Třinec


Třinec is a statutory city 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 city has approximately 35,000 inhabitants and is the smallest statutory city in the Czech Republic. In the 2001 census, 17.7% of the population were Poles. The city is notable for its steel plant, the Třinec Iron and Steel Works, the largest in the Czech Republic, which still has a major impact on the city, on its character, demographics, and air quality.
Třinec is also an important cultural center of the Polish minority in Zaolzie.

Etymology

The name Třinec is of topographic origin, derived from the Polish word for reed.

History

The village of Třinec was founded in the 14th century and first mentioned in 1461, when a person z Trencze was attested to. Politically, the village then belonged to the Duchy of Teschen, a fee of the Kingdom of Bohemia, which after 1526 became part of the Habsburg Monarchy.
The majority of the population worked in agriculture. The area was, however, rich in limestone, iron ore, and clay. The region also offered a large enough workforce, so it was decided to build an iron works there. In 1836, construction of the first metallurgical furnace had begun. The iron mill began operation in 1839, becoming the largest in the entire Cieszyn Silesia. The first schools in Třinec were opened by the initiative of the iron works in 1851. After the construction of the Košice-Bohumín Railway line in 1871, rapid development of the town took place.
After the revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire, a modern municipal division was introduced in the re-established Austrian Silesia. The village as a municipality was added to the political and legal district of Cieszyn. According to the censuses conducted in 1880, 1890, 1900, and 1910, the population of the municipality grew from 1,792 in 1880 to 3,849 in 1910, with a majority being native Polish-speakers, accompanied by a German-speaking minority and Czech-speakers. In terms of religion, in 1910 the majority were Roman Catholics, followed by Protestants, Jews, and 13 people adhering to another faith. The village was also traditionally inhabited by Cieszyn Vlachs, speaking the Cieszyn Silesian dialect.
After World War I, the fall of Austria-Hungary, the Polish–Czechoslovak War, and the division of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920, it became a part of Czechoslovakia. Třinec gained town rights in 1931. Following the Munich Agreement in October 1938, together with the Zaolzie region, it was annexed by Poland, administratively adjoined to Cieszyn County of the Silesian Voivodeship. It was then annexed by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II. After the war, it was restored to Czechoslovakia.
In 1946, it was merged with the village of Lyžbice, where in the 1950s the ruling Communist Party of Czechoslovakia began large-scale development in the style of socialist realism. Afterwards, Lyžbice became a new downtown, taking the place of Staré Město.

Geography

The city of Třinec is located in the Moravian-Silesian Region in the north-east of the Czech Republic, very close to the Polish border and also near the Slovak border, with an elevation of approximately above sea level. It is situated approximately away from the city of Ostrava and about from the country's capital, Prague. The city is surrounded by the picturesque Beskydy mountain range, a popular place for cycling, skiing, cross-country skiing, hiking, and paragliding. The city itself comprises the main town built around the steel works but also incorporates a number of surrounding villages.

Music and culture

There are a number of musical concerts that take place in the city throughout the year. They are usually held at the local football stadium or the Třinecký Zimní Stadion sports arena, or alternatively at the Třinec-Borek football grounds. The year's biggest events are the 'Hutnický den', which takes place in May, and 'Noc Plná Hvězd' in the summer, both festivals which feature numerous live performances from bands and artists from all over the country and abroad. Another yearly event is the 'Zlot' concert in the nearby town of Bystřice, aimed at the local Polish population.

Sport

and football are by far the city's most popular sports. The ice hockey team, HC Oceláři Třinec, which currently plays in the Czech Extraliga, the top tier of Czech ice hockey, has a massive following and fan base in Třinec. The team holds a regional rivalry with Ostrava-based HC Vítkovice.
Oceláři play their home games at Werk Arena, which opened in 2014 and has a seating capacity of 5,200. The arena also hosted the Team Czech Republic at the 2016 Davis Cup World Group.
The city's football team, FK Fotbal Třinec, has seen a rise in popularity after its promotion to the Czech National Football League several years ago. Average attendance for league matches is now more than 1,000. A rivalry with neighbouring sides FC Vítkovice and MFK Karviná has also been established.
Třinec also has a popular athletics team.

Local dialect

Although the majority of the city's population speak Czech, a large number speaks in a Cieszyn Silesian dialect, a mixture of Czech, Polish, and German. The dialect is very specific to the whole region of Cieszyn Silesia.

Notable people

Třinec is twinned with: