Rožnov pod Radhoštěm

Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is made up of one administrative part.

General view

Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is located in the valley of the Rožnovská Bečva river. The northern part of the municipal territory lies in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids mountain range. The southern part with the built-up area lies in the Rožnov Valley. The southernmost tip extends into the Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains. The whole territory of Rožnov pod Radhoštěm lies in the Beskydy Protected Landscape Area.

The highest point in the territory is located on the hillside of the Velká Polana mountain in the elevation of about 975 metres (3,199 ft). The Radhošť mountain whose name the town bears lies outside the territory.

Thanks to its location, protected by the surrounding hills from the north, the town has a favorable climate. The Carpathian winds that flow into the Rožnov Valley dispel the fog and keep the weather in Rožnov sunny for most of the year.[2]

Social House, formerly a spa building

The first written mention of Rožnov is from 1267. The village was founded during the colonization by Bruno von Schauenburg between 1246 and 1267, however, there is a possibility that there was already a small settlement that was only expanded. The castle on the Hradisko hill above Rožnov is first documented in 1310. In 1411, Rožnov was first referred to as a town.[2][3]

After the town was owned by several noble families, including lords of Kravaře, lords of Cimburk, it was acquired by the Zierotin family in 1548, who owned it until the 19th century. During their rule Rožnov economically developed. The glass-making and weaving became important in the town. Rožnov was known throughout the whole Habsburg monarchy for weaving linen and muslin. Local embroidery also gained fame. However, the inhabitants otherwise subsisted mainly on agriculture and pastoralism.[2]

For a long time, the town consisted only of wooden buildings and slowly transformed into stone ones. In 1796, a favorable healing effect of the local specific climate has been discovered. A climatic spa was founded in Rožnov in 1820. The spa history ended with the World War II.[2]

Wallachian Open Air Museum

Rožnov pod Radhoštěm lies in the cultural region of Moravian Wallachia. An international folklore festival called Rožnovské slavnosti ("Rožnov Festivities") is held in the town every year.[5]

The town is known for the Wallachian Open Air Museum. It is the largest museum of its kind in the country. The life of the ancestors and folk architecture are presented in three separate areas called Little Wooden Town, Wallachian Village and Water Mill Valley.[6]

On the Hradisko hill is the ruins of the Rožnov Castle. After being abandoned and occupied by bandits, it was demolished in 1538.[2]

• Naphtali Keller (1834–1865), Austrian scholar; lived and died here
• Leo Katz (1887–1982), American painter and muralist
• Gustav Brom (1921–1995), big band leader and arranger; lived here
• Emil Zátopek (1922–2000), athlete; buried here
• Markéta Štusková (born 1974), tennis player
• Alena Vašková (born 1975), tennis player
• Martina Hingis (born 1980), tennis player; lived here as a child
• Petra Maňáková (born 1989), handball player

Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is twinned with:[7]

• Bergen, Germany
• Körmend, Hungary
• Považská Bystrica, Slovakia
• Śrem, Poland

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.

• Official website
• Wallachian Open Air Museum