Jiříkov

For the municipality in the Moravian-Silesian Region, see Jiříkov (Bruntál District).

Jiříkov
Town
Centre of the town with the Church of Saint George
Flag Coat of arms
Jiříkov Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°59′40″N 14°34′15″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Ústí nad Labem
District	Děčín
First mentioned	1346
Government
• Mayor	Jindřich Jurajda
Area
• Total	13.31 km^2 (5.14 sq mi)
Elevation	368 m (1,207 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	3,538
• Density	270/km^2 (690/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	407 53
Website	www.jirikov.cz

Jiříkov (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjɪr̝iːkof]; German: Georgswalde) is a town in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,500 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Jiříkov consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2]

• Starý Jiříkov (2,840)
• Nový Jiříkov (76)
• Filipov (401)
• Loučné (143)

Etymology

The original German name was derived from Dorf im Georgswalde (i.e. "the village in Georg's forest"), which was shortened to Georgswalde. The Czech name Jiříkov means "Jiří's" and derived from the personal name Jiří, which is a Czech variant of Georg.[3]

Geography

Jiříkov is located about 34 kilometres (21 mi) northeast of Děčín and 42 km (26 mi) northwest of Liberec. It lies in the salient region of Šluknov Hook, on the border with Germany. The town is urbanistically fused with the neighbouring German town of Ebersbach-Neugersdorf.

Jiříkov is situated in the Lusatian Highlands. The stream Jiříkovský potok flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Jiříkov is from 1346. In the 15th century, it belonged to the Šluknov estate. The village of Filipov was founded in 1681 by the then-owner of the estate, Philipp Sigmund of Dietrichstein, and named after him. Flax was grown in the vicinity of Jiříkov, which was further processed, but due to the wars, the linen craft began to flourish only from 1751. In 1753, the village was promoted to a market town by Empress Maria Theresa.[4]

The first textile factory was founded in 1807, and during the 19th century Jiříkov was industrialized. In 1873, the railway was opened. The population grew rapidly and in 1914 Jiříkov became a town. In the interwar period, disagreements between the Czech and German populations began, and in 1938 Jiříkov was annexed by Nazi Germany. After World War II, the Germans were expelled and Jiříkov was repopulated by Czech settlers.[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 8,220 —     1880 8,281 +0.7% 1890 8,754 +5.7% 1900 10,084 +15.2% 1910 11,096 +10.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 9,452 −14.8% 1930 10,078 +6.6% 1950 4,012 −60.2% 1961 4,278 +6.6% 1970 3,945 −7.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 3,905 −1.0% 1991 3,638 −6.8% 2001 3,920 +7.8% 2011 3,795 −3.2% 2021 3,460 −8.8%
Source: Censuses[5][6]

Transport

On the Czech-German border are the road and railway border crossings Jiříkov / Ebersbach. The railway that runs through Jiříkov is unused.

Sights

The main landmark of Jiříkov is the Church of Saint George. It was built in the Baroque style in 1724–1728, on the site of an old Gothic church.[7]

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. "Public Census 2021 – basic data". Public Database (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2022.
3. Profous, Antonín (1949). Místní jména v Čechách II: CH–L (in Czech). pp. 552–553.
4. "Z historie města Jiříkov" (in Czech). Město Jiříkov. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
5. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
6. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
7. "Kostel sv. Jiří" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-05-30.

External links

• Official website
• "Georgswalde" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. X (9th ed.). 1879. p. 438.