Tomáš Adamec • Miroslav Lysek

Šenov Václavovice Řepiště

Vratimov Sedliště Žabeň

Paskov Kaňovice

Author of text: Tomáš Adamec Author of photographs: Miroslav Lysek Prefatory word

I am very glad that I can introduce the fi rst book about the Silesian gate Region. The publication presents all 8 towns and villages, which are members of our micro-region in a comprehensive and attractive way. Nearly seventy pages of interesting texts by PhDr. Tomáš Adamec and beautiful photographs by Ing. Miroslav Lysek show the history and the present day of the whole area. While brow- sing through the book I was very pleasantly surprised how many beautiful places there are around our homes, how many majestic trees grow in our villages, and how many different statues we can fi nd when walking. After reading the texts I acquired a lot of new information and I was surprised how much our villages have in common: same masters who once owned them, agricultural history, which in the 19th and 20th century mingled with the development of the nearby industrial Ostrava region (coal mining, iron production in iron works, pulp production), various civil association activities emerging in the early 20th century and the current potential of quality housing and suburban tourism in the countryside in the vicinity of nearby bigger cities. The Silesian gate Region has an area of 71,5 square kilometres and 22 817 inhabitants live here, which means an average of 320 inhabitants per square kilometre. The original landscape with a so called scattered Silesian family houses building is being densely built up with new houses already today. The entire territory, the citizens and the local authorities are now under intense pressure from landowners, real estate agents and potential builders to expand the family houses building to the undeveloped land, and that mainly at the expense of quality agricultural land. The villages´ landscape plans delineate more land meant for building houses. New buildings are arising on the fi elds and meadows; the landscape is changing fundamentally and irreversibly. I think we need to consider responsibly, how many more houses and new citizens is our territory able to accept, how many services we can provide for these citizens, whether the ongoing development is not at the expense of quality of life, and especially if we are using the potential of the territory properly and economically. Hopefully our children will be able to show their children the beautiful places, which this book captures, they will be able to take them for a walk to the fi elds, meadows, forest or the river Ostravice, and their children will want to stay to live here. The book has no ambition to become an epic and attractive encyclopedia. Nor will it be a textbook on history of our villages. My wish is for the book to become a pleasant and kind part of your lib- raries, so that it can show your friends your neighbourhood and help children get basic information about places, where they live. And I would be very glad if we found the places captured in it around our homes in twenty or thirty years as well. I wish you a pleasant reading and viewing Rostislav Kožušník Chairman of the Union of villages Silesian Gate Region

4 Town hall square with a fountain

Size of territory: 16,63 square kilometres | Number of inhabitants as of January 1, 2011: 5 974 Šenov

The exact date of Šenov establishment is not known, historians admit the possibility of its emergen- ce in 12th century but the village is fi rst mentioned in a deed from the early 14th century, where it is listed along with other villages of Wroclaw bishopric liable to pay tithes. The deed has survived only in a copy that is not dated, but it is generally stated that it was written around the year 1305. The name of the village is mentioned here in the form Sonow. From the number of masters who changed here in the fi rst centuries the family Šaškové ze Šenova stand out in the sources, who are fi rst mentioned in the surviving records in 1388. In 1531 the dominion was bought by Sedlničtí z Choltic and the origins of the Šenov castle are associated with them. However, only the next owners - Skrbenští z Hříště provided for the construction of the defi nite form of the castle in the second half of 16th century. The castle met a sad fate. We can read about its end in the local chronicle, which contains a few photographs of the castle ruins. Since the early 20th century the building had not been continuously inhabited, the castle was only occasionally visited by the then owners the family Larisch-Mönich. The castle was not even given the necessary care and it gradually began to fall into disrepair. Be- tween 1915 and 1916 all valuables (including furniture, paintings and books) were taken from there and moved to the castle in Ráj by Fryštát. During the war the Hungarian troops were housed here, after the war the Czechoslovak military troops and eventually the estate workers. None of these groups treated the castle as a cultural monument. During the hard winters everything was used for heating - furniture, doorframes, roofi ng and eventually beams. The castle soon became a ruin and in 1927 offi cial permission for its demolition was issued. What remained is only the former administration building, which now houses the Art school of Vilém Wünsche, and the park established in the early 19th century. Let us now devote some time to the name Vilém Wünsche. The most important Šenov native, painter, graphic designer and illustrator was born in 1900 in a miner‘s family and the subject matter of miners and the mining environment became one of his main subjects. In his other works he then captured the life of villagers in their native land in its strong unity with the nature. Shortly before his death in 1984 he was deservedly named national artist. He is however not the only native, whose importance transcended the city. Josef Bilan (1902 - 1973) was also born in Šenov, writing under the pseudonym Šinovsky. He is the author of several books on the subject matter of his native town and region; he was a publishing worker and a regional communist offi cial. The name of the contempora- ry popular writer and mysteriologist Arnošt Vašíček is also associated with Šenov. In the park area we can fi nd the most important architectural monument of Šenov - the baroque church of Divine Providence from the year 1764, called the Pearl of Silesia. One is mesmerized by this grand three-tower building at fi rst sight by its form and stylish setting in the surroundings. The 6 church is also remarkable for its interior, though. Visitors can see a beautiful altar made of Carrara marble from Italy, a Renaissance copper chandelier or several valuable paintings by Jan Jablonský: one portrays Charlemagne, who is having the pagan idols torn down and having Christian churches built in their place, others portray St. John of Nepomuk, St. Hedwig and the Pieta (Mary with her dead son Jesus on her lap). The name of the author of another painting, representing St. Barbora, the patroness of miners, is unfortunately not known. Part of the interior form four tombstones, portraying the main representatives of the Skrbenští family, who ruled the Šenov dominion for three centuries, until 1867. There are other religious monuments to be found in Šenov. They are especially the brick chapel of the Evangelic Church - Augsburg Confession of 1896 and the church of the Czech Brethren Evange- lic Church. Its foundation stone was laid in late June 1936 and one year after that the church was consecrated. We can also fi nd three statues with religious themes here: St. John of Nepomuk, St. Anthony (located near the building of the called Old School) and St. Florián (at the intersection of streets Lipová and Kaštanová). Not only architectural monuments are to be found in Šenov, though. The town can boast natural sights, too. The Lučina River has created a number of meanders on its stream, which were included in the territorial system of ecological stability. Around the river and its tributaries many ponds were established in the past. But up to this day only a few remained. Most of them have been replaced by green fi elds or roads. The largest of the current ponds is the Volenský pond; Košťálovský pond is then a little smaller. When Šenov became a town in 1998, it was a compelling reason for establishing a town museum. Facility fi rst found for the museum was the building of the kindergarten, where the basic permanent exposition originated from the initiative and thanks to donations from local history lovers as well as room for occasional exhibitions and lectures. In 2010 the museum was moved to the former elementary school building (Old School) near the Church of Providence. Among others the museum also publishes the Bulletin of Šenov Museum. Because of the confi ned spaces the new location unfortunately lacks the needed exhibition space. A good guide to the town’s places of interest is Šenov’s nature trail, which was established in 2004. It has two loops. The small loop is 1,5 km long, passes through the town streets and has 6 stopovers at its historical monuments. The big loop is 10 km long and acquaints the visitors at seven stopovers with natural places of interest around the town and it includes, among other things, a stopover at Skrbeň, where you can see four small wind mills from the years 1911-1922.

