WELCOME TO MOHELNICE
The first settlement of the area of today’s Mohelnice took place in prehistoric times about 8000 years ago, when one of the settlements of farmers and herders was located here. The first written mention of the village (Mogilnice) dates back to 1131, when it was designated as the property of the Metropolitan Olomouc Chapter by Bishop Jindřich Zdík of Olomouc. Mohelnice is probably the oldest town in the territory of today’s district and the parish of Mohelnice and the parish school were among the oldest in northern Moravia in 1247. Throughout its history, until 1848, the town was the property of the Olomouc bishopric.
During the Prusso-Austrian and later Napoleonic wars, soldiers of all armies passed through Mohelnice and their stay placed a disproportionate burden on the citizens of the town and its surroundings. The last disaster struck Mohelnice in 1841, when a fire destroyed a large number of houses and damaged the church tower. After 1828, the situation in the town improved with the construction of the imperial road from Olomouc to Prague and then, in 1845, with the incorporation into the railway network Vienna – Olomouc – Prague. The centuries-old dependence of Mohelnice on the Olomouc archbishopric ended in 1848 with the abolition of serfdom and the town soon became the seat of the district court and the tax office. At that time, a number of industrial enterprises were established: a starch factory (1853), a leather dyeing factory (1871), production of rosin and liqueur (1875), production of cotton wool and blankets (1887), a cheese factory (1891), production of photographic plates (1910), production of barrels (1920) and many others. The most successful was the production of electrical equipment by the Doczekal company (1904), which developed into today’s largest employer in Mohelnice and its surroundings – the Siemens plant.
In 1938 Mohelnice and its surroundings became part of the German Empire. After the end of World War II, the local German population was displaced and replaced by settlers from Bohemia and repatriates from Volhynia. After 1989, the town developed rapidly – for example, the construction of the southern bypass, the industrial zone and a significant expansion of services.
what can you see?
Mohelnice is a town in the Olomouc Region. It is located in a fertile basin surrounded on three sides by mountains, through which the Morava River flows. Approximately 9,100 people live here.
The Parish Church of St. Thomas Becket, the original parish church of Virgin Mary, first mentioned in 1247, was burnt down by Hussite troops in 1424. It was rebuilt in Gothic style and rededicated in 1480. From the Renaissance period, the side walls and the interior of the church preserve rare funerary figural decorations associated with the family of the then parish priest Valentin Schwarz. Further modifications were made in the Baroque St. Thomas Becket Church, the original parish church of Virgin Mary, first mentioned in 1247, was burnt down by Hussite troops in 1424. It was rebuilt in Gothic style and rededicated in 1480. From the Renaissance period, rare funerary figural decorations have been preserved on the side walls and inside the church, in the Cni style, especially on the two side chapels – St. Anne and St. Cross, as well as on the altar, baptistery and pulpit. The Neo-Gothic rebuilding after the fire in the 19th century added mainly the facade with a stone rosette over the entrance gate.
The plague column on the main square of Mohelnice is the work of Jan Václav Strumer and was completed in 1717, two years after the devastating plague epidemic of 1715 (the chronicle entry engraved on the column also commemorates this event). On the balustrade are statues of St. Anne, St. Pauline, St. Augustine and St. Ambrose, and on the pedestal are statues of St. Rosalie and statues of the protectors against the plague – St. Charles of Boromea, St. Roch, St. Sebastian and St. Francis Xaverius. On the top of the column in the Corinthian style is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus.
The “old building” was built in 1564 by the brother Antonín Brus. The town bought it and since 1631 it has been the seat of its administration. The current state of the building dates from 1923 and was designed by the sculptor Vilém Rus.
From 2nd April 2012 to the end of October of the same year, the square and the adjacent streets Třebovská, S. K. Neuman and Olomoucká were repaired in Mohelnice. A new artistic fountain with a fountain and new greenery appeared on the square.
The town tower was and still is one of the most important landmarks of the town. The tower is 72 m high, square in plan, with a base of 9 m and a wall thickness of up to 2.5 m at the foundation. In the past, its