Prostejov
Encyclopedia
Prostějov (ˈproscɛjof; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region
Olomouc Region
Olomouc Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia and in a small part of the historical region of Silesia . It is named for its capital Olomouc.-External links:* *...

 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....

. Today the city is known for its fashion industry and special military forces based there.

Prostějov is situated on the northern edge of Hornomoravský úval basin, at the foothill of Prostějovská pahorkatina upland, in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. On its western side, there rises the Drahanská vrchovina highland. The town is flat, with minimum elevation differences, from 212 to 262 meters above sea level.

The town comes into existence in 1141 as a small settlement of Prostějovice, deriving its name from Lord Prostěj. The first written records about the town, also referred to as the "Jerusalem of Hana
Haná
Haná is an ethnic region in central Moravia in the Czech Republic, roughly encircled by the cities of Zábřeh, Holešov, Vyškov and Uničov, the main parts of which are located in the lowlands of the Morava River and the Haná River. Haná is primarily known for its agricultural productivity, costumes,...

", date back to the 1st half of the 12th century. The historical core of the town has been declared a historical town preserve.

Sights

One of the oldest sights in town is the Church of Holy Cross, built towards the end of the 14th century to replace a former Augustinian monastery. Among other sights, there is the Prostějov Castle at Pernštýnské náměstí square, completed in early 16th century in the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

 style and later reconstructed in early 20th century, with a rich decorated portal by Italian architect Casper Cuneus. The sgraffito
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...

 decoration of the castle was made by Jano Kohler. Above the entrance, there is the famous sentence: "Hanák tade bode do skonání světa..." (People of Hana will live to the end of time...). The Renaissance architecture of Italian builders of the 1520s and 1530s can also be seen in the former town-hall. The building was completed in 1538 with a noteworthy portal, decorated with the municipal coat-of-arms. It now houses the Museum of Prostějov. Today, the main cultural and community centre and one of the architectonic dominants of Prostějov is the Národní dům (National House), an outstanding cultural monument of the Czech Republic, it was built in 1905-1907 according to a design by Jan Kotěra
Jan Kotera
Jan Kotěra was a Czech architect, artist and interior designer, and one of the key figures of modern architecture in Bohemia.-Biography:...

, a professor at the Prague School of Applied Arts and a prominent representative of Czech Art Nouveau. In addition to Jan Kotěra. the Národní dům was decorated by painter František Kysela and sculptors Stanislav Sucharda
Stanislav Sucharda
Stanislav Sucharda , Czech sculptor and professor at the Prague School of Applied Arts from 1899, and a leading figure in the Mánes Union of Fine Arts Stanislav Sucharda (1866–1916), Czech sculptor and professor at the Prague School of Applied Arts from 1899, and a leading figure in the Mánes Union...

 and Karel Petr
Karel Petr
Karel Petr was one of the most renowned Czech mathematicians of the first half of the 20th century.- External links :*...

. The centre of the town is dominated by the building of the new town-hall, erected in 1911 - 1914 according to a project by prof. K. H. Kepka, replacing former military barracks, designed in the style of Historicism, with elements of Art Nouveau in the interior. The front side was decorated with sculptures by Vl. Pleský. On the right side, there is a relief of architect Matěj Rejsek
Matej Rejsek
Matěj Rejsek was a famous Czech gothic architect, scholar, and philosopher. He is also known as Matyáš Rejsek.There is probably incorrect year of born 1449 on his memorial plaque in Prostějov.Works:...

, made by Jan Tříska
Jan Tríska
Jan Triska or Jan Tříska is a Czech-American actor.-Early life and career:He was born in Prague. Before his emigration he performed in the theater and had many roles in movies, the movie version of Radúz a Mahulena and in the communist propaganda piece 30 Cases of Major Zeman...

, on the left side, there is a relief by sculptor Bohumil Teplý, devoted to the philosopher Edmund Husserl
Edmund Husserl
Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl was a philosopher and mathematician and the founder of the 20th century philosophical school of phenomenology. He broke with the positivist orientation of the science and philosophy of his day, yet he elaborated critiques of historicism and of psychologism in logic...

. Among other architectonic sights, there is a Plague Column with the sculpture of Virgin Mary, erected in 1714 by an unknown author, a Baroque church of St. John of Nepomuk, Parish Church of St. Peter and Paul and the Church of St. Constantine and Method.

The town lives not only in its history. In early May, Prostějov welcomes all those who are keen on dancing to Discodrome - The Championship of the Czech Republic and World Championship in Disco Dance Formation and Disco Show Formation and the European Championship in Break Dance. Since 1957, the town has also been organising Wolkrův Prostějov - a national festival of poetry. In September, the town enlivens with three-day Prostějov Haná Festival, the largest Czech festival of children and adult Haná ethnic ensembles, also featuring folk craft fair.

