Kopec (Staré Křečany)

Kopec
Village
View of Kopec
Kopec Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°56′45″N 14°25′23″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Ústí Region
District	Děčín
Municipality	Staré Křečany
First mentioned	1720
Area
• Total	3.47 km^2 (1.34 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	18
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Kopec (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkopɛts]; German: Hemmehübel) is a village and administrative part of Staré Křečany in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. According to the 2021 Czech census, it has 18 inhabitants and 23 buildings.[1]

Before World War II, it was a mostly German-speaking, thriving village with hundreds of inhabitants, several mills, multiple ponds, restaurants, guesthouses and a shop. Now, Kopec is mostly a destination for tourists, as it is very close to the Bohemian Switzerland National Park and the Saxon Switzerland National Park.[2]

Etymology

The Czech name Kopec means 'hill'. It is derived from the original German name "Hemmehübel", which combines the words hemmen ('to break') and Hübel (a regional term for a hill). The name Hemmehübel was used until 1947. Since then, only the Czech name Kopec has been officially used.[2][3]

Demographics

Until World War II, the entire village and region were almost entirely German-speaking. In the 19th century, the population reached over 400 people, but it gradually declined. After World War II, the German-speaking population was expelled. As a result, the village was almost abandoned, the mills stopped operating, ponds ceased to exist, and nearly half of the buildings were lost due to abandonment and lack of maintenance.[4] Now, compared to the pre-war era, the population is low.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 411 —     1880 397 −3.4% 1890 381 −4.0% 1900 324 −15.0% 1910 291 −10.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 245 −15.8% 1930 270 +10.2% 1950 27 −90.0% 1961 25 −7.4% 1970 18 −28.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 64 +255.6% 1991 3 −95.3% 2001 7 +133.3% 2011 12 +71.4% 2021 18 +50.0%
Source: Censuses[5][6]

Points of interest

• The Chapel of the Virgin Mary (built 1809)
• Restaurant "U Oty" (before war known as Gasthaus "Focke")[4]
• A column with a statue of Saint Anthony of Padua (built 1707)
• Kaufer's Cross (built 1804)

References

1. "2021 Czech Census". Public database (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
2. "Osada Kopec". naskopec.cz (in Czech). Kopec o.s. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
3. "Výnos Ministra vnitra č. 494/1947 Ú. l. I - Výnos ministra vnitra o stanovení nových úředních názvů míst" [Decree of the Minister of the Interior on the Establishment of New Official Place Names]. e-sbirka.cz (in Czech). 1947-05-21. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
4. "Historie". hemm.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-09-05.
5. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
6. "Výsledky sčítání 2021 – otevřená data" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2022-12-21.