Josefův Důl

This article is about the municipality in Jablonec nad Nisou District. For the municipality in Mladá Boleslav District, see Josefův Důl (Mladá Boleslav District).

Coordinates: 50°46′44″N 15°14′24″E / 50.779°N 15.240°E / 50.779; 15.240

Josefův Důl
Josefsthal[1]
Municipality and village
Church in Josefův Důl
Flag
Name origin: Joseph's valley[2], Joseph's Mine[3]
Motto: The gateway to Jizera Mountains
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Liberec
District	Jablonec nad Nisou District
River	Kamenice, Jizera
Elevation	625 m (2,051 ft)
Coordinates	50°46′44″N 15°14′24″E / 50.779°N 15.240°E / 50.779; 15.240
Highest point
- elevation	850 m (2,789 ft)
Lowest point
- elevation	600 m (1,969 ft)
Area	22 km2 (8 sq mi)
Population	1,021
First mentioned	1697
Mayor	John Miksa [4]
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	468 44
Area code	420-483
Location in the Czech Republic
Statistics: http://www.statnisprava.cz
Website: http://www.josefuvdul.cz

Josefův Důl (German: Josefsthal) is a village and municipality in the Jablonec nad Nisou District of the Liberec Region in the Czech Republic. The municipality covers an area of 22km² and, as of 2006, it had a population of 1021. It is located at 625m above sea level in the Valley of the Kamenice river (German: Kamnitz) in the southeastern part of the Jizera Mountains (German: Isergebirge). Above the town 2.5 km lies the Kamenice river that is collected by the Josefův Důl dam. Just 8 km northeast sits the town of Jablonec nad Nisou.

History

Beginning in the year 1690, Maximilian II Emanuel populated the area with German immigrants. In 1700, the city of Karlsberg was founded, which produced glass and crystal products. Karlsberg was divided into Untermaxdorf, Karlsberg and Josefsthal in 1827. Fifty years later Untermaxdorf and Antoniwald were incorporated.

The Munich Agreement permitted Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler to annex the area in 1938 into what he called the Sudetenland. Shortly thereafter Karlsberg was dissolved becoming Obermaxdorf and Antoniwald. Josefsthal and Untermaxdorf formed a new community named Iserwald. Following World War II, in 1945, the town returned to Czechoslovakia and the German inhabitants were expelled under the terms of Beneš decrees.

The Church

The Josefův Důl church was built between 1862 and 1865 in a neo-gothic style. It's construction was partially funded by a lottery and 4000 gold pieces were collected. The ceremonial laying of the foundation stone was held in September 1862. The church tower is 45 meters high, the interior fittings house three valuable altar paintings by Wilhelm Kandler.^[5]

Present day

Josefův Důl train station

Known as "the gateway to Jizera Mountains" it is a popular destination for skiers, hikers and cyclists. Rivers in the town include the Kamenice, which is a tributary of the Jizera river, and the Jedlová river which flows through the Jedlový dul nature reserve.^[6]

Landmarks

• Neo-Gothic church from 1862
• Castle, seat of the royal family of the Des Fours-Walderode

Neighbouring communities

The municipality of Josefův Důl includes the villages of Ortsteile Antonínov (Antoniwald), Karlov (Karlsberg) and Dolní Maxov (Untermaxdorf).

List of people from Josefův Důl

• Gustav Leutelt (1860–1947), poet, writer
• Fidelio F. Finke (1891–1968), composer
• Anna Fatton-Janoušková (~1965), cross-country skier

References

1. ^ http://www.josefuvdul.cz/Kultura/Ojosefodolu/Zajimavosti/Prizajimav_d.htm
2. ^ http://dict.leo.org/ende?lp=ende&p=30lVUi8AA&search=Tal&trestr=0x2801
3. ^ http://translate.google.ca/translate_t?q=Josef%C5%AFv%20D%C5%AFl&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wT#
4. ^ http://www.josefuvdul.cz/OBEC/UredniDeska/info/doku/LK09_FORWEB.pdf
5. ^ farní kronika z let 1865 - 1947, uložena v okresním archivu v Jablonci nad Nisou
6. ^ http://www.josefuvdul.cz/

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the Czech Wikipedia.

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.