Mikulčice

Mikulčice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmi.kul.tʃi.tsɛ]) is a municipality and village in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,000 inhabitants.

Mikulčice
Municipality
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Flag Coat of arms
Mikulčice Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 48°48′59″N 17°3′4″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Moravian
District	Hodonín
First mentioned	1141
Area
• Total	15.30 km2 (5.91 sq mi)
Elevation	165 m (541 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,991
• Density	130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	696 19
Website	www.mikulcice.cz

Administrative division

Mikulčice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Mikulčice (974)
• Těšice (921)

Geography

Mikulčice is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southwest of Hodonín and 52 km (32 mi) southeast of Brno, on the border with Slovakia. It lies in a flat landscape of the Lower Morava Valley. The municipality is crossed by the Kyjovka River. The Czech-Slovak border is formed here by the Morava River.

History

From the 6th until the 10th century, a Slavic fortified settlement existed 3 km southeast from the modern village on the site called Mikulčice-Valy. The settlement was one of the main centres of the Great Moravian Empire, plausibly its capital city. Excavations unearthed the remnants of twelve churches, a palace, and more than 2,500 graves (including a horse burial).^[3]

The first written mention of Mikulčice is from 1141. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was first mentioned in 1353. At the beginning of the 15th century, a fortress stood here. The fortress was probably destroyed during the Hussite Wars.^[4]

Mikulčice was heavily damaged by the 2021 South Moravia tornado.^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,574 —     1880 1,805 +14.7% 1890 1,915 +6.1% 1900 2,022 +5.6% 1910 2,004 −0.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,980 −1.2% 1930 1,981 +0.1% 1950 1,924 −2.9% 1961 2,011 +4.5% 1970 1,898 −5.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,737 −8.5% 1991 1,751 +0.8% 2001 1,906 +8.9% 2011 1,881 −1.3% 2021 1,895 +0.7%
Source: Censuses[6][7]

Economy

Saints Cyril and Methodius monument

The local economy is predominantly based on agriculture and tourism.

Transport

The I/55 road (the section from Břeclav to Hodonín) passes through the municipal territory.

The railway line Přerov–Břeclav runs through Mikulčice, but there is no train station. The municipality is served by the station in neighbouring Lužice.

Sights

The foundations of a 9th-century church in Mikulčice-Valy

The main landmark of Mikulčice is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The original Gothic building from the mid-14th century was replaced by the current structure around 1500. In 1605 and 1683, the church burned down and was reconstructed. In the 1730s, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style, but the Gothic core has been preserved.^[8]

The Mikulčice-Valy site is the main tourist attraction. It is freely accessible. It includes an exhibition with archeological finds from this area, administered by the Masaryk Museum in Hodonín. Since 1962, the site has been protected as a national cultural monument.^[9]

Notable people

• Miloslav Balun (1920–1994), pair skater