From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
- This article is about the city. For the acronym, see MOST (disambiguation). For the Salvadoran rapper, see M.O.S.T
| Statistics |
| Area: |
86.9 km² |
| Population: |
67,805 (2005) |
| Map |
 |
Most is a city in the northwest of the Czech Republic, in Ústí nad Labem Region. It is situated between the Czech Central Mountains (Czech: České středohoří) and Ore Mountains (Czech: Krušné hory), approximately 77 km (48 miles) northwest of Prague along the Bílina River and southwest of Ústí nad Labem.
[edit] Etymology
The name Most means "bridge" in Czech. The town was named after the system of bridges over swamps which lay in this area in 10th century. The German name for Most is Brüx (also means "bridge" in German).
[edit] History
The Latin Chronica Boemorum mentions a Slavic settlement below the Gnevin Castle (Czech: Hněvín) called Gnevin Pons (Czech: Hněvínský most) in 1040. Through the swamps there led a merchant route from Prague to Freiberg. The network of wooden bridges was built to provide comfortable passages through this territory. Hneva from the Hrabisic dynasty established a military stronghold to protect caravans. Under this stronghold the village that would become Most developed.
In 1227 Kojata, the last of the Hrabisics, passed his property to the cloister of the Knights of the Cross. Since 1238 the royal town was owned by the Přemyslids and it became a rich city with many churches. Kings Otakar II, John of Luxembourg, and Charles IV all granted Most city rights. In the 14th century, due to colonization the city became predominantly German.
During the 15th and 16th centuries the city was hit by several fires. About 1517, city reconstruction began the foundations of several significant facilities, including the new dean's church and the Renaissance city hall.
During the Thirty Years' War, the city was occupied by Swedish troops. Both in the early years and in the last years of the war it was captured by stratagem. In a similar manner was captured the castle Hněvín.
After the Thirty Years' War, Most lost much of its economical and political significance, and it was not until the second half of the 19th century that the emergence of industry and mining brought renewed importance to the city. In 1870 a railway line was built, heralding a population and building explosion (sugar works, porcelain factory, steel works, brewery, founding of city museum etc.). In 1895 the city was affected by quicksand that swallowed several houses, including some of their occupants.
Lookout tower of the rebuilt Hněvín offers a view over the former mining area with the moved Church as well as over the new town
Into the 1930s, the quick building activity continued. In 1900 the RICO plant for dressing material was constructed. Since 1901, an electric street car line links Most with Kopisty up to Janov. In 1911 the most modern theatre in what today is the Czech Republic. The construction of a unique dam at Křížatky from 1911 to 1914 solved the city's problem with the supply of drinking water. The German-speaking population of the city largely fled before the Red Army during World War II. The war brought to the city the destruction of housing estates under the castle Hněvín. After 1964 began the process of "moving" the city.
During the sixties, Most's historic centre was completely destroyed to make room for the expanding lignite mines, a process that lasted until 1970. This process involved the destruction of many historic monuments, including a brewery dating from the 15th century and a theatre designed in 1910 by Alexander Graf, a Viennese architect who designed many theatres across Central Europe, including ones in Ostrava and Ljubljana. One building, however, was preserved: the Gothic Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Kostel Nanebevzetí Panny Marie), built between 1517 and 1594 and designed by Jakob Heilmann of Schweinfurt. Over 28 days, it was moved by train to the new town, 841 metres away, at the rate of roughly 30 metres per day. This building was mentioned in Guinness Book of World Records as the heaviest building ever moved on wheels.
[edit] Life in the town
As a young city Most does not have many historical sights, yet there are two important ones: Hněvín Castle and the Gothic Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Kostel Nanebevzetí Panny Marie). On the other hand there are many amusement facilities which can be visited: planetarium, observatory, autodrome, aquadrome or hippodrome.
The city of Most is known for its huge share of people living in panelaks. The decimated environment along with urban development has given the city a depressing feeling. On the other side the concentration of population in the flats enabled remarkable development of informational technologies. For example the cable television project functional in 1988 was something unusual in any other Czech city. Now many people have access to the broadband internet at prices well below average in the Czech Republic.
The new city is well designed (wide streets, many parks in the center), especially the infrastructure and traffic situation is quite good in comparsion with cities of similar size. The social situation of local people is bad. With unemployment rate of nearly 25% (2005) the locality far the worst in the Czech Republic. This number is caused by huge workforce of aging unqualified miners. Also flat accommodation is quite cheap so it pushes more unemployed people from other regions to live there and raises this number.
A bright side is that Most, due to heavy social and EU funding and the development of local business and industry, is beginning to recover.
[edit] Industry
Most is the heart of the northern Bohemia lignite-mining region and serves as an important industrial railway junction. Other industries in Most include textile, ceramics, steel, and chemicals.
During the second half of 20th century Most turned to a dusty and dirty miner town and in the communist era it was said to be one of the darkest cities of the Czechoslovakia.
The mining itself has long tradition in the area. Extensive mining operations are continuing after the year 2000, but now completely under control of foreign companies. Many surrounding villages are planned to be abandoned due to surface mining.
Unsurprisingly, heavy industry has shaped the image and development of postwar Most.
As environmental conditions have improved in recent years, the growing of apples and grape vines has developed.
[edit] City districts
- The neighborhood of Rudolice nad Bílinou, known as Chánov, a housing estate created during the communist era, has become a symbol of the poverty and ghettoization of many Roma in the Czech Republic.
- Vtelno used to be a village near Most. When the new city was built near it, Vtelno became an integral part of Most. It has a church, a historical Baroque manor, and many monoliths and sculptures that have been collected during an era of demolition of villages in the region (due to coal mining).
[edit] Famous People
- Playboy's Playmate of the Month Marketa Janska was born here in 1981.
- Ice hockey player Martin Ručínský was born here in 1971.
- Ice hockey player Marek Židlický was born here in 1977.
[edit] Neighboring cities
Litvínov, Chomutov, Žatec, Louny, Teplice, Kadaň
[edit] Friendship towns
[edit] References
Wikisource has an original article from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica about:
- Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, 3rd edition
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 50°32′N 13°39′E
