteen Holy Helpers

Abertamy is first mentioned in written documents from 1529, when miners started to settle in the area. During 1531–1558, silver was mined here. In 1579 Abertamy obtained township rights. On September 15, 1590, a strong earthquake was recorded here. After the Thirty Years' War silver mining stopped, and only the mining of tin continued. Abertamy lost its town rights, and the area was forcibly recatholicized after the war. During the 19th century manufacturing of gloves began and expanded in the 20th century. In 1876 Abertamy obtained the town status again.

In 1910 the town had 4,200 inhabitants. In 1921 Abertamy was electrified. It was annexed into the Third Reich in 1938 and in 1938–1945 it was one of the municipalities in Sudetenland. In 1945 many German speaking people were expelled and local industry was nationalised. However roughly 150,000 of 3.5 million Sudeten Germans in the surrounding region were not expelled due to their indispensable mining and technical skills. Even by 1960 most children entering grade 1 in Abertamy only spoke German and until the end of communism the town was largely German speaking.^[2] In 1947 Abertamy had about 1,200 inhabitants. Intensive mining of uranium ore had started (and prisoners from nearby communist were forced to work there under cruel conditions). In 1998 the factory producing gloves closed down.

Since 1946, Abertamy has had a secondary school specialising in forest industry.^[3]

Sights[]

Interiors of the church

• Near the town is the 1,028 m (3,373 ft) high mountain Plešivec. The area is actively used for winter and summer sports, with many tourists coming from nearby Germany.
• A church building from 1534, current Baroque style from 1736, renovated in the first half of 19th century. The building was renovated again in the 1990s and in 2003.
• A large formation of rocks known as Dračí skály (Dragon's rocks)^[4]
• Mauritius Mine – remains of the largest tin mine in Ore Mountains, National Cultural Heritage. Parts of the mining gallery open to public during the Summer.^[5]

Notable people[]

• Horst Siegl (born 1969), footballer

Gallery[]

Abertamy from the Plešivec Mountain

References[]

External links[]

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