Zbuch
Encyclopedia
Zbůch is a village and municipality (obec
) in Plzeň-North District
in the Plzeň Region
of the Czech Republic. The municipality covers an area of 8.57 square kilometres (3.3 sq mi), and has a population of 2,048 (as at 3 July 2006). Zbůch lies approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) south-west of Plzeň and 98 km (61 mi) south-west of Prague
. The earliest know written record of the village dates from 1253.
. During the Middle Ages
the area was established farmyard that was owned by a number of secular feudal lords, such as the Great Zbůch or Votíka of Chotěšovic during the 15th century. Shortly after the 17th century, tax records state that only five farmers lived in the village. The last feudal lords, whose family farmed Zbůch until the first land reform, built a large noble manor
on the northern outskirts of the village. The site is still partially preserved. Records from the 19 century suggest the village consisted of 28 houses. In 1861 a railway line from Plzeň to Brod was built near the village, however, a railway station for the village was not opened until 1906.
of Úhercům. The village consisted of a small village square lined with farmhouses, which was dominated by the chapel. In the first 20 years of the 20th century, the population increased from the original few dozen to about two thousand by 1921. This population boom was due to the development of the coal mines on the edge of the village. In January 1919, the first general school was establish in Zbůch. By 1932, after many delays, a fully functional school building was built in the village. By the mid 1920's, the village had built a town hall with a memorial statue of president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk out front.
In October 1938, following the Munich Agreement
, Zbůch was ceded to the Nazi Germany
, along with other lands in the Sudetenland
region. Although there were many Czech/non-Germans living in the village who migrated there to work the coal mines, the village was considered German and subject to the Munich Agreement. Many Czech miners were forced into early retirement to accommodate large numbers of French
and later Russian
prisoners of war which were interned here. At the beginning of 1945 U.S. tanks liberated the area from Nazi occupation on their way to meet with Russian allies in Torgau
. After the war the region was ceded to the new Czechoslovakia
. Most ethnic Germans were forcibly removed and resettled within the newly established boarders of Germany.
In the period after February 1948 the communist government
took state ownership
of the mine and collectivized the local peasant labor force. The former camp was gradually transformed into a hostel
. Although part of the area works were acquired by private individuals. The pub near the railway station was built to house a cultural hall, which became the largest facility of its kind in the Plzeň-North District
. Since 1990 the privote companies have transformed the mining facilities for the production of precast concrete, interlocking tiles, and several other products. Several apartment buildings were built near the concrete plant and near the soccer field in the center of the village. In recent times the northern and eastern side of the village square were demolished and planning for the site includes a small mall.
monastery
dating from 1115. Later the village became the property of the monastery in the neighboring Chotěšov. In the late 18th century, the village consisted of 16 residential listings. In October 1938 the village was annexed by the Nazi Germany along with Zbůch. After the war, the local ethnic Germans were forcably resettled within the new German boundaries and replaced by settlers from the Pilsen region as well as the Czech Republic's interior. The village has retained its historic village square, with a chapel and several valuable estates. Address No. 2 is a unique residential timbered house dating from 1773. At the beginning of the 1950s, a military airfield was built in the woods above the village.
) in the Plzeň-North District
of the Czech Republic, at 49°40′45"N 13°13′14"E. According to the Czech Statistical Office
, the municipality has a total area of 8.57 square kilometres (3.3 sq mi), of which, 8.42 km² (5.23 square miles) of it is land and 0.14 km² (0.0540543022029549 sq mi) of it is water.
The village lies approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) south-west of Plzeň and 98 km (61 mi) south-west of Prague
. The terrain is flat to slightly undulating.
, used in the manufacturing of gas and coke, and also in the chemical industry. After 1918 the original name was changed to Masaryk Jubilee mine in honor of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, founder and first President of Czechoslovakia
. This name lasted until the 2nd half of the 20th century, with an exception during World War II when the name was temporarily changed to the Adolf Hitler mine. The mining of coal significantly increased the size of the village during the early 20th century. At one time the mine was among the largest buildings of its kind in the Pilsen region. After 1948, Masaryk Jubilee was renamed the Jubilee Mine Pit Defenders of Peace.
Mining operations ceased in 1977. In the 1950s, a mining school built in Zbůch. It was closed in 1966 and later became a Social Care Institute for physically and mentally handicapped kids. Most of the mine buildings were demolished shortly after the operations ended. Remnants of the once grand mine still fascinate visitors. The site is a standing reminder of the construction of industrial buildings in the first decades of the 20 century. The dominant feature is the extraction belt reaching an impressive height of 100 m. The area around the former Masaryk Jubilee mine has become an industrial zone.