People

  • Petra Cetkovská
    Petra Cetkovská
    Petra Cetkovská is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic and is of ethnic Macedonian origin. She reached her career high singles ranking No.30 on 24 October 2011.-Career:...

    , tennis player
  • Gideon Brecher
    Gideon Brecher
    Gideon Brecher , also known as "Gedaliah Ben Eliezer", was an Austrian physician and writer.Brecher was the uncle, by marriage, to Austrian bibliographer and Orientalist Moritz Steinschneider....

    , medical doctor, writer
  • Ignaz Brüll
    Ignaz Brüll
    Ignaz Brüll was an Austrian pianist and composer.Ignaz Brüll was born the eldest son of a prosperous Jewish merchant family in the Moravian provincial town of Prostějov . In 1850 he moved with his parents to Vienna, which became the centre of his life and work...

    , great composer
  • Meir Eisenstadt
    Meir Eisenstadt
    Meir ben Izsak Eisenstadt was the author of responsa and other works of rabbinic literature. An authority on Halakha, he was consulted by rabbis from Turkey, Germany and Italy. He is known as the Panim Me'irot after his major work called Shu"t Panim Me'irot...

    , rabbi
  • Jonathan Eybeschutz
    Jonathan Eybeschutz
    Jonathan Eybeschutz , was a Talmudist, Halachist, Kabbalist, holding positions as Dayan of Prague, and later as Rabbi of the "Three Communities": Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbek. With Jacob Emden, he is well known as a protagonist in the Emden-Eybeschütz Controversy.-Biography:Eybeschütz's father was...

    , rabbi
  • Edmund Husserl
    Edmund Husserl
    Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl was a philosopher and mathematician and the founder of the 20th century philosophical school of phenomenology. He broke with the positivist orientation of the science and philosophy of his day, yet he elaborated critiques of historicism and of psychologism in logic...

    , philosopher
  • Lukas Krajicek
    Lukáš Krajícek
    Lukáš Krajíček is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for HC Dinamo Minsk of the KHL. He previously played in the National Hockey League for the Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers and in the Czech Extraliga for the HC Oceláři...

    , NHL hockey player for the Philadelphia Flyers
    Philadelphia Flyers
    The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

  • Henrieta Nagyová
    Henrieta Nagyová
    Henrieta Nagyová is a Slovak female professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1994 and has been ranked as high as the 21st in the world . In recent years her ranking has fallen due to constant injury. In late 2005, she brought her ranking up to a year ending 145, after it fell below 200...

  • Karel Nováček
    Karel Novácek
    Karel Nováček is a retired Czech former top ten tennis player. Born in Prostějov, Czechoslovakia . Nováček now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, United States....

  • Vlastimil Petržela
    Vlastimil Petržela
    Vlastimil Petržela is a Czech football coach who worked with Zenit Saint Petersburg from 2003 to 2006, winning the silver medals of Russian Premier League in 2003 and reaching the quarterfinal stage of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup...

  • Nathan Porges
    Nathan Porges
    Nathan Porges was a Bohemian German rabbi.Porges was born in Prostějov in Moravia, then part of the Austrian Empire....

    , rabbi
  • Paulina Porizkova
    Paulina Porizkova
    Pavlína Pořízková-Ocasek is a Czech model and actress. At the age of eighteen years, she became the first woman from Central Europe to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated swim-suit issue. She was the second woman to be featured on the swim-suit issue's front cover consecutive times...

  • Moses Sofer
    Moses Sofer
    Moses Schreiber, known to his own community and Jewish posterity as Moshe Sofer, also known by his main work Chasam Sofer, , , was one of the leading Orthodox rabbis of European Jewry in the first half of the nineteenth century...

    , rabbi
  • Nina Škottová
    Nina Škottová
    Nina Škottová is a Czech politician andMember of the European Parliament with the Civic Democratic Party,part of the European Democrats and sits onthe European Parliament's Committee on Budgets....

  • Moritz Steinschneider
    Moritz Steinschneider
    Moritz Steinschneider was a Bohemian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider , who was not only an expert Talmudist, but was also well versed in secular science...

    , rabbi, Jewish studier, bibliographer, orientalist
  • Otto Wichterle
    Otto Wichterle
    Otto Wichterle was a Czech chemist, best known for his invention of modern soft contact lenses.-Biography:His father Karel was co-owner of a successful farm-machine factory and small car plant but Otto chose science for his career...

  • Jiří Wolker
    Jirí Wolker
    Jiří Wolker was a Czech poet, journalist and playwright. He was one of the founding members of CPC - Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in 1921.- Life :...

  • Pavlina Ticha, tennis player, trainer
  • Ludek Miklosko
    Ludek Mikloško
    Luděk "Ludo" Mikloško is a Czech retired football goalkeeper.-Career:Mikloško started his career in his native Czechoslovakia with Baník Ostrava...

    , former national football goalkeeper and goalkeeper for West Ham United FC

External links

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