Mírov

Mírov (Mürau) is a municipality and village in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants. Mírov is known for its high-security and maximum security prison.

Geography
Mírov is located about 20 km southwest of Šumperk and 36 km northwest of Olomouc. It lies in the Zábřeh Highlands. The highest point is a hill at 559 m above sea level. The Mírovka Stream flows through the municipality.

History
The first written mention of Mírov is from 1266. A medieval castle from the mid-12th century in Mírov was rebuilt into a Baroque fortress in 1684. It served as the occasional seat of the Olomouc archbishop until 1741, when it was looted by Prussian army. In 1750, the fortress was rebuilt into a prison. In 1850, the prison was bought by the state, a neo-Gothic reconstruction was carried out and a state prison was set up there.

From 1980 to 1990, Mírov was an administrative part of Mohelnice.

Economy
Today, the castle serves as a high-security and maximum security prison. It has a capacity of 381 prisoners. With about 250 employees, it is the main employer in Mírov.

Transport
The I/35 road (part of the European route E442) passes through the municipality. It replaces the unfinished section of the D35 motorway from Olomouc to the Hradec Králové Region.

Sights
The main landmark and the most important historic monument is the neo-Gothic castle with the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. The Baroque church was built in 1664–1687.

Notable people

 * Karl Michael von Levetzow (1871–1945), German poet and librettist; died here
 * Hugo Sonnenschein (1889–1953), Austrian writer; died here
 * Štefan Tiso (1897–1959), Slovak politician and lawyer; died here
 * János Esterházy (1901–1957), Hungarian politician; died here
 * Jiří Kajínek (born 1961), Czech criminal and celebrity; most notable escapee of Mírov maximum security prison