7 Missionary cross at the church

Parish church of God Providence

8 Detail8 of the left church tower God‘s eye on the church tower Statue of St. John of Nepomuk Statue of St. Anthony Chapel of the Evangelic church of Augsburg Cross in Březůvka street Statue of St. Florián

One of the two entrance towers Image of St. Anna in the entrance tower Church of the Czech Brethren Evangelic Church into the castle park 9 9 Former castle administrative building with detail of sgrafﬁ ti by Vilém Wünsche, today‘s seat of Vilém Wünsche Art school Detail of sgrafﬁ to << <<

10 Permanent exhibition of the Šenov museum Entrance hall in the building 10 of Šenov library and museum Building of municipal ofﬁ ce

Building of elementary school 11 11 Monument to victims of world wars Lime tree - Millennium tree - planted in 2002 Well in the forest Bobčok at the fourth stopover of the large loop of Nature trail

Fourth stopover of the large loop of Nature trail - forest Bobčok

Windmill in K Trati street Tourist signpost on Nature trail Table of the seventh stopover of the large loop of Nature trail

12 12 << <<

<< Castle park, founded in the late 17th century, with rare woody plant species

View of the church from the castle park

Fountain in the castle park

Boulder with a plaque commemorating the 70th anniversary of Scout in Šenov 13 13 Pond near Vraclavská street

Late afternoon at Volenský pond

Pond near K Haltýřům street

Late afternoon at Košťálovský pond 14 14 Quiet corner at Volenský pond The city centre with municipal ofﬁ ce building and clock

Size of territory: 14,20 square kilometres | Number of inhabitants as of January 1, 2011: 6 962 Vratimov

Also Vratimov is to be found on the list of tithes of the Wroclav bishopric from the early 14th century; also Vratimov has thus been counting its history since 1305. The village was probably established shortly before that date and its origins, similarly to some neighbouring villages, are linked to the colonization effort of Sorbian Baruths. Shortly thereafter, the village probably came into the possession of Těšín princes. Vratimov was originally a small agricultural village; individual grounds were lined up side by side along the road, and that along one side of it. In the middle of the village there stood a yeoman’s stronghold, later replaced by a manor house. In the early 16th century the dominion was bought by Sedlničtí z Choltic, who joined Vratimov with the Polish-Ostrava dominion. In the 16th century the then owners Skrbenští z Hříště integrated Vratimov into the Kunčické dominion. In 1770 about 300 residents lived in the village. There was a manor house, mill, sheep-farm, seignio- rial pub, school and a wooden church with a parsonage. But before long, during the years 1799-1806, a new brick church of St. John the Baptist was built instead of the wooden one. It is the greatest architectural monument in town to date. The construction of the pulp mill was a big turning point for life in Vratimov. Several factors spoke for its location in Vratimov: proximity of raw materials from Beskydy forests, proximity of an energy source - coal - and proximity of a good water source – the Ostravice river with a weir and a mill drain. The proximity of the newly opened railway line between Ostrava and Frýdek was also practical and in connection with the construction of the factory a new station was also built on the line. The construction of the factory began in 1882 and as early as December 1883 the fi rst pulp was made in the trial operation. After exactly a hundred years the operation of the factory ended, the production was moved to Paskov. The factory totally changed life in the village, namely from the demographic, social and ethnic point of view. The population in particular increased dramatically due to the immigration of Galician Poles and partially also of Germans. While in 1878, 599 inhabitants lived in the village, in 1890 it was already 1391 and in 1900 even 2045 inhabitants. Compared to 78 houses in 1878, there were 179 houses in Vratimov in 1900. In 1887 the Economic-educational association was established in Vratimov. It deserves to be mentioned if only because of the fact that it was the fi rst economic association in the Frýdek region. Its members, especially its foremen - teacher František Onderek and the caretaker of the local estate Josef Cikánek, organized lectures that were intended to not only educate in the economic fi eld, but also to carry on national awareness work among the local population. That was needed yet with regard to the new development after the operation of the pulp mill started. The association was successful in both these areas and we can say that its work laid the foundations of the entire association life in the Frýdek region. It may seem somewhat surprising, but it was not until 1926, when the name of the village settled in

16 its present form. Previously the name Ratimov was used, which appears in historical sources as early as the Middle Ages. The chronicler notes the fact that the change was not accepted with enthusiasm for “in Vratimov sounded unpleasantly”. Today it seems no one would think of that. As we can read in the chronicle records from the 1920s, the forest Důlňák was very important for the village. Though lying on its municipal land, it was not owned by the village. The forest was then of interest for Silesian Ostrava, too, which argued that it had its water springs there. After two years of negotiations, in which unnamed infl uential persons and parliamentarians allegedly intervened, the Land Offi ce in Prague adjudged the forest to Vratimov in the autumn of 1928. Vratimov had to take over the forest staff, though and respect the interest of Silesian Ostrava. Two big events at once came in 1936. By the order of October 20, the municipal council was de- livered a dispatch that a week before the government of the Czechoslovak Republic promoted the village Vratimov to township. Another big event took place on October 28 – the monument of President Masaryk was unveiled. The impulse for this tribute to the President Liberator came from the local public awareness commission on the occasion of last year’s celebration of Masaryk’s 85th birthday and the monument was fi nanced by voluntary donations. The sculptor Augustin Handzel of Moravian Ostrava took charge of the work. The ceremonial act occurred in front of the school in the afternoon with a large participation of locals as well as people of the surrounding villages, representatives of associations, of the Místek garrison and regional council president of Frýdek, who unveiled the monument. There were also fi reworks and rockets representing the pyrotechnics. Even a plane circled over the monument and dropped a bouquet of roses. Masaryk’s bust is not the only sculptural work that adorns the town, though. Not until the fi rst year of Nazi occupation a memorial to the victims of World War I was built, which the village gave a thought to as early as the 1920s. In 1972 a memorial to the victims of World War II was unveiled. In 1966 a bust of Jan Šverma was installed in the square, after whom the square was also named. Six years earlier, in 1960, Vratimov was promoted to town. In 1980 the neighbouring village of Horní Datyně was joined with Vratimov, which is part of it to date. Education has had a long tradition in Vratimov, the history of which probably goes back to the fi rst half of the 17th century and the fi rst freestanding brick school building was built as early as 1785 and the fi rst Czech kindergarten as early as 1907. An art school was established quite late, though. During the years 1939-1960 a branch of the music school of Leoš Janáček in Vítkovice operated here. Only after this transitional period a separate Art school Vratimov was established in 1960. Since 1992 the art school with two specializations (music and fi ne arts) has been an allowance organization of Vratimov.

