Bruntál is a town located near the western boundary of the Moravian-Silesian Region, in Czech Silesia. From 1938 to 1945 it was one of the municipalities in Sudetenland. A suitable position in the middle of the Jeseníky Mountains provides ample tourism opportunities to the town, which offers sites of cultural interest that include a Baroque castle and many historical buildings.
According to the Unicov Charter issued by Czech king Ottokar I of Bohemia in 1223, Bruntál was founded by Moravian Margrave, Vladislaus Henry in 1213, and granted Magdeburg rights. Being the first city in Czech lands to be granted Magdeburg rights, Bruntál was an appellate court for all cities endowed with Magdeburg rights in Northern Moravia (including Olomouc and Opava) until 1352. The reasons behind the founding of the city probably included utilising mineral ore deposits in the region, as well as thwarting colonization by the Bishops of Wroclaw (Breslau).
Bruntál was owned by various branches of the Premyslid Dynasty (namely, the Margraves of Moravia, the Dukes of Opava (Troppau), and the Dukes of Krnov (Jägerndorf)) almost continuously from 1213 to 1474. During the war between the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Kingdom of Hungary Bruntál was occupied by the armed forces of Matthias Corvinus who, as a pledgor, gave the town as a pledge to his supporter, Johann von Würben (Jan of Vrbno). Despite being only a possessor of the town, Johann von Würben started to style himself von Würben und Freudenthal (of Vrbno and Bruntál) from 1476 onwards.
The Freudenthal domain, together with other properties of the Teutonic Order, was under the direct administration of the Grand Master, and a lieutenancy was established in 1625. The Thirty Years' War damaged the town considerably, and after that conflict Freudenthal never returned to its former importance. During the 18th century several disasters befell the town, such as the plagues of 1714 and 1739, and the great fires of 1748 and 1764. Nevertheless, many new baroque buildings were built during this period and a new post office was established in 1748. Signs of intensified industry could be seen in Freudenthal during the 19th century: in textiles, Bruntál was among the most important towns in Silesia.
After World War I, a German-led uprising took place in Bruntál, suppressed by the Czech Army in December 1918. Between 1919 and 1924, the land-possessions of the Teutonic Order in Bruntál were put under state administration. In the First Republic of Czechoslovakia, Bruntál had a significant number of German inhabitants and only a very small Czech population. Not surprisingly, German nationalism gained many sympathizers among German inhabitants of Bruntál, which was reflected in an attempted uprising in September 1938. After signing the Munich Agreement on September 29, 1938, Bruntál was occupied by German troops. It was liberated by the Soviet army (Red Army) on May 7, 1945. In 1946 the lands of the Teutonic Order were confiscated in accordance with the Decree of the President, Edvard Beneš, and transferred to the Czechoslovak Republic. As was the case in most of the former Czechoslovakia, the German population was forcibly expelled.
Source and more information: (
visit link)