Prostějov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 43,000 inhabitants. It is located in the Upper Morava Valley on the Romže River. The city is historically known for its fashion industry. TK Agrofert Prostějov is among the most successful Czech tennis clubs.

The most important noble owners of Prostějov were the families of Pernštejn (1495–1599) and Liechtenstein (1599–1848). The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Among the most important monuments in Prostějov are the National House, protected as a national cultural monument, the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which is the oldest building in the city, and the Prostějov Castle.

Administrative division

thumb|Pernštýnské náměstí in the historical centre

thumb|Prostějov Castle

Prostějov consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

  • Prostějov (34,447)
  • Čechovice (1,584)
  • Čechůvky (143)
  • Domamyslice (1,089)
  • Krasice (2,694)
  • Vrahovice (3,372)
  • Žešov (337)

Etymology

The original name of Prostějov was Prostějovice. The name was derived from the personal name Prostěj (a variant of the name Prostimír), meaning "the village of Prostěj's people". After the village was promoted to a town, the name changed to Prostějov.

Geography

Prostějov is located about southwest of Olomouc and northeast of Brno. It lies mostly in a flat agricultural landscape of the Upper Morava Valley. The western tip of the municipal territory extends into the Drahany Highlands and includes the highest point of Prostějov at above sea level. The city is situated at the confluence of the Romže River and Hloučela Stream, which is located in Vrahovice.

History

The first written mention of Prostějov is from 1141. In 1365, the settlement was promoted to a market town and in 1390 to a town. Before 1390, Prostějov was acquired by the Lords of Kravaře and joined to the Plumlov estate. It remained part of it until 1848 and shared its owners and destinies.

An Augustinian monastery was founded in 1391, but it was destroyed before 1430 by the Hussites. From 1454, the Jewish community lived in Prostějov. In 1495, the Plumov estate with Prostějov was bought by the Pernštejn family and the construction of the town walls began.

The Pernštejn family owned Prostějov until 1599. From 1599 to 1848, it was a property of the Liechtenstein family. The monastery of the Merciful Brothers was established between 1727 and 1730. The Capuchin monastery was established in 1764, but was abolished in 1784.

Economy

The city is historically associated with the textile industry. The tradition began already in 1500 when a tailor's guild was founded. In the middle of the 19th century, the first clothing factory in Europe was built here. In 1910, the industry employed 12,000 people.

Oděvní podnik Prostějov, the biggest textile company in the country with about 10,000 employees, was founded in 1964. After the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia, the company failed to restructure and adapt to market mechanisms, and went bankrupt in 2010.

Nowadays, the largest industrial employers based in the city are Makovec (meat processor) and Mubea Stabilizer Bar Systems (manufacturer of automotive parts), both employing more than 1,000 people. The largest non-industrial employer is the hospital.

Czech Armed Forces' special forces unit 601. skss is based in Prostějov.

Transport

The D46 motorway (part of the European route E462) from Olomouc to Vyškov runs through Prostějov.

Prostějov lies on the railway line Nezamyslice–Kouty nad Desnou (via Olomouc and Šumperk).

Sport

The city is known for the tennis club TK Agrofert Prostějov, connected with many of the biggest names of the Czech tennis history.

Prostějov is home to the football club 1. SK Prostějov, which plays in Czech National Football League (2nd tier), and to the ice hockey club LHK Jestřábi Prostějov, which plays in the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League (2nd tier).

Sights

thumb|160px|City hall

thumb|Museum and Gallery in Prostějov

The historic centre is formed by the square Náměstí T. G. Masaryka and its surroundings, which include several other smaller squares. The central square is lined by burgher houses with Renaissance or Baroque cores, and façades mostly from the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the houses is the birthplace of Jiří Wolker, one of the most important natives. The main landmark of the square is the city hall, built in 1911–1914, with a high tower, which is open to the public. In the middle of the square is a Baroque Marian column from 1714.

Prostějov Castle on the square Pernštýnské náměstí is one of the most significant buildings in the city. It was reconstructed after 1893 and decorated with modern sgraffito by Jano Köhler. Today it is owned by the city.

Notable people

  • John Filipec ( – 1509), bishop and diplomat
  • Meir Eisenstadt ( – 1744), author of rabbinic literature
  • Jonathan Eybeschutz (1690–1764), rabbi
  • Moses Sofer (1762–1839), rabbi
  • Gideon Brecher (1797–1873), Austrian physician and writer
  • Moritz Steinschneider (1816–1907), bibliographer and orientalist
  • Ignaz Brüll (1846–1907), Austrian pianist and composer
  • Rosa Sonneschein (1847–1932), journalist and editor
  • Nathan Porges (1848–1924), rabbi
  • Konrad Loewe (1856–1912), Austrian actor and playwright
  • Edmund Husserl (1859–1938), German philosopher
  • Ondřej Přikryl (1862–1936), writer and politician; mayor of Prostějov in 1914–1919
  • Rudolf Alfred Höger (1877–1930), Austrian painter
  • Jana Jeništová-Fiedlerová (1888–1966), photographer
  • Carmen Cartellieri (1891–1954), Austrian actress
  • Jiří Wolker (1900–1924), poet, journalist and playwright
  • Edvard Valenta (1901–1978), journalist and writer
  • Lola Beer Ebner (1910–1997), Israeli fashion designer
  • Otto Wichterle (1913–1998), chemist and inventor
  • Otakar Hořínek (1929–2015), sport shooter, Olympic medalist
  • Antonín Přidal (1935–2017), translator and writer
  • Milena Dvorská (1938–2009), actress
  • Karel Dyba (1940–2024), economist and politician
  • Oldřich Machač (1946–2011), ice hockey player
  • Nina Škottová (1946–2018), politician
  • Rostislav Václavíček (1946–2022), footballer
  • Vlastimil Petržela (born 1953), football player and manager
  • Luděk Mikloško (born 1961), footballer
  • Petr Hořava (born 1963), physicist
  • Paulina Porizkova (born 1965), Swedish-American model and actress
  • Karel Nováček (born 1965), tennis player
  • Robert Změlík (born 1969), decathlete, Olympic winner
  • Radoslav Látal (born 1970, football player and manager
  • Gabriela Míčová (born 1975), actress
  • Lukáš Krajíček (born 1983), ice hockey player
  • Petra Cetkovská (born 1985), tennis player
  • Petra Kvitová (born 1990), tennis player; lives here
  • Jakub Menšík (born 2005), tennis player

Twin towns – sister cities

Prostějov is twinned with:

  • Środa Wielkopolska, Poland
  • Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia

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References

  • Official tourist portal
  • Jewish history