A smaller mine was also located in the village of Zbuch. Operations started in 1889 and ended in 1965. After closing down operations the site received repair of railway rolling stock. After 1990 the buildings previously belonging to the shaft were taken over by a company dedicated to the marketing of kitchen spices. The mine is located near a former row of tenement houses.
, and railroad tracks, also from Plzeň to Domazlice. Approximately 1 km north of Zbůch lies the D5 motorway which runs from Prague
, through Plzeň, to Rozvadov
on the boarder of Austria
.
Obec
Obec is the Czech and Slovak word for a municipality . The literal meaning of the word is "commune" or "community". It is the smallest administrative unit that is governed by elected representatives. Cities are also municipalities...
) in Plzeň-North District
Plzen-North District
Plzeň-North District is a district within Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Pilsen.- Complete list of municipalities :Bdeněves -Bezvěrov -Bílov -Blatnice -Blažim -Bohy -Brodeslavy -Bučí -Čeminy -Černíkovice -...
in the Plzeň Region
Plzen Region
Plzeň Region is an administrative unit in the western part of Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is named after its capital Plzeň .- Communes :...
of the Czech Republic. The municipality covers an area of 8.57 square kilometres (3.3 sq mi), and has a population of 2,048 (as at 3 July 2006). Zbůch lies approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) south-west of Plzeň and 98 km (61 mi) south-west of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. The earliest know written record of the village dates from 1253.
Early history
Zbůch was previously known as the Zbuoch, Zwug, and Zwuch. The earliest written mention of Zbůch comes from 1253, when it was cited as a property of the monastery in Chotěšov Premonstratensian. However, the settlement is thought to have its roots in prehistoric times, as evidenced by numerous archeological finds in the area dating from the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the area was established farmyard that was owned by a number of secular feudal lords, such as the Great Zbůch or Votíka of Chotěšovic during the 15th century. Shortly after the 17th century, tax records state that only five farmers lived in the village. The last feudal lords, whose family farmed Zbůch until the first land reform, built a large noble manor
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
on the northern outskirts of the village. The site is still partially preserved. Records from the 19 century suggest the village consisted of 28 houses. In 1861 a railway line from Plzeň to Brod was built near the village, however, a railway station for the village was not opened until 1906.
20th century
By the end of the 19th century Zbůch was a small agricultural village connected to the nearby parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Úhercům. The village consisted of a small village square lined with farmhouses, which was dominated by the chapel. In the first 20 years of the 20th century, the population increased from the original few dozen to about two thousand by 1921. This population boom was due to the development of the coal mines on the edge of the village. In January 1919, the first general school was establish in Zbůch. By 1932, after many delays, a fully functional school building was built in the village. By the mid 1920's, the village had built a town hall with a memorial statue of president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk out front.
In October 1938, following the 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...
, Zbůch was ceded to the Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, along with other lands in the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
region. Although there were many Czech/non-Germans living in the village who migrated there to work the coal mines, the village was considered German and subject to the Munich Agreement. Many Czech miners were forced into early retirement to accommodate large numbers of French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and later Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
prisoners of war which were interned here. At the beginning of 1945 U.S. tanks liberated the area from Nazi occupation on their way to meet with Russian allies in Torgau
Torgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
. After the war the region was ceded to the new 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...
. Most ethnic Germans were forcibly removed and resettled within the newly established boarders of Germany.
In the period after February 1948 the communist government
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
took state ownership
State ownership
State ownership, also called public ownership, government ownership or state property, are property interests that are vested in the state, rather than an individual or communities....
of the mine and collectivized the local peasant labor force. The former camp was gradually transformed into a hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
. Although part of the area works were acquired by private individuals. The pub near the railway station was built to house a cultural hall, which became the largest facility of its kind in the Plzeň-North District
Plzen-North District
Plzeň-North District is a district within Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Pilsen.- Complete list of municipalities :Bdeněves -Bezvěrov -Bílov -Blatnice -Blažim -Bohy -Brodeslavy -Bučí -Čeminy -Černíkovice -...
. Since 1990 the privote companies have transformed the mining facilities for the production of precast concrete, interlocking tiles, and several other products. Several apartment buildings were built near the concrete plant and near the soccer field in the center of the village. In recent times the northern and eastern side of the village square were demolished and planning for the site includes a small mall.
