Chomutov

Location and natural conditions

The town with the historical heart on the left side of the river Chomutovka shore in altitude of 234m is extended in Chomutovsko-Teplice basin by the foot of the Ore Mountains. The surface is mostly flat only the parts in the north and southeast protrude to the hillside about several tens meters.

Administrative division

Chomutov is a municipality with extended authority. There is one municipality with an authorized municipality office Jirkov and another 23 municipalities [this is an ambiguous translation from Czech to English]. The administrative territory of Chomutov borders with Germany in the north. Additionally, it borders with the municipality territories of town Kadaň in the west, Louny in the south, Most in the east and Litvínov in the northeast. A municipality with extended responsibilities represents a new type of municipality which holds certain administrative powers delegated from the state government. A municipality with an authorized municipality office is delegated some parts of the authority of a municipality with extended authority. Thus, it is a smaller municipality than a municipality with extended authority, whereas the latter is under the authority of an administrative district 9.

Municipality with extended activities

Municipality with authorized municipality office

History of town

In 1252 Chomutov came into the possession of the Teutonic Order. The Gothic church of St. Catharine built during that era still stands to this day. In 1396 Chomutov received a town charter, and in 1416 the knights sold both the town and the lordship to Wenceslaus IV. On March 16, 1421, the town was stormed, sacked and burned by the Taborites. After several upheavals and changes of ownership, Chomutov was taken by Popel of Lobkovic in 1588, who established Jesuit rule, leading to trouble between the Protestant citizens and the town's new overlord. In 1594 the feudal lordship fell to the crown, and in 1605 the town purchased its freedom and was made a royal city. After the Thirty Years' War, Chomutov stagnated. Rapid development did not come until the second half of the 19th century, with advances in the mining and hardware industries.

By 1938 Chomutov had over 30,000 inhabitants. Part of the Sudetenland, it had a population comprising about 95% ethnic Germans. A very small Jewish population, (444 in 1930 − 1.3% of the total population), came under increasing pressure, and Chomutov was declared "Judenrein" on September 23, 1938 by the increasingly pro-Nazi administration. A week later, Chomutov and its surrounding districts were occupied by Nazi Germany as a result of the 1938 Munich Agreement. This broader, north-western border area of what is the modern-day Czech Republic was annexed by Germany and reorganized as the Reichsgau Sudetenland.

After 1945, the German population was expelled with great brutality. Industrial facilities and large high-rise housing projects were then built to redevelop the area. In the late 1970s an urban settlement was built, linking Chomutov with its neighbouring Jirkov. Following the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the hardware industry significantly decreased its activity, but the environment in and around the town has been visibly improved. The leisure facilities of the area were emphasised, notably the Alum lake, the Chomutov Zoo, and the Bezruč Valley recreational area.

Development of population

year – population

Historical sights

The centre of historical town is oblong and it is edged by arcades. The Square of 1 May with its baroque Pillar of Trinity by Ambrož Laurentis from 1697, which is banked by seven statues of saints from years 1725–1732.

Pillar of Trinity

The Town Hall is situated in the northwest side and it used to be a commendam until 1607. Town Hall borders with the most valuable building in the town which is the church of St. Catherine built in early Gothic style and finished in 1281.

On the opposite side of the north direction there is the church of Assumption Virgin Mary in late Gothic style from years 1518–1542 and it borders with 53m tall Town Tower which was renovated after the fire in 1525 and which is used as an observation tower.

Town Tower

At the end of the south side there is a Baroque church of St. Ignatz with two towers on the north frontage which was built for Jesuits by Carlem Luragem in years 1663–1671. The building called Špejchar from the 17th century was used by Jesuits as earlier church and it adjoins the east side of the church of St. Ignatz. Nowadays it is used as a gallery. There is a Jesuitical dormitory in the south neighboring of the church of St. Ignatz from the 16th and 17th century which is nowadays a settlement of a town museum. The most important building from the Gothic citizens' houses is the late Gothic house no.: 9, known as Collin's which is at the bottom of the northeast side of the square.

Alum Lake is the water plane in altitude of 337m at the northeast edge of Chomutov. It was caused at the end of the 18th century by flowage after the mining of the space from the years 1558–1785. Its dimension is 240 to 676m and it occupies the area of 16, 3 ha, the maximum depth is 3,25m and its capacity is 285 000 m³. The high content (about 1%) of alum in the water from Alum Lake is as a small Dead Sea, because it prevents the lake from the growth of weed and anabaena. For that reason it is very frequently visited by many people in summer months.

The Ore Mountains Zoo borders with the Alum Lake at the north side. It is a Zoo concentrated mostly on breeding European and mainly domestic wild animals (wolf, European bison, etc.).

Bezruč Valley is 13 km long and 200m deep woody valley on the river Chomutovka at the northwestern side of the town and it is famous place for trips.

The Hill Strážiště (551) rises over the northern edge of Chomutov and on its peak there is a hotel with an observation tower.

Church of St. Catherine and Town Hall

Alum Lake

Ore Mountains ZOO

Culture

Galleries:

Cinemas:

Theatres:

Museums:

Sport centers:

Transport

Roads through Chomutov:

Railways in Chomutov:

Public transport Transport around the town Chomutov is obtained by buses since 1995 and also by trolleybuses (the newest trolleybus transport). The runner of the trolleybus link is The Public Transport of Chomutov and Jirkov.

People