Uherský Brod

Uherský Brod is situated 300 km (190 mi) southeast of Prague, in the south-east of Moravia. It lies in the Vizovice Highlands and near the White Carpathian Mountains.

The history of Uherský Brod, a name which can be loosely translated as the 'Hungarian ford' or 'river crossing to Hungary', can be traced back to the 10th century. In 1272 it had become sufficiently important that Přemysl Otakar II granted it the status of a King's town.

The 16th century was the all too short golden age of the town, which flourished under the lordship of John of Kaunic (Czech: Jan z Kaunic). The town hall and lords' house were built during this time. The good times came to an end at the beginning of the 17th century when Hungarians started to attack it in a series of invasions.

Later, German and Jewish communities began to grow and in the 19th century, the town was transformed by industrial development but managed to retain its character and charm.

World War II brought further invasion and the development of military industries. Česká Zbrojovka, a precision firearms manufacturer, plays a leading role in the region's industry. It also led to the loss of the town's Jewish community, the striking reminder of which is the Jewish cemetery.

With the White Carpathian national park and the trans-Carpathian cycle routes nearby, Uherský Brod has become a tourist attraction. The town has a local brewery, Janáček, that supplies mainly in the region. The name is often confused with Leoš Janáček, a Czech composer, but the two have little in common. On a hill above the town is an observatory from 1961, having been funded and built entirely by the town's residents. As of 2009 the observatory had plans for a large planetarium to help it with its educational message.

John Amos Comenius

Uherský Brod is a possible birthplace of John Amos Comenius. However, most likely it is just a place where he spent a part of his life. There are a museum and a secondary grammar school that bear his name. The link to Comenius was the reason for the twinning of Uherský Brod and Naarden in the Netherlands, where Comenius is buried.

A local football club, ČSK Uherský Brod, plays in the Moravian–Silesian Football League (3rd tier of the Czech football league system).

Uherský Brod is twinned with:[3]

• Gierałtowice, Poland
• Gooise Meren, Netherlands
• Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Slovakia
• Ourém, Portugal

• Official website (in Czech)
• Astronomical Observatory (in Czech)
• Secondary Grammar School of J.A. Comenius (in Czech)
• Website about czech cities (in English)

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