Mikulčice

Municipality in South Moravian, Czech Republic

Flag

Coat of arms

48°48′59″N 17°3′4″E / 48.81639°N 17.05111°E / 48.81639; 17.05111Country

Czech RepublicRegionSouth MoravianDistrict HodonínFirst mentioned1141Area

• Total15.30 km² (5.91 sq mi)Elevation

165 m (541 ft)Population

(2023-01-01)^[1]

• Total1,966 • Density130/km² (330/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code

696 19

Websitewww.mikulcice.cz

Mikulčice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmi.kul.tʃi.tsɛ]) is a municipality and village in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,000 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The village of Těšice is an administrative part of Mikulčice. Mikulčice and Těšice are urbanistically fused.

Geography

Mikulčice is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southwest of Hodonín and 52 km (32 mi) southeast of Brno, on the border with Slovakia. It lies in a flat landscape of the Lower Morava Valley. The municipality is crossed by the Kyjovka river. The Czech-Slovak border is formed here by the Morava River.

History

From the 6th until the 10th century, a Slavic fortified settlement existed 3 km southeast from the modern village on the site called Mikulčice-Valy. The settlement was one of the main centres of the Great Moravian Empire, plausibly its capital city. Excavations unearthed the remnants of twelve churches, a palace, and more than 2,500 graves (including a horse burial).^[2]

The first written mention of Mikulčice is from 1141. The parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was first mentioned in 1353. At the beginning of the 15th century, a fortress stood here. The fortress was probably destroyed during the Hussite Wars.^[3]

The village was heavily damaged by the 2021 South Moravia tornado.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1869	1,574	—
1880	1,805	+14.7%
1890	1,915	+6.1%
1900	2,022	+5.6%
1910	2,004	−0.9%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	1,980	−1.2%
1930	1,981	+0.1%
1950	1,924	−2.9%
1961	2,011	+4.5%
1970	1,898	−5.6%

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	1,737	−8.5%
1991	1,751	+0.8%
2001	1,906	+8.9%
2011	1,881	−1.3%
2021	1,895	+0.7%

Source: Censuses^[5]^[6]

Economy

The local economy is predominantly based on agriculture and tourism.

Sights

The Mikulčice-Valy site is the main tourist attraction. It is freely accessible. It includes an exhibition with archeological finds from this area, administered by the Masaryk Museum in Hodonín. Since 1962, the site has been protected as a national cultural monument.^[7]

Notable people

Miloslav Balun (1920–1994), pair skater

References

^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
^ Berend, Nóra (2007). Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy: Scandinavia, Central Europe and Rus' C. 900–1200. Cambridge UP. pp. 216, 321. ISBN 9780521876162. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
^ "Historie obce". Obec Mikulčice (in Czech). Retrieved 2021-12-06.
^ "Mrtví, zavalení, všude trosky. Sedm obcí na Moravě zpustošilo tornádo". iDnes (in Czech). Retrieved 25 June 2021.
^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Hodonín" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 3–4.
^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
^ "Historie expozice" (in Czech). Masarykovo muzeum v Hodoníně. Retrieved 2023-10-27.