Mikulášovice

50°57′56″N 14°21′28″E / 50.96556°N 14.35778°E / 50.96556; 14.35778Country Czech RepublicRegionÚstí nad LabemDistrictDěčínFirst mentioned1449Government • MayorAleš JandusArea • Total25.85 km² (9.98 sq mi)Elevation414 m (1,358 ft)Population • Total2,063 • Density80/km² (210/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeWebsitewww.mikulasovice.cz

Mikulášovice (German: Nixdorf) is a town in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Mikulášovičky, Salmov and Tomášov are administrative parts of Mikulášovice.

Geography

Mikulášovice is located about 23 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of Děčín. It lies in the salient region of Šluknov Hook, on the border with Germany, adjacent to the municipal territory of Sebnitz.

Mikulášovice is situated in the Lusatian Highlands. The highest point is the mountain Tanečnice, at 598 metres (1,962 ft). The town lies in the elongated valley of the Mikulášovický Brook.

History

The first written mention of Mikulášovice is from 1446. The village was founded in the 12th century. In the 18th century, it was already an industrial municipality with tradition in knives sharpening. In 1794, the production of knives began.^[2]

From 1938 to 1945 it was occupied by Germany, before it was liberated by Polish soldiers in May 1945 and restored to Czechoslovakia. In the final stages of World War II, in May 1945, the prisoners of the AL Bautzen subcamp of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp, evacuated from Bautzen to Mikulášovice by the Germans, were liberated there by Polish soldiers.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 5,787 —     1880 6,449 +11.4% 1890 6,704 +4.0% 1900 7,109 +6.0% 1910 7,665 +7.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 6,640 −13.4% 1930 6,755 +1.7% 1950 3,044 −54.9% 1961 2,741 −10.0% 1970 2,631 −4.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 2,747 +4.4% 1991 2,546 −7.3% 2001 2,397 −5.9% 2011 2,151 −10.3% 2021 1,998 −7.1%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Economy

The company Mikov, producing the popular knife Rybička, has its seat in Mikulášovice.

Sights

The main landmark of Mikulášovice is the Church of Saint Nicholas. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1750–1751.^[6]

On the Tanečnice hill is an eponymous observation tower. The first wooden observation tower was built here in 1885. The current stone tower dates from 1905. It is 26 m (85 ft) high.^[7]

Notable people

• Franz Dittrich (1815–1859), pathologist
• Anni Frind (1900–1987), soprano opera singer
• Oskar Schäfer (1921–2011), Knight's Cross holder

Gallery

• 
  Town hall and Church of Saint Nicholas
• 
  Church of Saint Nicholas
• 
  Church of the Ascension of Jesus
• 
  Monument commemorating the liberation of the town by Poles in 1945
• 
  Statue of saint John of Nepomuk

References

External links