Děčín

Děčín
Statutory city
View over the Elbe Valley
Flag Coat of arms
Děčín Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°46′25″N 14°11′46″E / 50.77361°N 14.19611°E / 50.77361; 14.19611
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Ústí nad Labem
District	Děčín
First mentioned	993
Government
• Mayor	Jiří Anděl (ANO)
Area
• Total	117.70 km2 (45.44 sq mi)
Elevation	135 m (443 ft)
Population  (2023-01-01)[1]
• Total	47,180
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	405 02
Website	www.mmdecin.cz

Děčín (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɟɛtʃiːn]; German: Tetschen, 1942–1945: Tetschen–Bodenbach) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 47,000 inhabitants. It is the 7th largest municipality in the country by area. Děčín is an important traffic junction.

Administrative division

Děčín is made up of 35 city parts and villages:^[2]

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal Slavic name Děk.^[3]

Geography

Děčín is located about 18 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of Ústí nad Labem and 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Dresden. The municipal territory borders Germany in the north. With an area of 117.70 km² (45.44 sq mi), Děčín is the 7th largest municipality in the country by area. It lies in the transition zone between the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the north and the Central Bohemian Uplands in the south. The highest point is a contour line on the slopes of Děčínský Sněžník at 702 m (2,303 ft) above sea level.

The city proper lies at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Ploučnice. Most of the built-up area is situated in the river valley with an elevation of 135 m (443 ft), which makes it the lowest city in the country. The entire area of the city falls into protected landscape areas České středohoří and Labské pískovce.

History

According to archaeological findings, the settlement of the area began at the La Tène times. Slavic settlement can be documented since the 7th century. The first written mention of Děčín is from 993, when the Děčín province existed and it is assumed that Děčín was its administrative centre. Děčín was founded at the ford over the Elbe in the places where the trade route led. The Přemyslid dukes of Bohemia had a gord built for the protection of the waterway. The gord was replaced by a stone castle in the first half of the 13th century. In the second half of the 13th century, King Ottokar II of Bohemia founded a new royal city under the castle.^[4]

Lords of Wartenberg acquired Děčín in 1305. They made the city their family seat, but had to sell it due to debts. From 1511 to 1515, the estate was owned by Mikuláš Trčka of Lípa, who then sold it to the Salhausen family. In 1534, Knights of Bünau purchased the estate. They had rebuilt a part of the castle into a comfortable Renaissance residence.^[5] During their rule, the city experienced rapid development. Trade, transport on the Elbe and handicrafts flourished. Stone quarries, a lime factory and a brickyard were established.^[4]

The Knights of Bünau introduced Protestantism to the region, however the Protestant belief was suppressed by the Habsburg kings in the course of the Counter-Reformation, and the Bünaus were driven out upon the 1620 Battle of White Mountain. In 1628, they sold the estate to the Thun und Hohenstein family.^[6] This family owned Děčín until 1918.^[4] The city suffered during the Thirty Years' War. In 1631 it was occupied by the Saxons and in 1639 and 1648 it was conquered by the Swedish army.^[5] As a result of the war, Děčín turned into a small insignificant town.^[4]

In the 1768, a spring of mineral water was discovered in the nearby village of Horní Žleb (today part of Děčín). Count Johann Joseph Thun founded here a small spa in 1777. The spa prospered and the Thun family built additional infrastructure. Due to the development of industry and traffic, which brought noise to the area, the spa began to decline, and in 1906 the Thuns sold it. In 1922, the spa were definitively closed.^[7]

A new development of Děčín took place in the 18th century. The biggest impetus to the development of industry was the construction of a railway from Prague to Dresden in 1851. Děčín on the left bank of the Elbe and the village of Podmokly (German: Bodenbach) on the right bank became an important transport hubs. The growth of industry triggered the construction of apartments and an influx of residents. Between 1890 and 1914, population of Podmokly raised to 20,000 inhabitants. Podmokly was promoted to a town in 1901.^[4]

Following World War I, since 1918, the area was part of Czechoslovakia. Upon the 1938 Munich Agreement, both towns were annexed by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Reichsgau Sudetenland. Under German occupation, a Gestapo prison^[8] and a forced labour camp were located in the city.^[9] After the war, the ethnic German population was expelled under terms of the 1945 Potsdam Agreement and the Beneš decrees. Both towns were merged in 1942. After 1945, the neighbouring municipalities gradually also merged with Děčín.^[4]

Děčín was badly hit by the 2002 European flood.^[10]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 17,492 —     1880 22,846 +30.6% 1890 28,298 +23.9% 1900 37,617 +32.9% 1910 48,148 +28.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 50,010 +3.9% 1930 55,925 +11.8% 1950 42,563 −23.9% 1961 46,339 +8.9% 1970 50,301 +8.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 53,207 +5.8% 1991 53,899 +1.3% 2001 52,506 −2.6% 2011 49,106 −6.5% 2021 46,337 −5.6%
Source: Censuses[11][12]

Economy

The largest employer based in Děčín is ČEZ Distribuce, a part of ČEZ Group engaged in the distribution of electricity. The largest industrial companies are Constellium Extrusions Děčín, a manufacturer of aluminium products, and Chart Ferox, a manufacturer of gas storage systems.^[13]

Tourism is a significant part of the city's economy. The city benefits from its location in protected landscape areas and the proximity of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park.^[4]

Transport

Děčín is a significant junction of land, rail and water transport, situated near an important Czech-German border crossing. The city is located at the intersection of roads I/13 (from Teplice to Liberec) and I/62 (from Ústí nad Labem to the Czech-German border), which are parts of the European route E442).