17 Fountain at the cultural centre Detail of fountain

Town hall square

Memorable stone at the Lime tree of the third Millennium

Cultural centre Clock in the town centre 18 18 Elementary school in Masaryk square with busts of F. Palacký and J. A. Comenius

Train station Elementary school in Datyňská Street

Municipal ofﬁ ce Children and youth house Cultural house in Horní Datyně 19 19 Bust of František Palacký Bust of J. A. Comenius

Sgrafﬁ to above the entrance to the elementary school in Masaryk square The facade of school building

Bust of Jan Šverma Bust of T. G. Masaryk 20 20 T. G. Masaryk Monument Memorial to victims of world wars in Horní Datyně

Memorial to victims of World War II

21 21 Statue on the monument of the fallen from World War I Monument of the fallen in Sokolská street Memorial in Horní Datyně Church of St. Wenceslas of Czechoslovak Hussite Church Cross in Ve Strži street in Horní Datyně Chapel of St. Anthony in Horní Datyně

Parish church of St. John the Baptist Detail of statue of Christ on a stone cross in Frýdecká street

22 22 Cross in Vratimovská street in Horní Datyně Restaurant Datyňka in Horní Datyně

Columbarium in Horní Datyně

Bust of František Palacký at the entrance Bust of J. A. Comenius at the entrance to the elementary school in Horní Datyně to the elementary school in Horní Datyně

23 23 Elementary school in Horní Datyně Covered stopping place in Důlňák forest

Path in Důlňák forest

Cycle path along the Ostravice river

24 24 Former water reservoir in Frýdecká street Castle with sculptures of lying lion and ancient goddesses Eris, Tyché, Niké and Athéna

Size of territory: 11,78 square kilometres | Number of inhabitants as of January 1, 2011: 3 960 Paskov

In the surviving written records we fi rst encounter the former Paskov settlement, located near the confl uence of the rivers Ostravice and Olešná in 1267 in the will of the Olomouc Bishop Bruno. We can place the time of real establishment of Paskov to the fi rst half of the 13th century at least. Du- ring the following centuries many owners changed in Paskov and it is not purposeful to name them all here. Let us pay attention to just a few. An interesting personality was Ladislav z Kadaně (died around 1530), who is ascribed the intention to make Paskov a town. For this reason he had a few market houses build in the square. In the existing historical literature there is no consensus on when Paskov became a small town; it is often spoken of two dates: 1499 and 1538. In 1538 Jan z Pernštejna made a signifi cant mark in the history of the village, when he agreed with the then Bishop of Olomouc on withdrawing Paskov from the subordination of the bishopric. The feud of Paskov continues to be free and it was thus entered into the provincial boards. Under Václav Bruntálský z Vrbna, during the years 1640-1646, the Paskov castle was built. In June 1699 Oprechti- ce was founded in the vicinity of Paskov by the Count Franz Joseph von Oppersdorf and the village was then merged with Paskov in 1980. The humanitarian Countess Marie Pavla z Fürstenbusch was allegedly popular among the subjects. She had a new stone church of St.Laurence built. When in 1869 the Paskov castle burned down, the then owner of the estate Moritz, the Count of St. Genois, had it rebuilt into the form of a four-winged chateau with a mansard roof and a neoclassical facade, which we know today. Nevertheless, the history of the castle, which is unfortunately empty today, is very dramatic. During the Thirty Years War, it was besieged by foreign troops, burned down, was rebuilt several times, after 1945 it was damaged and then rebuilt to a treatment radiotherapy institute, whose operation began in 1951. In the 18th century a garden was established by the castle, from which a park arose in the following decades planted among others with exotic bushes and trees and interlaced with sandy paths. The following years and the lack of care left their mark on the park, too. During the Second World War, the southern part of the park was even cut down. The park has recently been renovated and is part of the European network of protected localities NATURA 2000 because an endangered beetle species of the hermit family - beetle brown lives in the tree hollows. The park used to be supplemented by a number of sculptures, some of which survived to date, par- ticularly the sandstone sculptures of the ancient goddesses Athéna, Eris, Tyché and Niké, located on the terrace by the castle building. Another sculpture with a similar theme stands nearby - Hérakles returning from the garden of Hesperides with three golden apples. Also noteworthy is the rest of the castle fountain in the form of a lying lion. In fact Paskov is a village quite abundant in sculptures. Out of the new ones it is important to note the statue of Masaryk designed by the sculptor Otto Gutfreund, which was unveiled in a ceremonial way four times, fi rst in 1929, most recently in 1990. 26 Two totalitarian regimes, which changed in our country in the meantime, demanded its removal. The statues of St. Šebestián and St. John of Nepomuk stand by the castle gate; they come from the period around 1710 and in the square there stands a statue of St. Florián from 1780. The local citizen Jan Lísek had it built at his own expense. From St. Florián we can continue to the local Volunteer fi re department, which belongs to the oldest ones in the region. It was established in 1877 and ushered in the period of associations typical for the turn of the 19th and 20th century. But the very fi rst association was the Paskov Regional Economic Association, which started its activities in 1862. Its main aim was to spread awareness among farmers, inform them about new methods of farming also leading to greater profi ts. The rich association and cultural life of the then population of Paskov is illustrated by a brief listing of other organizations: since 1889 the Sporting Association Sokol operated, since 1908 Orel, after World War I the DTJ association, then for example the Beekeeping association, the Museum Association, Scout, Culture Club and others. Speaking of the social and cultural life of the village, we must also mention the important or interesting personalities. From the natives they are painter Bohumír Dvorský (1902-1976), the pianist, composer and educator Gustav Pivoňka (1895-1977), the local chronicler Karel Havránek (1864-1935) or the actor and director Radim Koval (1924-1985). From those who were not born here, let us mention Josef Skýba-Děhylovský (1851-1933), who was an important local association and national worker and poet, Jaroslav Teichmann (1904-1999), who was a translator from Russian and especially the entomologist Edmund Reitter (1845-1920), who spent a great part of his life here. In his fi eld he published more than 1 000 works; he founded a professional magazine, was a member of several scientifi c societies, received many awards and in 1898 became an imperial advisor. Several industrial enterprises belong inherently to the current Paskov. The most recent one is the sawmill Mayr-Melnhof Holz Paskov Ltd., opened in May 2004. The premises of the company Biocel Paskov are situated nearby. The company produces mainly bleached pulp. The construction of the works started in 1979 and the fi rst pulp was produced four years later. In 1966 coal mining began in the new Paskov Mine and was ended in 1999. In the 1960s OKD company arose near the Paskov Mine, a Factory for degassing and drainage, renamed in 1977 Mine exploration and safety. Today the company is part of a multinational company Green Gas International B.V. In the end let us add that the efforts to promote the Paskov village to a higher residential unit, which we noted as early as the 16th century, came true right now, in 2011, when Paskov became a town.

