Štíty

History

The first written mention of Štíty is from 1278. From 1308, the village was owned by the Sternberg family, however, they often leased the town to another aristocratic families. In 1334, it was first referred to as a town. In the early 15th century, it was one of the largest settlements in the region. During the Hussite Wars, the originally purely German town was partially settled by Czechs. In 1464, part of the Štíty estate was sold and joined to the Zábřeh estate. The second part was sold to Jan of Dalčice in 1480. During late 15th and early 16th century the town often changed its owners. In 1624, after the Battle of White Mountain, Štíty together with all his properties was confiscated from Jan Odkolek Jr. and assigned to the Liechtenstein family, who annexed it to the Ruda estate. During the Thirty Years' War, the town was greatly devastated, especially by the Swedish troops in 1646, and the local castle was destroyed. In 1744, the town was completely burned down by the Prussian army. During the rule of the Liechtensteins, the town remained a craft centre for its surroundings, but lost its previous significance. The Liechtensteins administered the town to the fall of feudal system in 1848. Due to the establishment of textile factories in other parts of the region in the second half of the 19th century, local crafts found themselves in crisis and the town became one of the poorest in the region, whose livelihood depended mainly on agriculture. In 1938, Štíty was annexed by Nazi Germany and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland. After World War II, the German-speaking population was expelled.

Geography

Štíty is located about west of Šumperk and northwest of Olomouc. The municipal territory is divided between several geomorphological units. The southern part lies in the Zábřeh Highlands, the northwestern part lies in the southernmost tip of the Orlické Mountains, and the northeastern part lies in the Kłodzko Valley. A small northern part also extends into the Hanušovice Highlands. The highest point of Štíty is located near the top of the mountain Strážka at above sea level. The historic centre of Štíty is situated on the promontory above the Březná river, which flows through the municipal territory and partly forms its southern border.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,463
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,366
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,966
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,923
• Yellowhammer

  Emberiza citrinella Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,718
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,692
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,574
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,554

Most recent

• M 3 — 2006-03-21
  1 km NNW of Bystré, Czechia
• M 2.6 — 2005-12-31
  5 km ENE of Šternberk, Czechia
• M 3.4 — 2005-10-25
  0 km N of ?ervený Kostelec, Czechia
• M 2.9 — 2005-08-10
  2 km WSW of ?ervený Kostelec, Czechia
• M 2.9 — 2004-11-11
  1 km SSE of Krzanowice, Poland
• M 3.3 — 2003-09-16
  1 km WSW of Kobe?ice, Czechia