Bukovec (help·info) (Polish: Bukowiec, German: Bukowetz) is a municipality and village in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants.

Bukovec Bukowiec
Municipality
The Olza River in Bukovec
Flag Coat of arms
Bukovec Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°33′4″N 18°49′37″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Moravian-Silesian
District	Frýdek-Místek
Founded	1353
Government
• Mayor	Monika Czepczorová
Area
• Total	17.05 km2 (6.58 sq mi)
Elevation	455 m (1,493 ft)
Population  (2022-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,367
• Density	80/km2 (210/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	739 85
Website	www.bukovec.cz

Polish minority makes up 26.0% of the population.[2]

Etymology

The name of the village is derived from buk, i.e. "beech". It refers to the beech forests that grew there.

Geography

Bukovec is the easternmost municipality of the country and the first municipality in the Czech Republic through which the Olza River flows. It lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The Girová Mountain at 840 metres (2,760 ft) is the highest peak of the municipality.

History

Bukovec was established by Casimir I, Duke of Cieszyn in 1353. The settlement initially served as an economic base for the local guardhouse on the southeastern border of the Duchy of Teschen. After 200 years, the village gained a farming-pasture character. The number of inhabitants rose very slowly. By 1647, only 20 people lived there. Settlers had many children and soon the population grew to 100.[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 district of Cieszyn and the legal district of Jablunkov. According to the censuses conducted in 1880–1910 the population of the municipality grew from 844 in 1880 to 1,071 in 1910 with the majority being native Polish-speakers (between 97.7% and 99.9%) accompanied by German-speaking (at most 19 or 2% in 1890) and Czech-speaking people (at most 3 or 0.3% in 1890). In terms of religion in 1910 the majority were Roman Catholics (92.7%), followed by Protestants (7.3%).[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.

From 1975 to 1990 Bukovec was an administrative part of Jablunkov. Since 1990, it has been a separate municipality.[3][6]

Sights

The Church of the Asumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1938–1939.[7]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bukovec (Frýdek-Místek District).

• Official website