27 Paskov square

Statue of St. Florián from 1780 in Paskov Square

28 Memorial of establishment of local 28 scout organization Detail of St. Florián statue St. Laurence church

29 29 Wooden cross in Nádražní street Stone cross in Místecká street Stone cross at Jedlovec Chapel of Rise of Holy Cross from 1887 pond from 1873 in Oprechtice Nádražní street with the restaurant castle tavern

Building of Castle tavern, a place with a pub tradition since early 18th century

Former “kontribučenská” granary from the late 17th century Statue of T. G. Masaryk in front of the municipal ofﬁ ce 30 30 Eastern part of the castle building Statue of St. John of Nepomuk

Statue of St. Šebestián in Nádražní street 31 31 Castle park Statue of Hercules in the castle park Statue of Athéna - the goddess of wisdom and warfare Statue of Niké - the goddess of victory Statue of Tyché – the goddess of happy coincidences

32 Sculpture of lying lion - a remain of the former castle fountain 32 Statue of Eris - the goddess of strifes and quarrels Industrial zone in Paskov with dominating premises of Lenzing Biocel Paskov Inc.

View of the premises of Scania company - Paskov service Head frame of former Paskov plant with pond Kuboň in the front 33 33 Late afternoon at Kuboň pond Late afternoon at Kuboň pond

Ostravice river

34 34 Conﬂ uence of Ostravice and Olešná Olešná river Size of territory: 5,67 square kilometres | Number of inhabitants as of January 1, 2011: 1 804

Church of St. Wenceslas Václavovice

Václavovice enter the history along with other communities of the region on the list of tithes of the Wroclaw bishopric, which was written around 1305. Since the copy of the deed, which has survived, is not supplied with a date, we must settle for this not quite accurate statement. Moreover, the exact date of the deed formation would not tell us when Václavovice actually came into existence because the mentioned list recorded only communities existing for some time already. Generally we accept the conclusion that Václavovice came into existence in the last decades of the 13th century. During the next centuries Václavovice gradually found itself in possession of more than twenty masters. Out of those who had Václavovice in possession for a longer time, let us name at least Sobkové z Kornic (1570s until 1670s) and Skrbenští z Hříště (end of 17th century - 1867). Meanwhile Václavovice transformed from a small village of about ten or twelve houses into a relati- vely large village comprising of 151 house numbers and 1052 inhabitants in 1880. While the original inhabitants were farmers and cattle breeders, in the late 19th century the population of Václavovice was formed mainly by working-class families. The families were supported by men mostly employed in Ostrava industry; women were at home, taking care of the household, garden and domestic lives- tock. Traders and farmers were in absolute minority. The history of Václavovice was closely connected with the history of the neighbouring Šenov, both villages were part of Šenov dominion for several centuries. Inhabitants went to church and to school to Šenov. Only since 1876 classes were given directly in the village, fi rst in the house number 8 and the Cielecký tavern at number 12, since 1878 then in the newly constructed two-class school building. It soon became clear that the school capacity is not suffi cient, especially when fi eld work ended and most pupils came to school, indeed. Then the construction of another school was fi rst considered. It was built in 1905 and was already a four-class one. But even this was not the end. In the 1930s it was again necessary to expand the school and further reorganizations and reconstruc- tions took place during the second half of the 20th century. There used to be a rich social life in Václavovice earlier. Already in 1889, The Kreutzer school association was established (renamed in 1931 to Heller school association). From other associations let us mention the Reading-economic association, established in 1897, the Volunteer fi re department from 1903 and the Union of People´s awareness, which was established one year before World War I began. Between the wars sporting associations were arising. Already in 1919 the association DTJ was founded and later on the Association of proletarian physical training. In 1924 the Sporting association Orel and in 1935 the Sporting association Sokol were established, although so far only as a branch of Sokol Šenov. A separate Sokol association was established in 1947. Information from the village chronicle will help us illustrate the activities of local associations, which states that in 1933 there was organized one public workout, six theatre performances and thirty dances. The village theatre represents a glorious chapter in the life of the village. Members of the reader´s

36 association probably initiated the tradition in 1897 and in 1947 the development came to the establishment of Silesian theatre group, which even played several performances a year. The highlight of its activity was participation in the national competition of amateur theatrical activity in Vysoké nad Jizerou in 1974. Today the theatre tradition in the village continues in the theatre group Pro- padlo, which is an author´s theatre. On the territory of Václavovice there are also some very interesting quiet corners in the nature that have one thing in common. They are always located at the border with one of the neighbouring villages. It is mainly the trip spot at the Ryninka (“little gutter”) spring at the border with the village Sedliště. The well is on the land of the neighbouring village. Water fl owing out of it forms a little brook, which is at the same time the boundary between the villages mentioned. The name originated from the fact that the water runs out of it through a wooden trough, called “gutter” (“rýna”) in the dialect. At the border with Kaňovice and Sedliště we can fi nd another nice place – the spring U Stanošků. Situated on the land of Kaňovice but owned by the Hunting association Václavovice there is a newly built pond Kamenec. And at the border with the town Šenov, we can fi nd a sandpit, which is a wild, natural locality rich in wetland at the site of a former sand mine. This site was included in the network of important localities in Europe - NATURA 2000. The great crested newt can be found here. The church of St. Wenceslas became a modern landmark of the village ten years ago. Residents of the village had been striving for their own church since the early 20th century. Their efforts, however, were foiled at fi rst by the World Wars and later by the communist regime. Only in the late 1990s could the intention be realized on the land acquired for this purpose in 1938. The church was consecrated on September 28, 2001. The church is not the only building in the village worth the attention. Other sights are for example the chapel of St. John of Nepomuk from 1805, which was declared a cultural monument in 2000, a wooden campanile on the hill at house number 34 from the year 1822, a brick chapel in Kaštanová street from 1924, wooden wind mills and many folk wooden cottages. Václavovice is a unique village in a certain sense, though; certainly not only within the villages of the Silesian gate, but also within the wider region. An unprecedented long line of artists is associated with Václavovice, or in a broader sense of fi ne artists who were either born here or are still active here: Josef Novický, Josef Velčovský, Maxim Velčovský, Jiří Sibinský, Marek Sibinský, Bohuslav Stach, Jaromír Drozd and Bedřich Fiala. Works of some of them are represented not only in our galleries but also in foreign ones. An interesting native was also Jaroslav Pastrňák (1924-2010), who became famous after his emigra- tion to the USA under the stage name Jerry Pasternak as an artistic photographer whose pictures often appeared among others in various prestigious journals.

