Hranice (Cheb District)

Hranice ([ˈɦraɲɪtsɛ], German: Roßbach) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,200 inhabitants. It lies on the border with Germany.

For other places with the same name, see Hranice.
Hranice
Town
Aerial view of Hranice
Flag
Coat of arms
Hranice
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°18′17″N 12°10′33″E
Country Czech Republic
RegionKarlovy Vary
DistrictCheb
First mentioned1413
Government
 • MayorDaniel Mašlár
Area
 • Total31.79 km2 (12.27 sq mi)
Elevation
575 m (1,886 ft)
Population
 (2021-01-01)[1]
 • Total2,151
 • Density68/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
351 24
Websitewww.mestohranice.cz

Administrative parts

Villages of Pastviny, Studánka and Trojmezí are administrative parts of Hranice.

Etymology

The old German name Rossbach means "Horse brook", referring to the brook where first inhabitants watered their horses. Therefore the horse appears on the town's coat of arms and flag.[2]

In Czech, Hranice means "border". Following the partition of Germany, a border tripoint (between Czechoslovakia, West and East Germany) was situated near the town, for which the village of Trojmezí (literally "Tripoint") is named. In fact, the village is also the tripoint of the three historical regions of Bohemia, Bavaria and Saxony.

Geography

Hranice lies twelve kilometres north of Aš, in the northernmost part of the region, at about 575 meters above sea level. It neighbors the German municipalities of Bad Elster to the southeast, Adorf to the northeast, Eichigt to the north, Regnitzlosau to the west, and Rehau to the southwest.

History

The town was probably founded at the turn of 12th–13th century. The first unverified mentions of the town comes from the beginning of the 14th century. The first verified written mention of Hranice dates to 1413, when the town was bought by the House of Zedtwitz.[2] Before that time, Hranice was the property of the Neippergs. At the end of the 14th century, the Neippergs ran into financial trouble and sold the town. The House of Zedwitz controlled Hranice and the whole region around Aš for almost 500 years.

In 1822 a new school was built. In 1850, a post office was opened and in 1868, the first fire squad was established. In 1882, Hranice gained market rights and became a market town.[2]

In the 1930s, a group of Sudeten German settlers from Hranice emigrated into Chile and founded the settlement of Puyuhuapi, where they lived and intermarried with Mapuches from Chiloé Archipelago.[3]

Textile industry

In the 19th century, the textile industry expanded rapidly in the region, including in Hranice. Beginning in 1806, a local textile factory was one of the most successful in Bohemia. In 1840, however, a plan to build a new road through the town was rejected by the local council. Because Hranice had no railway connection and only bad roads, the textile industry there began to decline. Two new railway routes – one from Aš to Hranice (established in 1885) and the other from Hranice to Adorf (established in 1906) – helped local industry greatly.

Sights

Notable buildings in Hranice include the Evangelic Church, built in the 17th century, and the Catholic Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, built in 1894.[2]

Hranice contains a World War I memorial, built in 1928, along with a World War II memorial and a memorial to a Royal Air Force pilot who crashed in the area during World War II.

Notable people
  • Evangelic Church
  • WW1 memorial
  • Train station

References
  1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2021". Czech Statistical Office. 2021-04-30.
  2. "Historie" (in Czech). Město Hranice. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  3. "Puyuhuapi History and Legends". InterPatagonia. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
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