Vyškov

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Vyškov
Town
Church in Vyškov
Church in Vyškov
Flag of Vyškov
Flag
Coat of arms of Vyškov
Coat of arms
Vyškov is located in Czech Republic
Vyškov
Vyškov
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°16′39″N 16°59′56″E / 49.27750°N 16.99889°E / 49.27750; 16.99889Coordinates: 49°16′39″N 16°59′56″E / 49.27750°N 16.99889°E / 49.27750; 16.99889
Country Czech Republic
RegionSouth Moravian
DistrictVyškov
First mentioned1141
Government
 • MayorKarel Jurka (ODS)
Area
 • Total50.40 km2 (19.46 sq mi)
Elevation
254 m (833 ft)
Population
 (2020-01-01[1])
 • Total20,807
 • Density410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
682 01
Websitewww.vyskov-mesto.cz

Vyškov (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvɪʃkof]; German: Wischau) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 21,000 inhabitants.

History[]

By the middle of the 14th century, pest epidemics and starvation had virtually depopulated the entire area. The Catholic Church, the owners of the lands, administrated their properties via its cloisters in Bamberg, Augsburg and Brixen. These cloisters called upon German farmers to resettle the area. At that time the German-speaking area comprised about 60 villages, only eight of which, with a population of around 3,500, still existed by the time of the expulsion of the Germans after World War II.

The inhabitants were mostly farmers. Their lives consisted mainly of hard work. The population was Roman Catholic, and the rhythm of life was therefore mainly governed by the church and its festivities. An education in a German school was considered to be of great importance; six villages had their own German elementary school and the town of Lissowitz had a grammar school. As a result of the geographic separation from other German settlements, the language of these German-speaking inhabitants retained its original form to a great extent, and the area became a language island. It is a variety of a Southern German dialect. One peculiarity is that a "w" was pronounced very much like a "b."

After their expulsion, the former inhabitants of the area went to Germany, Austria and other countries. In 1949 an association, "Language Island of Wischau", was formed in the German town of Aalen to help the scattered families move together again.

Prior to World War II, the town had a Jewish community. The community did not return after the war. A Torah scroll previously used by the community was donated to a Jewish day school in New Jersey in 1985. The scroll is currently on display and is used in Holocaust educational programming.

Sights[]

The Vyškov Zoo opened in 1965. In 2006, a new Dinopark was opened, located about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) outside the city in the former "Marchanice" park. There are currently around 30 life-size dinosaur models in the park, and it is one of the most visited attractions in the area.[2]

Sport[]

Vyškov has a top-level rugby team, RC Vyškov, who play in the KB Extraliga and have been national champions 11 times.

Notable people[]

Vyškov in literature[]

The town is mentioned in War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, in Book 3 Chapters 10 and 11.[citation needed]

Krambambuli, by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, a short story part of Dorf- und Schloßgeschichten (Village and castle stories), is also set in the town.

Twin towns – sister cities[]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Vyškov is twinned with:[3]

References[]

  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2020". Czech Statistical Office. 2020-04-30.
  2. ^ "Most visited touristic destinations in 2015". CzechTourism. 2016-08-04. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  3. ^ "Partnerská města: Vyškov". vyskov-mesto.cz (in Czech). Město Vyškov. Retrieved 2020-08-28.

External links[]

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