SLAVONICE
Slavonice lies where the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands meet the upper course of the Dyje River. Nearby, the borders of three historic lands — Bohemia, Moravia and Austria — come together. The town is an ideal starting point for trips into Czech Canada, a landscape of coniferous forests, pastures, ponds, protected peat bogs and rare flora and fauna. Although the highest hills rise only a little above 700 metres, the nature and climate here often feel like those of much higher altitudes.
Slavonice developed on an important trade route from Prague through Jindřichův Hradec to Vienna, connected with salt routes from Brno to Passau and from Jihlava to Linz. The first written record dates from 1260, when the priest of Slavonice is mentioned as a witness in a document of Vikard of Trnava. Later the town was fortified by order of Přemysl Otakar II, and King Wenceslas II granted it the right to collect tolls and establish a salt warehouse. Together with the fortifications, the famous Slavonice underground system was created, serving both drainage and defence.
In the following centuries Slavonice received numerous aristocratic and royal privileges, which strongly supported crafts and trade. From 1560, the Prague–Vienna postal route passed through the town and brought further prosperity. At that time Slavonice had up to 1,100 inhabitants and more than 150 burgher houses. Cloth makers, bakers, butchers, tanners and merchants worked here; beer was brewed here and wine could be freely served.
In the second half of the 16th century almost all burgher houses were rebuilt into the form that still gives the town its unique character. Interiors received diamond and net vaults, walls were decorated with biblical murals and façades were covered with sgraffito created by scraping away the upper layers of plaster.
After the 16th century the town’s development slowed and a difficult period came during the Thirty Years’ War. Slavonice recovered from war and plague only at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. Later fires and the relocation of the postal station reduced the town’s importance. A modest revival came around the turn of the 20th century thanks to the railway connection between Telč and Austria, craft production and trade links with Vienna. Part of the town fortifications was also demolished at that time.
The Second World War left a painful mark on the town. In 1938, Czech-speaking inhabitants had to leave Slavonice. During the war almost all Jewish families, who had played an important role in the town’s revival, were murdered in concentration camps. After the war, German-speaking inhabitants were expelled and new Czech residents settled here. In 1953, when Slavonice became part of the border zone, several families labelled politically unreliable were displaced. Fortunately, the town was later removed from the zone and declared an urban heritage reserve.
After 1989 Slavonice gradually began to come back to life. The opening of the borders, the growth of tourism, the proximity of Austria and the creation of cycling routes through the unspoilt countryside all played an important role. Artists also began to arrive, opening studios, workshops and galleries. Today, Slavonice and its surroundings offer many ways to spend a pleasant time — from walks through the historic centre to monuments and trips into the nature of Czech Canada.