History

Uherský Brod, one of the oldest towns in south-eastern Moravia, is situated in the Moravian-Slovakian border region, in the foothills of the highest mountains in the White Carpathians, the Javořiny. The origins of the historical settlement of Uherský Brod, whose original name “Na Brodě” derives from the ford across the River Olšava, date back to the 10th–12th century. The original settlement probably lay in the southern part of what is now the inner town, near the lower Church of St. John the Baptist, and was an important border fortress on the border of Moravia and the state of Hungary.

Its convenient position, the mild climate and the proximity of important trade routes laid the foundations for the settlement to gradually grow to become a strong economic centre on the eastern border of the young Bohemian state. As trade and crafts boomed, buildings started to spread to the north of the original village, which started more and more to take on the character of an urban settlement. An important milestone in the history of Uherský Brod is 29th October 1272, when the Přemyslid King Ottokar II of Bohemia promoted Brod to a royal town and granted it the Głubczyce right (a raft of legal regulations) and the forced staple right. The king gradually granted other privileges (such as exemption from tolls in all of his countries from 1275, which is when a deed issued in Olomouc first contains the name “Brod Uherský”).

As both a border and a fortress town, Brod had to face raids by the Hungarians. It also saw hard times during the Hussite Wars, when it essentially became a passing-through point and also an important strategic site for the Hussite troops. The peace that followed the end of the Hussite Wars did not last long. The town suffered further hardships in the second half of the 15th century as a result of the war waged by the Bohemian King George of Poděbrady against the Hungarian Matthias Corvinus. On 18th June 1506 Jan of Kunovice became lord of Uherský Brod, and under his dominion (and later that of his son), the town flourished both culturally and economically (the construction of the Town Hall, the Mansion House). This period of prosperity lasted until the devastating raids by the forces of Stephen Bocskai of Hungary at the beginning of the 17th century, which had catastrophic consequences for the inhabitants. In 1611 the heirs of Arkleb of Kunovice sold Brod to Oldřich of Kounice. The lords of Kounice, despite having confirmed the town’s existing privileges, did not actually reside there, and so it was condemned to play a marginal role. This was when the town’s economic and, gradually, its cultural importance started to wane.

The period after the Battle of the White Mountain had a severe impact on the life of the town, which suffered destructive military raids and outbreaks of the plague. The most devastating plague epidemic occurred in 1680 and seriously decimated the population. This was followed by an economic decline, from which Brod did not recover until the early 18th century, when, at the councillors’ request, it was “released from mankind” by Ondřej of Kounice (in 1700).

The town thrived economically while Pavel Hájek was mayor. The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was built, the Town Hall building was completed and the oldest Church of St. John the Baptist was rebuilt, along with other improvements. Brod continued to prosper even despite the cruel invasions of the Prussians (1741–1742), a devastating fire (14th May 1735) or a cholera epidemic (1757).

After the Napoleonic Wars, and also due to the decline of the Kounice family, Brod again lost some of its previous importance. Around this time the German and Jewish community started to predominate in the town, and their influence continued to grow, despite the revolutionary events of 1848. The only important consequence of the revolution for Brod was the abolition of serfdom.

Although the latter half of the 19th century only saw gradual changes, industrial production began to boom and Uherský Brod became the seat of the district government. In 1883–1888 the railway line was routed to Brod, which revived it as a transit town. This period saw a break in the power of the German officials and Jewish merchant patricians. The local pharmacist became the town mayor (1860). Besides the economic upsurge it brought, his mayorship was also important in strengthening the Czech national sentiment. A Civic Forum was set up and a Civic Savings Bank established. At the end of the century, after the twenty-year rule of the Germans, the town saw start of the second era in its national development. The Sokol club was established in 1891, followed three years later by the Czech Ladies’ and Girls’ Association; the first ethnographic museum in south-eastern Moravia was established in 1898. Education also flourished (the Czech town school in 1895). The year 1918 was welcomed with great enthusiasm in conservative Brod.

In the period between the wars Uherský Brod grew to become a larger town, several new factories were built and the social structure of the populace began to change, with labourers predominating. The Germans were essentially forced out of public life. Besides the economic boom, cultural life also thrived. Ferdinand Reska set up the Dvořák Music Society (1926) with a small symphony orchestra, and although sports were dominated by the Sokol club, other important sports associations were active in the town.

The socialist industrialization that came after the war transformed Brod into an industrial town. In 1960 the district of Uherský Brod was abolished, which limited its further development, although its character as a centre was emphasised. Even though Uherský Brod has in a way suffered from the loss of the district, it is still one of the most developed industrial and cultural towns in the Czech Republic.

The paving stones around Masarykovo náměstí are set with brass signs, commemorating important events in the town.