Village of Červený Újezd
The nearby Malá ves Červený Újezd village is now part of the village of Zbůch. The earliest written mention of this village is in the property listing of the Kladruby BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
dating from 1115. Later the village became the property of the monastery in the neighboring Chotěšov. In the late 18th century, the village consisted of 16 residential listings. In October 1938 the village was annexed by the Nazi Germany along with Zbůch. After the war, the local ethnic Germans were forcably resettled within the new German boundaries and replaced by settlers from the Pilsen region as well as the Czech Republic's interior. The village has retained its historic village square, with a chapel and several valuable estates. Address No. 2 is a unique residential timbered house dating from 1773. At the beginning of the 1950s, a military airfield was built in the woods above the village.
Geography
Zbůch is a village and municipality (obecObec
Obec is the Czech and Slovak word for a municipality . The literal meaning of the word is "commune" or "community". It is the smallest administrative unit that is governed by elected representatives. Cities are also municipalities...
) in the Plzeň-North District
Plzen-North District
Plzeň-North District is a district within Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Pilsen.- Complete list of municipalities :Bdeněves -Bezvěrov -Bílov -Blatnice -Blažim -Bohy -Brodeslavy -Bučí -Čeminy -Černíkovice -...
of the Czech Republic, at 49°40′45"N 13°13′14"E. According to the Czech Statistical Office
Czech Statistical Office
The Czech Statistical Office is the main organization which collects, analyzes and disseminates statistical information for the benefit of the various parts of the local and national governments of the Czech Republic...
, the municipality has a total area of 8.57 square kilometres (3.3 sq mi), of which, 8.42 km² (5.23 square miles) of it is land and 0.14 km² (0.0540543022029549 sq mi) of it is water.
The village lies approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) south-west of Plzeň and 98 km (61 mi) south-west of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. The terrain is flat to slightly undulating.
Mining activities in the village and surrounding
The Western Bohemia Mining stock club was built between 1906 and 1908, on the eastern outskirts of the village, between Zbůch and the nearby village of Cerveny Ujezd. The site has two deep mining pits (800 and 720 m) of exceptional quality coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, used in the manufacturing of gas and coke, and also in the chemical industry. After 1918 the original name was changed to Masaryk Jubilee mine in honor of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, founder and first President of 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...
. This name lasted until the 2nd half of the 20th century, with an exception during World War II when the name was temporarily changed to the Adolf Hitler mine. The mining of coal significantly increased the size of the village during the early 20th century. At one time the mine was among the largest buildings of its kind in the Pilsen region. After 1948, Masaryk Jubilee was renamed the Jubilee Mine Pit Defenders of Peace.
Mining operations ceased in 1977. In the 1950s, a mining school built in Zbůch. It was closed in 1966 and later became a Social Care Institute for physically and mentally handicapped kids. Most of the mine buildings were demolished shortly after the operations ended. Remnants of the once grand mine still fascinate visitors. The site is a standing reminder of the construction of industrial buildings in the first decades of the 20 century. The dominant feature is the extraction belt reaching an impressive height of 100 m. The area around the former Masaryk Jubilee mine has become an industrial zone.
A smaller mine was also located in the village of Zbuch. Operations started in 1889 and ended in 1965. After closing down operations the site received repair of railway rolling stock. After 1990 the buildings previously belonging to the shaft were taken over by a company dedicated to the marketing of kitchen spices. The mine is located near a former row of tenement houses.
Transportation
The village is undergoing development of a major transportation artery. The artery consists of a highway from Plzeň to DomazliceDomažlice
Domažlice is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.Domažlice is also a Municipality with Extended Competence and a Municipality with Commissioned Local Authority within the same borders.-History:...
, and railroad tracks, also from Plzeň to Domazlice. Approximately 1 km north of Zbůch lies the D5 motorway which runs from Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, through Plzeň, to Rozvadov
Rozvadov
Rozvadov is a village and municipality in Tachov District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic, on the border with Germany.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 821 ....
on the boarder of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Notable People
- Werner KrieglsteinWerner KrieglsteinWerner Josef Krieglstein, Ph.D. , a Fulbright Scholar and University of Chicago fellow, is an award winning and internationally recognized scholar, director and actor. Krieglstein is the founder of a neo-Nietzschean philosophical school called Transcendental Perspectivism...
, professor, philosopher, author, and actor; a University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
fellow and Fulbright ScholarFulbright ProgramThe Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
. Spent his childhood in Zbuch, relocated to Germany after WWII.