Jiříkov

Jiříkov (Georgswalde) is a town in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,500 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The town is made up of the town parts of Filipov, Loučné, Nový Jiříkov and Starý Jiříkov.

Etymology
The original German name was derived from Dorf im Georgswalde (i.e. "the village in Georg's forest"), which was shortened to Georgswalde. The Czech name Jiříkov means "Jiří's" and derived from the personal name Jiří, which is a Czech variant of Georg.

Geography
Jiříkov is located about 34 km northeast of Děčín and 42 km northwest of Liberec. It lies in the salient region of Šluknov Hook, on the border with Germany. The town is urbanistically fused with the neighbouring German town of Ebersbach-Neugersdorf.

Jiříkov is situated in the Lusatian Highlands. The stream Jiříkovský potok flows through the town.

History
The first written mention of Jiříkov is from 1346. In the 15th century, it belonged to the Šluknov estate. The village of Filipov was founded in 1681 by the then-owner of the estate, Philipp Sigmund of Dietrichstein, and named after him. Flax was grown in the vicinity of Jiříkov, which was further processed, but due to the wars, the linen craft began to flourish only from 1751. In 1753, the village was promoted to a market town by Empress Maria Theresa.

The first textile factory was founded in 1807, and during the 19th century Jiříkov was industrialized. In 1873, the railway was opened. The population grew rapidly and in 1914 Jiříkov became a town. In the interwar period, disagreements between the Czech and German populations began, and in 1938 Jiříkov was annexed by Nazi Germany. After World War II, the Germans were expelled and Jiříkov was repopulated by Czech settlers.

Transport
On the Czech-German border are the road and railway border crossings Jiříkov / Ebersbach. The railway that runs through Jiříkov is unused.

Sights
The main landmark of Jiříkov is the Church of Saint George. It was built in the Baroque style in 1724–1728, on the site of an old Gothic church.