Řeka (help·info) (Polish: Rzeka) is a municipality and village in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants.

Řeka Rzeka
Municipality
General view of Řeka
Flag Coat of arms
Řeka Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°38′28″N 18°34′17″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Moravian-Silesian
District	Frýdek-Místek
Founded	1644
Government
• Mayor	Tomáš Tomeczek
Area
• Total	13.45 km2 (5.19 sq mi)
Elevation	420 m (1,380 ft)
Population  (2022-01-01)[1]
• Total	560
• Density	42/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	739 55
Website	www.obecreka.cz

Polish minority makes up 10.1% of the population.[2]

Etymology

The name literally means "river".

Geography

Řeka lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids mountain range. The highest point is the mountain Šindelná at 1,100 metres (3,600 ft), located on the southeastern municipal border. The Ropičanka stream flows through the municipality.

History

Řeka was founded in 1644 was formed by the separation from Smilovice and Guty, and originally named Řeka smilovská. It belonged then to the Duchy of Teschen. The village was established as a typical mountain settlement by associating already existing scattered mountain pastures and mountain farms. In the following years, other small farmers settled in the newly formed village. The main source of livelihood of the inhabitants was mountain farming.[3]

After Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire a modern municipal division was introduced in the re-established Austrian Silesia. The village as a municipality was subscribed to the political and legal district of Cieszyn. According to the censuses conducted in 1880–1910 the population of the municipality dropped from 524 in 1880 to 515 in 1910 with a majority being native Polish-speakers (between 95.5% and 99.6%) accompanied by a small German-speaking minority (at most 19 or 4.1% in 1890) and Czech-speaking people (growing from 1 in 1880 to 10 in 1910).[3] In terms of religion in 1910 the majority were Protestants (92.6%), followed by Roman Catholics (6.8%) and 3 people adhering to another faiths (but not Jewish).[4]

After World War I, Polish–Czechoslovak War and the division of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920, it became a part of Czechoslovakia. Following the Munich Agreement, in October 1938 together with the Zaolzie region it was annexed by Poland, administratively adjoined to Cieszyn County of Silesian Voivodeship.[5] It was then annexed by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II. After the war it was restored to Czechoslovakia.

Sport

There is a small ski resort in the municipality.[3]

Sights

Řeka is poor in historic monuments. There are two valuable wooden folk houses.[3]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Řeka.

• Official website (in Czech)