Lanškroun
Encyclopedia
Lanškroun (ˈlanʃkrou̯n; ), also known as Lanskron, Lanscron, Landeskrone, and Kronland, is a town
and municipality
in the Pardubice Region
of the Czech Republic
. On the border between the former provinces of Bohemia
and Moravia
, it had a population of 9,911 (2006).
The town was founded in the thirteenth century as the center of the estate of Lanškroun and Lanšperk. Until 1918, Landskron was part of Bohemia as part of Austria-Hungary
, then it became part of the Czechoslovakia
and in 1938 it was occupied by German troops according to Munich Agreement
. On May 9, 1945, at the day of the end of World War II in Europe, Soviet troops entered the city. On May 17, 1945, Czech partisan units held court in Landskron, and many Germans were tortured to death.
Until the expulsion of Germans from the Czechoslovakia in 1946, the majority of population of the town was German. By now, most of the inhabitants are Czech people.
with:
Kežmarok
, Slovakia
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Pardubice Region
Pardubice Region
Pardubice Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It is named after its capital Pardubice. "There are a total of 452 municipalities in the region...
of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. On the border between the former provinces of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, it had a population of 9,911 (2006).
The town was founded in the thirteenth century as the center of the estate of Lanškroun and Lanšperk. Until 1918, Landskron was part of Bohemia as part of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, then it became part of the Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and in 1938 it was occupied by German troops according to Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
. On May 9, 1945, at the day of the end of World War II in Europe, Soviet troops entered the city. On May 17, 1945, Czech partisan units held court in Landskron, and many Germans were tortured to death.
Until the expulsion of Germans from the Czechoslovakia in 1946, the majority of population of the town was German. By now, most of the inhabitants are Czech people.
List of people from Lanškroun
- Jan Marek MarciJan Marek MarciJan Marek Marci , or Johannes Marcus Marci, was a Bohemian doctor and scientist, rector of the University of Prague, and official physician to the Holy Roman Emperors...
(1595–1667), doctor and scientist - Jan SmejkalJan SmejkalJan Smejkal is a Czech chess player and, since 1972, an International Grandmaster. In the 1970s, he was among the world chess elite...
(born 1946), International Grandmaster chess player - Roman ŠebrleRoman ŠebrleRoman Šebrle is an athlete from the Czech Republic. He is considered to be one of the best decathlon athletes of all time. Originally a high jumper, he competes in decathlon and heptathlon for team TJ Dukla Praha and is a world record holder in the decathlon...
(born 1974), world record holder in decathlon
Twin towns — Sister cities
Lanškroun is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Kežmarok
Kežmarok
Kežmarok is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia , on the Poprad River.-History:...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...