Cvikov

Cvikov (Zwickau in Böhmen) is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,600 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
Cvikov is made up of the town parts of Cvikov I and Cvikov II, and the villages of Drnovec, Lindava, Naděje, Svitava, Trávník and Záhořín.

Etymology
The origin of the name is unclear. According to one theory, the name was derived from the personal name Cvik, meanings "Cvik's (court)". This is also evidenced by the oldest preserved documents, where the name of the settlement is written with Cv- at the beginning. According to the second theory, the city was founded by German colonists and the name was transferred to it from the Saxon city of Zwickau. This is evidenced by the time the settlement was founded. Some documents suggest that these theories may not be correct and Cvikov was originally named Zvíkov, which is the name of several other settlements in the country.

Geography
Cvikov is located about 12 km northeast of Česká Lípa and 29 km west of Liberec. It lies mostly in the Ralsko Uplands. The northern part of the municipal territory extends into the Lusatian Mountains and includes the highest point of Cvikov, the mountain Suchý vrch at 641 m above sea level. The stream Boberský potok flows through the town.

History
The first written mention of Cvikov is from 1352. The settlement was founded in the 13th century. In 1391, it was promoted to a town. In 1634, during the Thirty Years' War, the town was destroyed by fire, then it suffered during the War of the Bavarian Succession (1778). The greatest development of Cvikov occurred in the 19th century, when the town was industrialized.

Transport
The I/13 road, which connects Liberec with Ústí nad Labem, passes through the town.

Sights
The main landmark of the town is the Church of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. The original Gothic church was completely rebuilt in 1553–1558, then it was rebuilt into is current Baroque form in 1726–1728.

Notable people

 * Anton Günther (1783–1863), Austrian philosopher
 * Karl Kreibich (1883–1966), German Bohemian politician