Děčín main railway station is located on one of the most important Czech railway lines, which leads from Prague to Děčín via Ústí nad Labem, and continues to Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg and Kiel. Other lines that lead from or through the city are Ústí nad Labem–Liberec, Děčín–Kadaň, and Děčín–Rumburk.^[14]

There are two public river ports.^[15]

Sights

Děčín Castle

Děčín Castle is one of the most popular sights in the region. It is located on a hill near the city centre and overlooks the Elbe. Not later than in 1128, it was constructed as a wooden fortress, and replaced by a royal stone castle in the 13th century. In the 16th century, a grand Renaissance palace was constructed on the site, to be renovated in the Baroque style from the 17th century onward.^[16]

From 1628, the castle served as the administrative centre of the Thun und Hohenstein family. They built an unusual feature of the castle – the long, straight-walled road leading up to it, known as the "Long Ride" (Dlouhá jízda). The last major renovation was completed in 1803. In 1835, Frédéric Chopin wrote his Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 34 No. 1 here.^[16]

In 1932, financial problems forced the Thun und Hohenstein family to sell the castle to the Czechoslovak state. It served as army barracks, then it was appropriated by occupying Germans as a military garrison during World War II. Lastly, it was occupied by Soviet troops, who invaded from the east and rousted the Germans.^[16]

The Soviet Army departed in 1991, leaving the castle in a state of disrepair. In 2005, the government completed a restoration of a large part of the castle and opened it as a museum and venue for private gatherings and public events.^[16]

Sacral monuments

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is one of the most important monuments of the city. It was built in the early Baroque style in 1687–1691 by the Thun und Hohenstein family as a castle church. A covered corridor on pillared arcades connects the church with the castle. The Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows adjoins the church from the south side.^[17]

The Church of Saints Wenceslaus and Blaise was built in the Baroque style in 1754–1778. It replaced a church destroyed by a fire in 1749.^[18]

The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Děčín-Podmokly is a neo-Romanesque building. It was built in 1856–1858. The interior was painted by Joseph von Führich.^[19]

The Evangelical church in Děčín-Podmokly was built in 1881–1884. It is a three-nave eclectic building.^[20]

The Church of Saint Wenceslaus is located in Děčín-Rozbělesy. Built in 1723–1783, it was designed by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer.^[21]

The synagogue in Děčín-Podmokly was built in 1906–1907 in a faux Oriental style with Art Nouveau elements. During World War II, it lost its function and served as a warehouse. In 1994, it was returned to the local Jewish community. Today the former synagogue serves cultural and social purposes.^[22]

Bridges

Staroměstský Bridge ("Old Town Bridge") dates from 1574. This stone bridge replaced an older stone bridge, destroyed during the 1561 floods. The bridge is decorated by a Baroque sculpture group of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus and John of Nepomuk, created by Michael Brokoff in 1714.^[23]

Ovčí můstek ("Sheep Bridge") is a small Renaissance bridge from 1561. The bridge is significantly arched to protect it from floods.^[23]

Tyrš Bridge is one of the main landmarks of Děčín. This steel bridge was built in 1933 on the site of the older Empress Elisabeth Bridge, which was no longer suitable for increased traffic. The steel structure is supported by modified pillars from the original bridge. The bridge was named in honor of the local native Miroslav Tyrš.^[23]

Other

In the river Elbe near the left bank stands a basalt hunger stone, which is visible only when water levels are low. It is one of the oldest hydrological monuments in Central Europe. It is an indicator of drought in the region. The oldest legible record for which the time of origin is verified dates from 1616.^[24]

The most visited tourist destination in the city is Děčín Zoo. It was founded in 1948.^[25]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Děčín is twinned with:^[26]

• Bełchatów, Poland
• Jonava, Lithuania
• Pirna, Germany
• Přerov, Czech Republic
• Ružomberok, Slovakia

Gallery

• 
  Left bank of the Elbe with Pastýřská stěna
• 
  Masarykovo Square
• 
  28. října Street
• 
  Děčín Castle's Rose Garden
• 
  Church of Saints Wencelaus and Blaise
• 
  Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
• 
  Former synagogue

References

External links

• Official website
• Official tourist portal
• Děčín Castle
• Virtual show
• Tetschen, Bohemia Historical Map of 1615 by Petrus Bertius