Přerov

Přerov (Prerau) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Bečva River. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative division
Přerov is made up of 13 city parts and villages:


 * Přerov I-Město
 * Přerov II-Předmostí
 * Přerov III-Lověšice
 * Přerov IV-Kozlovice
 * Přerov V-Dluhonice
 * Přerov VI-Újezdec
 * Přerov VII-Čekyně
 * Přerov VIII-Henčlov
 * Přerov IX-Lýsky
 * Přerov X-Popovice
 * Přerov XI-Vinary
 * Přerov XII-Žeravice
 * Přerov XIII-Penčice

Etymology
The name Přerov is of Old Slavic origin. It meant 'ditch', 'pool', 'swamp', or 'stagnant water'.

Geography
Přerov is located about 19 km southeast of Olomouc. The eastern part of the municipal territory lies in the Moravian Gate lowlands, the western part lies in the Upper Morava Valley. A small northern part extends into the Nízký Jeseník range. The highest point is the hill Čekyňský kopec at 307 m above sea level. The Bečva River flows through the city.

History
Settlement in the locality dates back to prehistoric times. A locality called Skalka in Předmostí city part is known worldwide for its rich archaeological discoveries dating mainly from the Paleolithic period. Discoveries include excavations of a large number of mammoth bones, sites of mammoth hunters' camps from 27–26 thousand years ago, and others. Together with Dolní Věstonice it is the most important archaeological site in the country.

The first written mention of Přerov is in a deed of bishop Jindřich Zdík from 1141 and testifies to Přerov's administrative function in the castle system of the Přemyslid state. King Ottokar II of Bohemia gave Přerov the privilege of being a royal town in 1256.

An old stone fortress was built here in the first half of the 13th century. It was conquered and damaged during the Hussite Wars. In 1487, Přerov was acquired by the Pernštejn family. Vilém of Pernštejn had rebuilt the Horní Square and the fortress, which became a solid Gothic castle. The hill around the castle was colonized by new settlers, including members of the Unity of the Brethren, thanks to which the town became a centre of culture and education in the 16th century.

In the second half of the 16th century, reconstruction of the castle into a Renaissance residence began. In the late 16th century, Přerov was bought by Karel the Elder of Zierotin, who chose the town as his seat. He had finished the reconstruction of the castle. During his rule, the town experienced prosperity. After the Battle of White Mountain, Zierotin was forced to moved away and the town lost its importance.

In 1841, the railway to Přerov was built and the town has become an important railway junction. In the second half of the 19th century, there has been rapid economic growth, driven primarily by the production of agricultural machinery.

German terror in Bohemia and Moravia peaked in spring 1945, sparking a Czech uprising, which started in Přerov on 1 May and then spread throughout the whole country after the murder of 78,154 Czech Jews and 340,000 Czech citizens during the German occupation. In June 1945, during the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, 265 Germans (71 men, 120 women and 74 children) were killed in Přerov.

On 1 July 2006, the town of Přerov became a statutory city.

Economy
The main employer based in the city is Meopta, a multinational company manufacturing various products mainly in the field of optics. It was founded in 1933.

Other major industrial companies include Precheza (representative of the chemical industry founded in 1894, owned by Agrofert) and DPOV (a subsidiary of České dráhy focused on repairs and modernization of railway rolling stock).

Přerov is known for the Zubr Brewery. The brewery was founded in 1872.

Transport
The city is a major railway junction with main lines to Prague via Olomouc, Warsaw via Ostrava, and Vienna via Břeclav, and a regional line to Brno.

A public domestic and private international airport is located in Přerov. It was established in 2013 by transformation from original military airport Přerov–Bochoř.

Education
In Přerov there is the College of Logistics, a private technical college of non-university type.

Sport
Přerov is home to Volejbal Přerov, a professional women's volleyball club playing in Extraliga žen (top tier).

HC ZUBR Přerov is an ice hockey club that plays in the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League (2nd tier).

The city's association football club is 1. FC Viktorie Přerov. It plays in lower amateur tiers.

Tenis Přerov is a tennis club founded in 1899. Many notable players played for the club, e.g. Libor Pimek, Karel Nováček, Jaroslav Navrátil, Jana Novotná, Ctislav Doseděl, Jaroslav Pospíšil and Lukáš Rosol.

Auto Klub Přerov is dedicated to motor sports. There is an autocross track in the city, which regularly hosts the national autocross championship. The auto club also operates a motocross track that hosted several national championships between 1961 and 1974. There used to be also a motorcycle speedway track in the city and hosted a final round of the Czechoslovak Individual Speedway Championship in 1958, 1959 and 1967.

Sights
The historic town centre is formed by Horní Square and its immediate surroundings, delimited by the preserved town walls. Horní Square is lined by Renaissance burgher houses. The most valuable house is the so-called Corvinus' House from 1570, with a preserved Renaissance portal.

The landmark of the square in the Přerov Castle. The Renaissance castle has preserved Gothic core and stone elements from the original fortress. Today it houses the Comenius Museum, founded in 1887.

There is five church buildings in Přerov. The oldest is the parish Church of Saint Lawrence from 1725–1732.

Mammoth Hunters Memorial in Předmostí is an exhibition pavilion, which presents this archeological site and its discoveries.

Notable people

 * Jan Blahoslav (1523–1571), Czech grammarian
 * John Amos Comenius (1592–1670), philosopher and pedagogue; taught at Přerov Latin school in 1614–1618, having earlier studied there
 * Franz Petrasch (1744–1820) Austrian general in the Habsburg military during the French Revolutionary Wars
 * Rudolf Weigl (1883–1957), Polish biologist and inventor
 * Liane Zimbler (1892–1987), architect
 * Karel Janoušek (1893–1971), senior Czechoslovak Air Force officer
 * Ida Ehre (1900–1989), actor and theatre director and manager
 * Edouard Borovansky (1902–1959), ballet dancer
 * Vilém Tauský (1910–2004), conductor and composer
 * Eliška Kleinová (1912–1999), pianist and music educator
 * Josef Kainar (1917–1971), poet
 * Gideon Klein (1919–1945), composer and pianist
 * Jiřina Hauková (1919–2005), poet and translator
 * Vladimír Hučín (born 1952), political prisoner, secret service agent; lives here, honorary citizen of Přerov
 * Karel Plíhal (born 1958), singer and musician
 * Ctislav Doseděl (born 1970), tennis player
 * Petr Ruman (born 1976), footballer
 * Tomáš Cigánek (born 1978), footballer
 * Jani Galik (born 1984), footballer
 * Josef Hrabal (born 1985), ice hockey player
 * Tomáš Kundrátek (born 1989), ice hockey player
 * Kateřina Sokolová (born 1989), Miss World contestant

Twin towns – sister cities
Přerov is twinned with:


 * 🇸🇰 Bardejov, Slovakia
 * Cuijk, Netherlands
 * 🇨🇿 Děčín, Czech Republic
 * 🇺🇦 Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
 * 🇵🇱 Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Poland
 * 🇲🇪 Kotor, Montenegro
 * 🇵🇱 Ozimek, Poland