- Fryštát
__NOTOC__Audio|Frystat.ogg|Fryštát (Polish: Audio-nohelp|Frysztat.ogg|"Frysztat", _de. Freistadt, Cieszyn Silesian: Audio-nohelp|Frysztot.ogg|"Frysztot") is a town in the
Moravian-Silesian Region of theCzech Republic , now administratively a part of the city ofKarviná . Until 1948 it was a separate town. It lies on theOlza River , in the historical region ofCieszyn Silesia .It gained city rights in 1327. From its beginning it was one of the most important centers of
Cieszyn Silesia . Development of the town was set back by a major fire in 1511 when all of the wooden houses burnt down.Fish farming became an important industry for the town with the creation of several ponds in the 16th century. The 17th century had a mostly negative impact on the town's development with fires, epidemics and theThirty Years' War . In 1623 about 1,400 citizens died ofbubonic plague .Cicha et al 2000, 102.] The town was occupied for nearly thirty years by Danish forces and then by Swedish forces. The dilapidated town was then bought by owners of nearby Karwin, the Larisch-Mönnich family. They built achâteau there and raised the town from poverty, but a fire in 1823, Prussian occupation in 1866 and epidemics again made the development of the town difficult. Coal was discovered in 1776, but it was not until 1794 that it began to be exploited on a large scale.Cicha et al 2000, 103.] As a result of the coal industry, rapid development of the town and surrounding villages occurred. Its impact was both positive and negative. Old settlements were destroyed and landscape was devastated. Industrial and coal mining expansion as well as the construction of railroads led to rapid growth of the area's importance. It became the most industrialized area in Austria and later Czechoslovakia. In 1850 Freistadt became a district although nearby Karwin with manycoal mine s and industrial facilities was more populous.After the division of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920 it became a part of
Czechoslovakia as the main mining center of the country. In October 1938, together with the whole region known asZaolzie , it was annexed byPoland , and duringWorld War II was a part ofNazi Germany . After the war it again became part of Czechoslovakia. In 1948 it was merged with Karviná and became a part of that city. In 1960 reform of administrative divisions was made and Fryštát District ceased to exist. It was superseded by newly createdKarviná District . Fryštát forms the historical center of Karviná, which is otherwise an industrial city.See also
*
Polish minority in the Czech Republic
*Zaolzie Footnotes
References
* cite book
last = Cicha
first = Irena
coauthors = Kazimierz Jaworski, Bronisław Ondraszek, Barbara Stalmach and Jan Stalmach
title = Olza od pramene po ujście
publisher = Region Silesia
year = 2000
location = Český Těšín
pages =
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 80-238-6081-XExternal links
* [http://www.zamek-frystat.cz/eng/index.html Website of château]
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