37 Statue of St. Wenceslas Statue of Virgin Mary

Church of St. Wenceslas Plaque to the organizers of construction

Organ in church of St. Wenceslas Calvary 38 38 Foundation stone of church of St. Wenceslas Cross at the forest behind the water reservoir Memorial to victims of World War I and II Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk in Potoční street

Chapel in Kaštanová Street

Detail of cross in Frýdecká street 39 39 Campanile on Milíře Cross in Frýdecká street Log-cabin in Za Olšinou street Cottage in Potoční street

Log-cabin in K Sosni street

Wind mill in V Kopci street 40 40 Dřevěnka na Milířích Trip spot and Ryninka spring Stopping place in Ryninka Image of Virgin Mary in Ryninka

Stopping place above the spring U Stanošků

Detail of a tree root in Ryninka

<< Details of decoration << of spring U Stanošků

41 41 Spring U Stanošků Overall view of the village from Frýdecká street

Frýdecký brook

Dolní Datyňka at the border triangle of Václavovice, Kaňovice and Dolní Datyně (of the town Havířov) - the border triangle of the regions Ostrava, Frýdek-Místek and Karviná

42 42 Polypore Forest under the spring U Stanošků Lake in the area of Pískovna Church of St. Michael the Archangel

Size of territory: 8,01 square kilometre | Number of inhabitants as of January 1, 2011: 1 709 Řepiště

Not until 1450 do we directly encounter the name Řepiště in surviving historical sources. It is not the date of the village establishment; it is a reference to an already existing village. We cannot deter- mine with certainty how long it had already existed at that time, nevertheless in accordance with a so far valid interpretation of historians; Řepiště was probably established in the late 13th century by the colonists from Lusatia. The territory on which the village arose then belonged to the Baruth noble family, after whom the new establishment was initially named Barutov. The name probably failed to catch on and the inhabitants named the village after their native Lusatian village Řepiščo. We cannot follow anyhow closely the earlier history of the village due to the lack of historical sources. We learn only bits and pieces of the then processes, for example the fact that in the mid-16th century the village belonged to the Rudský family. They apparently ruled here with an iron hand because local subjects rose against the masters, duties prescribed by them and corvées several times. Disputes were resolved with the Duke of Teschen, of course, in favour of nobility. In 1596 a new settlement called Rakovec was established near Řepiště by Petr Sedlnický z Choltic, jr. In 17th century Řepiště became part of the Šenov dominion and together with that part of the property of Skrbenští. In the late 18th century the Řepiště estate was separated from the rest of the village, when the local manor house was bought by Earl Josef Mistrovský, owner of the neighbouring Paskov dominion. In 1787 he established the village Vinohrad here. Shortly afterwards Řepiště and new Vi- nohrad got the last liegeman (although at that time no one knew). In January 1809 Count Filip Ludvík Saint Genois bought the village together with other estates, in whose possession it remained until the abolition of patrimonial administration after 1848. After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 club and cultural activities fully awoke in Řepi- ště, which until then slumbered in the form of the Economic association and the Union of People´s awareness. The neighbouring villages Vinohrad and Rakovec already belonged to the village. In a short time Sokol, DTJ and the Volunteer fi re department were established. Associations didn´t only attend to the purpose for which they were established but they also played theater or held balls and events gratefully attended by the whole village. Local library was also established. Řepiště can boast a wooden church of St. Michael the Archangel. The exact time of its establishment cannot be determined today, it is mostly stated that it comes from the second half of the 15th century; the fi rst written evidence of its existence comes from the 17th century, though. Other information is very sporadic, too: the church, dedicated to St. Nicholas then, was taken away from the Protestants in 1654, in 1688 it was affi liated to the Šenov Parish and a visitation report of 1808 informs us that the church is in a deplorable condition and there is a risk of its collapsing. It was more than a good reason for its extensive repairs, but unfortunately our ancestors did not respect the architectural uniqueness of the building consistently, so the church lost part of its ancient cha- racter. The uniqueness of the monument is emphasized by the newly restored baroque organ by the

44 organist František Hořčička from 1800, which is one of his last surviving instruments. Řepiště was the birthplace of a number of natives, who became famous minimally on the regional scale. Of the living ones they are two sportsmen: the cyclist Vlastibor Konečný (1957) – the Olympic bronze medalist from Moscow and Libor Uher (1971) – a climber who ascended as the second Czech in history the world´s second highest mountain K2 in 2007. Of the deceased ones we must in particular mention Bohumil Pavlok (1922-2002) – a Catholic poet. Because of his religion he was not able to carry out his original teaching profession for some time and he was only allowed to publish his poems as bibliophile in the 1950s. Strongly religious was also another native Ferdinand Stibor (1869- 1956), a Catholic priest. After World War I he enlisted in the church reformatory movement and then became one of the leading representatives of the newly established Czechoslovak Hussite Church. In 1923 he became its bishop. In the fi eld of Czech drama Oldřich Stibor (1901-1943) has left a distinct mark – he was a signifi cant interwar theatre director of the Czech theatre in Olomouc, where he staged many for his time extraordinary performances. We can conclude the section dedicated to natives, who brought fame to the village with Rudolf Slíva (1912-1943) – a war airman, a member of the RAF. Although it does not seem so, industry fl ourished in Řepiště in the past. After 1910 two brick factories prospered well here due to quality deposits of brick clay. The fi rst producer was Jan Kubeš, the second one was František Metz and the bricks were handmade. At the end of the 1920s František Metz began the machine production of the bricks. The brick factory was very successful, producing 5-6 thousand bricks a day and this number gradually increased. But the time came when there were no sales and the brick factory produced drain pipes and fl ower pots. In 1948 the factory was natio- nalized and placed under the administration of Moravian-Silesian brickworks, NC. The production of bricks then continued in Řepiště until 1995. Part of the Mine Paskov was earlier on the territory of the village and an upcast air shaft with a poppet-head was built in Řepiště, which was in operation from 1977 to 2001. After that the tower was blasted away.e steep slope above the railway tracks and the forest Zaryje offer the romanticism of the unbridled nature. It has a characteristic spring scent of wild garlic and a few pools of water. There is a house called Gajdula at the edge of the forest, which is reportedly the oldest building in the village. There used to be a noble distillery. The name apparently derives from the fact that farm wagons on the steep hill joggled (gajdovaly), which meant that the horses were not able to pull the wagon and it was necessary to harness more horses. To those who do not like to settle for an acceptable explanation, and prefer to listen to versions with the fl avour of mystery, we offer an unlikely story of the robber baron Gajdoš, who had his entrance into an underground passage leading to the Paskov castle here.

