"It was founded very long ago, and is said to be today the same as it has ever been, through wars and revolutions. It is unique in that it follows neither the circular pattern common to Czech towns, nor the German, drawn out along a stream or valley. In Zwittau the main street widens out until it forms an oblong plaza which the houses and shops face with the gable, and all are arcaded. It is said to be very picturesque."
And it is very picturesque!
The oblong central square.
The town was a major textile producer in the early 1900’s
and there are still remains of the factories that once employed thousands of
local people. The population was mainly German speaking right up until 1945,
however at the end of the Second World War, 90% of the 10,000 inhabitants were
expelled to Germany
and the town was repopulated with Czechs.
Many of you will recognize the name Oskar Schindler, made
famous by the 1993 movie “Schindler’s List”. He was also born in Svitavy, in
1908 just three years after my grandmother. The movie is about the 1,200 Jewish
prisoners that Schindler saved from the extermination camps by employing them
at his factories. The town has a memorial to Schindler, and you can still visit
the remains of the factory where the prisoners were employed.
The Oskar Schindler memorial...built the year after the movie came out.
Most movies are just that, and are not always true to fact.
Some local stories go that Schindler didn’t care about the prisoners at all,
and that he was an unscrupulous and shrewd businessman who saw an opportunity
for very cheap labor. Either way, he did still save those 1,200 lives. It’s
interesting that the town didn’t really seem to care about Oskar Schindler’s
history here until 1994…the year after the release of the movie made the name
famous.
The years after the Second World War, and the communist era that lasted
until the revoltion of 1989 are called the town’s “forgotten years”. Those who
remember the town in the 1980’s would recall it as “dirty and dilapidated,
with partly demolished houses lining the once stately town square”. But after
the revolution, the peaceful split from Slovakia
in 1993, and the joining of Czech
Republic and the European
Union in 2004, the town now has a population of around 18,000 and a lot of
money has been invested in the area over last 10 years. It’s actually a really
nice place, with all the things you would need, and still close to nature.
They have a beautiful swimming pool complex.
And a beautiful park.
Notice on this sign...overnight RV parking and services...free!
Yesterday morning, we found the local information center.
The lady spoke little English, but she did point us towards the library where
we could use the internet, and gave us a small map. We explored the pretty town
square, which is not really square…it is oblong just like my grandmother wrote.
The morning was cool and overcast. We only went out with t-shirts and could
have almost used a jacket. But it was a refreshing change from the heat of last
week.
One of the investments has been a huge modern sports center.
And even a free RV overnight parking area with electrical hookups!
We met Andrew, our couchsurfing host, for lunch and then he
drove us over to a nearby pond where there are nature trails. The afternoon
turned out to be beautiful and we did a lot of walking again, even walking back
into town where we ended up at their flat.
The lake very close to town.
Hiking through the forest.
We went out and did some grocery
shopping with Andrew and Chisono and then back to their place where Ruth and
Chisono made a special Japanese dish for dinner. It was amost like a pizza, and
we thought it was funny that we were eating Japanese pizza in Czech Republic !
We sat and had a nice glass of beer with Andrew, his wife Chisono, and their 3 month old daughter. They have two boys as well, who were at his mother's at the time.
Kevin, with their 5 year old boy. He will grow up understanding English, Japanese, and Czech!
Andrew has taken the day off work and we are all going to visit a castle in a nearby town today!
Sometimes it's the results that count, not the reason for how they came about.
ReplyDeleteYou are very right!
Deletemmmmm...Czech beer.
ReplyDeleteIf there was a like button on this comment, Kevin would be hitting it.
DeleteInteresting family history about Grandma - love the last two photos, too - the little boy and the smile on Kevin's face - your couchsurfing family sounds wonderful - what a great way to meet people and spread the love!
ReplyDeleteEven though we were unable to find out where his grandmother actually lived it was nice to be able to visit the town where she was born.
DeleteYes, I like that picture of Aki with Kevin too. They were wonderful children and such a fantastic family to meet.
It is so neat to be able to explore the areas that belong to our family. A wonderful way to connect.
ReplyDeleteWe totally agree!
DeleteNice to check out your family roots. It looks like a lovely place now but I am sure there are stories in the walls!
ReplyDeleteI am sure there is. It's a beautiful town and the countryside is so pretty.
DeleteA very interesting post. The town of Svitavy looks very interesting, and unique. What a lovely looking park, I can't believe all the waterlilies.
ReplyDeleteThe waterlillies almost crowded themselves out in one section of the pond. We loved this park too, it was nice to just sit and watch the people enjoying it.
DeleteI agree. This was a very interesting post. Svitavy is indeed a picturesque little town. Interesting about Shindler too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, we really enjoyed our time here.
DeleteHello, Kevin and Ruth. I'm a new blog follower, and thoroughly enjoy reading of your adventures. Great pics, interesting historical facts, plus that wonderful personal touch. Thanks for allowing a complete stranger to tag along!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Anne, for following along on our adventures and taking the time to leave a comment. We hope that you will continue to enjoy our blog as much as we enjoy writing it.
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