Radonice (Chomutov District)

Its name is derived from a personal name Radoň – the village of Radoň's people.

The oldest written record about Radonice comes from 1196, when monks came from Waldsassen Abbey to a rule of Milhost from Mašťov. Ojíř of Radonice (Hogir de Radonitz) signed his donating document as a witness. Nicolas and John Lobkowitz of Hasištejn were next holders. Fates of Radonice was put together with Vintířov with a knight fortress, which was changed to a castle for a noble family. After 1508 Radonice experienced the largest bloom. Opl of Fictum bought the Radonice's manor and Vintířov from Albrecht of Kolovraty. It was his merit that Radonice was advanced into a town. The king Władysław II Jagiełło confirmed it. He conferred it a privilege of brewing beer, selling salt, markets arranging and the one-mile-law privilege. In 1532 Albert Schlick bought the market-town Radonice and Vintířov. The mastership of Schlicks lasted for three quarters of a century and it was a time of development. The city was enclosed by a wall and it had four gates. It had a brewery, a malt-house, two mills, a bath, a new pub and a city hospital. In 1622 Ferdinand of Nagarol became a lord of the town. His wife forbade to receive Jews in the market town in 1628.

In 1662 the king Leopold I ratified the privilege of the one-mile-law for a salt and a corn. In 1664 dynasty of Losynthal bought the town. The first mention about school appeared in 1664. A new church was built on a place of the old one in 1702.

In 1842 stables and a riding school were destroyed by fire. In 1871 a sugar refinery grew up at the outskirts. In 1889 a new school was built in Doupovská street. From 1841 a regular connecting by a post coach started. First post office was opened in 1872. In 1884 a railway was built up. An electrification of the community was performed in 1910.

From the first half of 19th century coal mining developed. The most well known coal mine is Františka and the exploitation ended on the eve of World War II. Soon after the beginning of World War II prisoners went to Radonice. 35 men from France were accommodated in the town. They worked mainly in the shafts and in local farms. The German population was expelled after World War II.

In 1952 the farmers' cooperation started, which stood on dried swamp. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989 the town has been slowly awaking to the new life.