45 Chapel of St. Florián Church of St. Michael the Archangel

Ironwork on the cemetery gate 46 46 Statue of St. Florián on the chapel Chapel on Salt Trail Chapel of St. Agnes of Bohemia Cross in Jezdecká street Cross in the Mírová street

Cross in the Na Kůtách street

text, text, text Cross in Rakovec 47 47 Memorial to victims of communism by the elementary school Kindergarten

Elementary school

Firehouse

Municipal ofﬁ ce

48 48 Multipurpose gym Sports complex of Sporting association Řepiště

Train station Children‘s playground in Rakovec

49 49 Children’s home of Blessed Marie Antonína Kratochvílová Playground with artiﬁ cial surface Panorama of Moravian-Silesian Beskydy

Flowering wild garlic in Zaryje Ostravice River

50 50 Rocks near the railway tracks Basin of Ostravice river Pit tip from Paskov Mine in Řepiště Church of All Saints

Size of territory: 9,90 square kilometres | Number of inhabitants as of January 1, 2011: 1 423 Sedliště When in 2005 the village published its monograph entitled Reading about Sedliště, one of the fi rst statements reported there was the number indicating the number of inhabitants: 1276. After fi ve, six years this number is noticeably higher: 1423. Sedliště is therefore a place which people do not leave; on the contrary, new settlers keep coming. Their predecessors, the founders of the village, came here sometime in 13th century from the far away Lusatia. As a matter of fact, the colonizers were members of the noble Lusatian family Ba- ruth, who brought their countrymen with. But we lack any documents for this period. Sedliště is fi rst mentioned in written records in the early 14th century, generally the year 1305 is indicated, although the document itself, which mentions the name of the village, is not directly dated. The fi rst detailed information is only from 1580. Sedliště then had 27 settlers and among other villages of the Frýdek dominion it belonged to the largest ones. There was a pond and a mill in the village. According to the offi ce book from 1636, a manor house and a system of 7 feudal ponds for fi sh farming were added. Some ponds were liquidated in the second half of the 18th century, the remaining ones are gradually being renovated and thus arises a nice locality for relaxation and recreation by the Ostravická Datyňka. It is a place worth visiting. The inhabitants apparently built a wooden chapel at the time the village was established. In 1624 a larger wooden church was built and fourteen years later, at the instigation of the owner of the dominion Georg von Oppersdorf, it was rebuilt into the form that closely resembles that of today. Last modifi cation to the church exterior was done in 1862, when the original tower was demolished; it was replaced by a rear gallery and a new tower with a double-limb Cyril and Methodius cross. The wooden church of All Saints is now one of the most important regional monuments of folk ar- chitecture. There are many sights to admire in the village, though: let us for all state at least the cemetery with cast iron crosses right by the church, followed by stone statues of the Virgin Mary of Frýdek and John of Nepomuk. Sedliště continued to grow substantially, in the late 18th century it was the second largest village of the dominion. In the early 1840s there were 781 inhabitants and 15 farm grounds in the village. In the second half of the 19th century the Czech national movement met with a great response in Sed- liště. In 1852 there were already 14 book subscribers. It is said that the fi rst library was established in the village as early as 1865. In such a cultural environment important personalities throve. Let us mention at least Joža Vochala (1892 - 1965). He was a Silesian ethnographic worker, who was not a native but his work is inseparably connected with Sedliště. This relentless regional historian, pub- licist and gatherer of Silesian national traditions, songs, dances and other antiquities was also one of the initiators and then the principal spirit of now legendary Ethnographic Association Sedlišťané. 52 Although the association ceased to exist with the death of Vochala, his legacy is nevertheless still evident today; at least in the form of the Museum Lašská jizba, which opened in 1977. There is a collection of a number of items from households, furniture, farming tools, craft tools, male and fe- male costumes, documents, religious prints, many unique documents of life of previous generations of Sedliště inhabitants. The collector activity remained inhere for the local people; the museum’s collection is continually being supplemented with donations of the inhabitants. Apart from permanent exposition, the museum also organizes exhibitions and programs for schools. Turn of the 19th and 20th century was the period of associations. Several associations were established in Sedliště, too, two of which function to date: they are the Volunteer fi re department, which was established in 1891 and the Mining and Metallurgical Association Rozkvět, which was established ten years later (now it is called the Mining Association Rozkvět). To be complete let us mention the Beekeeping association established in 1906, the Association of rural youth from 1940, the Sporting association Sokol Bruzovice - Sedliště established in 1920 and the Sporting association Orel from 1924. At the turn of the 19th and 20th century the village undergoes a major transformation. Wooden buildings are gradually being replaced by brick ones and their inhabitants are terminating their work in agriculture to seek new employment in industrial enterprises in the area. In 1920 a post offi ce was established in the village, in the 1920s a bus service to the village and in 1932 even electricity was taken there. The highest point in the village is situated on the hill Černá zem (374 meters above the sea level), formerly known as Baba, from which there is a beautiful view of the surrounding villages and of the panorama of Moravian-Silesian Beskydy and Lysá hora. Also for this reason people around Joža Vo- chala came in the 1920s with the idea to establish a monument of Petr Bezruč in this place. Although this bold plan was for various reasons not realized, the top of Černá zem did not remain empty. In September 1932 a substitute monument of Free land was festively unveiled here with a concrete maquette of a plough and in 1962 the site was at least named after the poet – Bezruč view point. No visitor to the village should forgo this popular trip spot if only for the view it provides. The view of the Beskydy panorama is not the only pleasure of the beautiful nature, which the visitors to Sedliště get. Wells in the Datyně forest are defi nitely worth the attention, especially then the Ryninka well, located at the border with neighbouring Václavovice. Those, who will not do with clean spring water as refreshments, can use the hospitality of the stylish restaurant Lašská jizba.

53 Church of All Saints

Cast iron crosses at the church

Statue of Virgin Mary of Frýdek Statue of St. John of Ne- Detail of the metal banner with 54 behind the church pomuk behind the church the date of building the church Memorial to victims of communism by the church 54 Wooden cross by the road to Frýdek

Holy Trinity Chapel at Mlzáky

55 55 Cross by the road to Frýdek Sculpture in the Chapel of St. Joseph Sculpture in the Chapel of St. Joseph Chapel of St. Joseph Museum Lašská jizba when viewed from the Church of All Saints

Interior of museum Interior of museum Interior of museum 56 56 Malá Prašivá Velká Stolová Slezské Beskydy Šindelná 1046 706 Lysá Hora Smrk 1000 1276 Malý Javorový Prašivá 1323 Čertův Mlýn 1207 945 Javorový 843 Malý Smrk 1032 Kyčera 1173 Ondřejník Godula Malý Travný Radhošť Křívý 768 Slavíč 1099 Ostrá Kněhyně 737 782 1257 1129 Ropice Údolí Travný Údolí Čeladenky Údolí 1082 Údolí Morávky 1203 Olše Stonávky Údolí Ostravice Údolí Lučiny Údolí Mohelnice

