Косова Гора | tourism, village, community, Medieval / Middle Ages, mining, jews

 tourism, village, community, Medieval / Middle Ages, mining, jews

Kosova Hora (Amschelberg) is a village founded in 1272. In this year built the Lords of Landstein a fortress, which is still maintained. The village was established around it, initially as a mining settlement. Surface mining sites, however, was soon exhausted, and people began to consider the agriculture. Until the Hussite Wars were local aristocracy wrote as the Lords of Kosova Hora. During Hussite Wars the family died out and and the fortress derelicted. Only in 1474 in Kosova Hora immigrated from nearby Cerveny Hradek (Means Red Castle) Lords of Ricany and the small town has grown up again. King Wladisluas II Jagiello had allowed to settle in the town a large Jewish community, the second-largest in Bohemia, which rise up, founded a synagogue and Jewish school. The Jews brought to the town an entrepreneurial spirit and founded there several business enterprises, especially tanning. The town still retained the old Jewish cemetery with gravestones, some of which are from 2nd half of the 16th Century. The coming of fascism almost stigmatised life in Kosova Hora and the Jewish community had gone from the town entirely.
In the town is also a nice Renaissance chateau built on the site of a former fortress from the 14th century. The castle was founded in the 17th century. Today's appearance is the result of repairs and reconstruction of 1950.

Adress : 262 91 Kosova Hora 45 Czech Republic
Phone : +420 318 822 815
fax : +420/318 820 271
e-mail: kosovahora@volny.cz
mesta.obce.cz/kosova-hora/