Třinec (pronounced [ˈtr̝̊ɪnɛts] (help·info), Polish: Trzyniec (info), German: Trzynietz) is a town in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The town has 38,953 inhabitants (2001 census), 17.7% of the population are the Poles.[1]
Village of Třinec was created in the 14th century. Village is first mentioned in a written document in 1444. At that time, the village was mostly covered by woods. Majority of population worked in agriculture, despite that ground there wasn't much fertile. The area was however rich in limestone, iron ore and clay. Area also offered enough work force, so it was decided to build here iron works. In 1836 the construction of first metallurgical furnace had began. Iron mill began operating in 1839, becoming the largest one in whole Cieszyn Silesia. There wasn't even a single school in the village at that time. First school (Polish-German) was created by the initiative of iron works in 1851. Expansion of the town wasn't so rapid in first decades but after construction of a railway in 1871 it became more rapid. After the division of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920 it became a part of Czechoslovakia. Třinec gained town rights in 1931. In October 1938, together with the whole region known as Zaolzie, it was annexed by Poland, and during World War II was a part of Nazi Germany. After the war it again became part of Czechoslovakia and eventually surrounding villages were incorporated into Třinec.
Třinec Iron and Steel Works, largest one in the Czech Republic, still have a major impact on the town, on its character, demographics and air pollution.
Třinec is an important cultural center of the Polish minority in Zaolzie.
People
Twin towns
Footnotes
References
- Cicha, Irena; Kazimierz Jaworski, Bronisław Ondraszek, Barbara Stalmach and Jan Stalmach (2000). Olza od pramene po ujście. Český Těšín: Region Silesia. ISBN 80-238-6081-X.
- Wawreczka, Henryk (2004). Třinec a okolí: včera a dnes. Třinec - Nebory: Wart. ISBN 80-239-3819-3.
External links
Coordinates: 49°40′40″N, 18°40′22″E