Panorama of the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy from the Bezruč view point

Overall view of the Bezruč view point with statues by Emil Adamec Bezruč view point with the monument of Free land

57 57 Bezruč view point with the monument of Free land Foundation stone of Lysá hora in the pedestal of the monument of Free land Monument to victims of World War I in the centre of the village

One of the ponds in the locality „Stavy“

Memorial58 to the 10th Anniversary of Czechoslovakia Nature around Ostravická Datyňka 58 Log-cabin at Mlzáky Chapel „Pod Lipami“

Size of territory: 3,30 square kilometres | Number of inhabitants as of January 1, 2011: 692 Žabeň

With some exaggeration one could say that the smaller the village, the greater the diffi culties to de- termine the time of its establishment. Žabeň really is a certain challenge in this respect. It doesn’t appear in written sources for the fi rst time until the year 1460, it is not the true origin of the village, though. So when was Žabeň established then? According to the existing fi ndings of historians, who deal with the medieval settlement of our region, we can assume with great probability, but not with certainty, that it could be the successor of the village Malý Sviadnov, which is approximately in this area mentioned around the year 1395, but then it disappears from the sources. What could happen is that in the early 15th century Malý Sviadnov ceased to exist and in its place, or partly in place of the former settlement, a new settlement arose in the coming decades. The village was characteri- stically named after amphibians, which were found in the local wet soil plentifully. In this case we could thus put the establishment of today’s Žabeň somewhere in the mid-15th century.

With the name of the village it was not easy, either. The current denomination Žabeň didn’t settle until 1920s, although it ﬁ rst appeared in the 16th century. Before that the name of the community varied. In written documents we can encounter forms like Žabejnn, Žabná, Žabný, Žabina, Žabno, Ziabna and others. The sign Ziabná appears on the municipal seal from 1718, on which there is an image of a turtle - to make the situation even more confusing since this animal is somewhat atypical for our region.

In the Moravian Homeland study of 1915 it is still written about a village called Žabná. It is presented as a settlement of rectangular shape, which is divided into two unequally sized parts by the river Olešná. According to the author the local people spoke with a Lachian dialect, which was modiﬁ ed by literary language, though. The religion was mostly Catholic and the main occupations of the inhabitants were agriculture and animal breeding. Brickwork was before other trades. Many people worked in metallurgical works in Lipina or in factories in Místek, though.

Žabeň had been included in the Paskov feud since its establishment, and thus all its subsequent history is connected with Paskov and its owners. Dependence on Paskov manifested itself in the ﬁ eld of religion and education, too. Inhabitants of Žabeň went to Paskov to church and buried their dead at the local cemetery. Their children went to Paskov to school. Considerable distance made the school attendance hard for young children, especially in winter, and in addition the Paskov school was overcrowded. Therefore in the early 20th century the inhabitants of Žabeň decided to build their own school. It was opened in 1904 as a one-class school. After several years it was clear that the school is not sufﬁ cient for the growing number of children and in 1923 it was thus expanded to a two-class school. Even then the situation was not ideal but a new solution did not come about until

60 the early 1960s, when a new school building was built, where a kindergarten was placed, too. The old school building now houses the municipal ofﬁ ce.

Žabeň has been a small village from the beginning. In 1650 there were only 14 houses, which were moreover not all occupied, and thus the estimated population should not exceed 100 people. These numbers continued to grow, but not at all tremendously. In 1850, when we can go from accurately recorded statistical data, there lived 347 inhabitants. A hundred years later, there were 519 inhabitants in 114 houses.

Even in such a small village there can be a rich association and cultural life. Although the biggest associations were established only in the period of the independent republic, even in the time before World War I there appeared the ﬁ rst ones: in 1907 it was the Readers´ association and in 1909 the Union of National Unity. In 1925 the Union of Czechoslovak Eagle (Orel) was added to them; four years later the Worker’s Sporting association, one year after that the Volunteer ﬁ re department and in 1934 the Sporting association Sokol.

We must pause to talk more about the fi refi ghters, who actually established their association triply. The fi rst establishment took place in 1887 already, but the association apparently ceased to exist after several years; the reasons are not known. Another reestablishment was about to happen in the summer of 1914 but the outbreak of World War I foiled it. Only in 1925 it was fi nally managed to establish an association that has been successfully active to date. Sokol in Žabeň is also still active; it organizes a variety of sport and cultural events.

Even in such a small village like Žabeň we can ﬁ nd important and historic buildings, noteworthy are mainly three objects standing right in the centre. The most important monument is the chapel dedicated to St. Fabián and St. Šebestián, which was built instead of the former wooden campanile. Every year on St. Šebestián day processions took place from Žabeň to Paskov in memory of warding off the plague stroke of the early 18th century. Near the chapel there stands the building of the former reeve house and the building of the original mill in Žabeň. Although now, after it was rebuilt, it does not resemble the mill any more. From the surviving document issued in 1699 by the master of Paskov dominion Count Franz Joseph von Oppersdorf we learn that the mill then belonged to Matouš Fuňák. On the basis of this document the miller was exempt from corvée for regular cash and in-kind compensation. After the miller Fuňák died, the mill came to the possession of the Naiser family through the marriage with the daughter of Fuňák. The mill belonged to them until 1964. The mill was then the only industrial enterprise in the village.

61 Memorial to victims of World War II

Village centre with the building of the cultural house, library and restaurant

Chapel of St. Fabián and Šebestián

Children‘s playground at the elementary school 62 62 Elementary school Ostravice River

„Kingdom Žabeň“ „Kingdom Žabeň“ - castle detail „Žabeň prince“

63 63 Olešná River By the ponds in Žabeň Cross by the Lískovec distribution point Early spring on ponds in Žabeň Cross at the municipal ofﬁ ce

Landscape with Biocel Paskov Late afternoon by ponds in Žabeň 64 64 Water reservoir Kamenec

