History of Prerov on Elbe
10th century - origin, St. Vojtech
The first written record about Prerov is more than 1000 years old. It was a note regarding the conversion of possession of the village. In 993 St. Vojtech, 2nd Prague bishop, gave it along with some more villages to the Benedictine cloister in Brevnov, Prague which leased the land further. According to the legend the leaseholders´ duty was to keep a frod across the river Elbe and the route through a swamp leading from Prague towards Lysa. In 13th century Prerov was rented by Lord High Stewart Kojata from Hnevina Most who bequeathed the village to his squire Konrad in 1227. Among the possessors belonged Ranek from Prerov (in 1226) and Matthew from Prerov (in 1279). Under rule of Charles IV, the Prerov fortress was administrated by the cloister.
14th century - the promotion of Prerov to a town - development
The cloister planned to etablish a new administrative seat. The construction which started in 1380, was not finished though. New leaseholders, Michal Drstka from Sedlcanek (1400) and Peter of Trkov (1419), were tasked to preserve and maintain the building. The emperor Zikmund gained Prerov after the death of Peter of Trkov. Zikmund pawned Prerov, Mochov, Bristvi, Nehvizdky, Sedlcanky, Stary Vestec a Vykani to Henry of Straze in 1437. In 1466 George Strazsky of Straze and Prerov inherited the town. He served as the supreme judge of the kingdom of Bohemia. His daughter Joan married John of Selmberk, the highest chancellor of the Bohemia kingdom. This owner asked Vladislav II to promote Prerov to a town in 1499. His inheritor Henry of Selmberk, the highest valet of the Bohemia kingdom, sold Prerov to the united Prague municipality in 1524. In 1547 Prerov was confiscated and the emperor Ferdinand I integrated Prerov into a royal estate. The first known hetman of the Prerov manor,John Senior Robmhap of Suche, belonged to an old family from Ceske Budejovice (1560). During this period of time the Prerov chateau was under the very important reconstruction that was supervised by Bonifac Wolmut (1560), Matteo Borgorelli (1563) and Ettore de Vaccani (1574-1605). During this era the walls of the left wing of a building were decorated with graffito. It was confirmed by the lettering 1567. After finishing of the building the administrator focused on construction and restoration of farm buildings such as a brewery, an old millhouse, a new sawmill, a yard, a vineyard, a hop-field and ponds.
16th - 18th century - Decline atfter 30 year war
After 1598 the significant part of the Prerov domain was sold off. The remainder of the domain was attached to the Brandys emperor ´s domain by Ferdinand II. The economic prosperity of Prerov was massively desrupted by the 30 year war. During the war the whole region bleeded by the belligerents. The devastation was completed by the soldiers of Swedish general Johan Baner in 1639. They burnt down Prerov , Benatky and Lysa. The importance of Prerov after 30 year war was declining. Only in 1671 the reconstruction of the devastated chateau was launched by the construtor Santino de Bossim. Despite of that fact the north and west wing of the chateau tumbled down and these parts of the chateau were never restored and they preserved in the condition from 17th century. This representative buidling was downgraded to a hunting-lodge. It might have contributed to the fact that the rest of the chateau was preserved until today. The postwar renewal of the local forest was carried out rather quickly and this region became a favourite place for the imperial haunting and coursing. That is why the emperor Leopold I and Charles VI used to visit this region very often. The visit of Leopold I, 20th June 1680, was portrayed in the municipal seal for centuries.Under Joseph II rule the region below the Prerov Hill was rivived. The sttlement called Novy Prerov was established northward of the Prerov Hill where mainly cottagers and small farmers settled down.
19th century - Resurgence
The municipality together with the chateau revived in 1860 when the manor was bought by the Tuscan grand duke Leopold II. After his death the chateau was inherited by his son Lewis Salvator of Tuscan who was a well-known writer, a voyager and an admire of the nature. At his exepnse the abandoned and dilapidated chateau was renovated its old appearance from 16th century in 1872-1873.
20th century - Times of glory and poverty
On 3rd March 1903 the consolidation of independent villages Old Prerov and New Prerov occured. Since that day they started using the common name Prerov on Elbe. Francis Joseph I bought the chateau after the death of Lewis Slavator of Tuscan. Then Charles I inherited it in 1916. He was the last Austro-Hungarian emperor. After the year of 1918 Prerov on Elbe became an indipendent municipality. The chateau was confiscated by the Czechoslovak state which hired the chateau to the youth organization YWCA during 20´s and 30´s. During Second World War the chateau was bought by the German doctor Faifar who intended to build a hydrotherapeutic sanatorium. In 1945 atfter the liberation the chateau fell to the State renovation fund. After the communist takeover the agricultural Prerov on Elbe affected by the collectivization with all its negative impact on both the environment and the inhabitants. Nowadays the consequences are being rectified slowly.
Prerov on Elbe along with Dvorce, Jirice, Lysa on Elbe, Ostra, Semice, Stara Lysa, Stary Vestec and Stratov are members of the voluntary association of villages of the Micro-region Elbe.
PHOTOGALLERY
Contact-us
Obecní úřadPřerov nad Labem 38
289 16 Přerov nad Labem
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 325 565 274
Fax: +420 325 565 417
obecni.urad@prerovnl.cz