Šluknov

History

The first written mention of Šluknov is from 1281. The first owners was the noble family of Berka of Dubá. Under their administration, Šluknov became the administrative and economic centre of the Czech part of their estate. The family's coat of arms is to this day the inescutcheon in the town's coat of arms. In 1359, Šluknov was promoted to a town. During the reign of King George of Poděbrady, the property of Berkas of Dubá was confiscated and Šluknov was acquired by the Wartenberg family. Next owners of the estate were families of Schleinitz, Mansfeld, Dietrichstein and Harrach. Before the town became independent, the last noble owner of the estate was Count Erwin Leopold Nostitz-Rieneck of the Nostitz-Rieneck family. During the Thirty Years' War, the town was repeatedly severely damaged by Swedish army. In 1813, the town was plundered by a 100,000 man army during the Napoleonic Wars. Until 1918, the town was part of Austria-Hungary, head of the district of the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia. In 1930, Šluknov was home to 5,578 inhabitants who were largely ethnic German. Prior to World War II, Šluknov was a centre in Czechoslovakia for the pro-Nazist Sudeten German Party (SdP) led by Konrad Henlein. This was one reason why, in March 1939, Adolf Hitler chose the town as the first stop of the Wehrmacht during the German annexation of Sudetenland. The Wehrmacht continued on to occupy Prague and establish the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. From 1938 to 1945, the town was annexed to Nazi Germany and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland. After World War II, the town returned to Czechoslovakia and the German inhabitants were expelled under the terms of Beneš decrees.

Geography

Šluknov is located about northeast of Děčín and northeast of Ústí nad Labem. It lies in the salient region of Šluknov Hook on the border with Germany. It is the northernmost town of the Czech Republic. Šluknov is situated in the Lusatian Highlands. The highest point is located on the slopes of the Hrazený mountain at above sea level. The territory of Šluknov is rich in small watercourses; the longest of them is the stream Rožanský potok. Other notable streams are the Lesní potok, which supplies a system of fishponds, and the Stříbrný potok, which flows through the built-up area.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  698
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  663
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  630
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  609
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  549
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  536
• Eurasian Nuthatch

  Sitta europaea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  460
• Indian Balsam

  Impatiens glandulifera Royle · Magnoliopsida
  456

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2008-08-13
  4 km NE of Kodersdorf, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2007-12-02
  3 km NNW of Zagrodno, Poland
• M 2.7 — 2007-02-01
  5 km ENE of Boles?awiec, Poland
• M 2.5 — 2006-09-08
  5 km W of Z?otoryja, Poland
• M 2.7 — 2006-04-04
  8 km W of Olszanica, Poland
• M 2.5 — 2005-08-18
  7 km S of Gromadka, Poland