Size of territory: 2,59 square kilometres | Number of inhabitants as of January 1, 2011: 293 Kaňovice As it would probably be hard to fi nd a cuter introduction to the village Kaňovice than the one created by the fi rst chronicler of the village Stanislav Malina in 1924, perhaps no one will thus object if we use it now. The chronicler writes: “The village Kaňovice is wedged between the neighbouring villages Bruzovice and Václavovice. It is placed close to the Václavovický forest and its position is of a serpent”. We add: The village Kaňovice is to be found 7 km north of Frýdek-Místek towards Šenov. The village is small, has 293 inhabitants and 111 family houses. In addition to the village being lucky to have had such a poetic chronicler, furthermore it has the privilege of being able to boast an almost complete birth certifi cate. While with other villages of the Silesian gate we must always refer to the fi rst surviving written reference and refer to the village having been established some time before that, we know exactly when Kaňovice was established. It is of course mainly due to the fact that the village was established late, at the time when the owners of the dominion had accurate records kept. Of this period more written sources survived to this day. And that is why we know that Kaňovice was established at the instigation of the then owner of the Frýdek dominion Jan Bruntálský z Vrbna in 1613. Fields for the new settlement were detached from the Bruzovice estates and the new settlers also came mainly from Bruzovice, just like the farmer Adam Kania, who acted in the role of the person encharged with the village establishment. The village was also named after him. It is not possible to document the exact date of the establishment but it is written in the Bruzovice Parish chronicle that it happened sometime around St. George. As mentioned in the offi ce book of the Frýdek-Místek dominion written in 1636 (not long after the establishment of the village), Kaňovice had twenty-two farmhouses, a mill and a pond. The farmhouses were all horticultural, there was no farm ground. As indicated in the Bruzovice Parish chronicle, 171 inhabitants lived in the village in 1764, in 1789 the village had 30 houses and three years later 226 inhabitants. The fact that data about Kaňovice is recorded in the Parish chronicle of the neighbouring Bruzovice is no accident. Kaňovice was affi liated to the Bruzovice Parish from the beginning and children went to school there, too. Between these two villages, however, there was no road connection, people used fi eld paths. When a road from Šenov to Frýdek was built during the years 1839-1840, parents wanted their children to be able to attend school in Sedliště and some, without awaiting the decisi- on of the competent authority, began to send them there directly. Children of Kaňovice then went for some time to schools in both neighbouring villages. Only in 1853 did the Provincial education offi ce in Opava grant the request for school transfer. Since 1872 classes began to be given directly in the village in a rented room in house number 27. Two years later a new separate school building arose in Kaňovice.

66 According to the testimony of the chronicler of the 1830s, Kaňovice was then a predominantly agricultural village. Apart from miners employed mainly in Petřvald, the locals spend their time mostly in fi elds and in their gardens, where hundreds of fruit trees grew. The chronicler literally writes: “Most attention is paid to the fi eld, they care for themselves and their household less and they care the least for the mental education and upbringing of their children.” Sometimes it is good that times change. The most important monument in the village is the chapel of St. Hedwig from the years 1868 - 1869. It was built as a replacement for the existing campanile “for the decoration of the village, but even more for the honor and praise of God”. The chronicler thus quotes the words of the village mayor Josef Vaněk, during whose tenure new chapel interior was installed, including the Calvary and the image of St. Hedwig above the altar. The former chapel was half its current size, though. Since it somewhat fell into disrepair over a few decades, the inhabitants of Kaňovice decided to repair and expand it. This reconstruction occurred in 1911. But even that was not the last construction inter- vention. At the end of the 1930s it was found that the chapel was in need of a new roof. Therefore a cash collection was realized among the inhabitants and in 1939 the proceeds were used not only to repair the roof but also the tower – instead of the existing bulb roof was built a higher, more angular one. The new chapel is of rectangular plan with a saddle roof; there is a sacristy, gallery, organ and a small tower with a bell above the entry triangular gable. After the establishment of the independent republic in 1918, social life awoke in the village. In 1921 the Volunteer fi re department was added to the existing Economic association, which worked there since 1910. Later the Association of rural youth was added and then the Union of People´s awareness. New associations enriched local social and cultural life, held parties, balls, played theatre. A remarkable date in the history of this small village is December 28, 1944 when Kaňovice was bombed. It might sound a bit exaggerated as Kaňovice certainly was not a strategic target of any of the militants, nevertheless what happened is that that day three planes fl ew over the village and dropped seven bombs, six of which exploded. Fortunately, the incident got along without casualties; only properties were damaged and six craters occurred in the fi eld, allegedly up to ten meters deep. In 2005 a pond was artifi cially constructed on the brook Dolní Datyňka in the locality Kamenec, which became a natural part of its surroundings thanks to the tasteful designing and it invites pede- strians as well as cyclists to a pleasant rest stop. The owner of the dam is the Hunting Association Václavovice near Frýdek-Místek.

67 Firehouse Chapel of St. Hadwig

Stone cross in the village centre Memorial dedicated to the historic anniversaries of Kaňovice

68 68 Wooden cross at the car park opposite the municipal ofﬁ ce Farmstead

Water reservoir Kamenec

Life at Kamenec 69 69 Dolní Datyňka brook Sources used: Chronicles of individual towns and villages of the Silesian Gate Region (deposited in SOkA Frýdek-Místek) Internet sites of individual towns and villages of the Silesian Gate Region

Literature used: Bakala, Jaroslav: Osídlení Frýdecka a Jablunkovska v období vrcholného feudalismu. Frýdek-Místek 1982 Bakala, Jaroslav: Osídlení Místecka a Brušperska v období vrcholného feudalismu. Frýdek-Místek 1983 Bartoň, Josef a kol.: Čtení o Sedlištích. Sedliště 2005 Bartoš, Josef- Schulz, Jindřich- Trapl, Miloš: Historický místopis Moravy a Slezska v letech 1848-1960,svazek XV. Olomouc 2000 Kiška, Ladislav: Starší historie a pamětihodnosti obce Šenova ve Slezsku. Šenov 1992 Kocur, Leo: Malé dějiny Kaňovic. Kaňovice 1949 Linhart, František: Vlastivěda moravská. Místecký okres. Brno 1915 Paskov. 730 let (1267-1997). Paskov 1997 Pavlok, Bohumil (ed.): Lašská obec Řepiště. Řepiště 1970 Pavlok, Bohumil: Řepiště 1270-1995. Řepiště 1995 Pastrňák, Milan: Václavovice 1302-2002. Václavovice 2002 Pastrňák, Milan: Bruzovice. 700 let. Bruzovice 2004 Polášek, Jaromír: Přehled událostí obce Žabeň 1460-2010. Žabeň 2010 Tvrdý, Ludvík: 700 let Šenova. Šenov 1986 Valošek, Isidor (ed.): Vratimov. Minulost a současnost města papíren. Vratimov 1974

Contents: Prefatory word ...... 2 Šenov ...... 3 Vratimov ...... 13 Paskov ...... 23 Václavovice ...... 33 Řepiště ...... 41 Sedliště ...... 49 Žabeň ...... 57 Kaňovice ...... 63 Sources and literature used ...... 68

70 Silesian Gate Region

Author of text: Tomáš Adamec Author of photographs: Miroslav Lysek

Published in Šenov by Union of villages Silesian Gate Region in 2011 Graphic design and print: IMAGE STUDIO s.r.o., Na Jánské 23, 710 00 Slezská Ostrava

ISBN 978-80-903902-4-9

Published with ﬁ nancial support of Moravian-Silesian Region from the subsidy programme Support of renewal and development of countryside of the Moravian-Silesian Region 2010.