Šumperk
| Šumperk | |||
| Town | |||
 The Šumperk overview. High Ash Mountains are situated in background.
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| Country | Czech Republic | ||
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| Region | Olomouc | ||
| District | Šumperk | ||
| Commune | Šumperk | ||
| River | Desná | ||
| Elevation | 315 m (1,033 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | 49°57′55″N 16°58′15″E / 49.96528°N 16.97083°ECoordinates: 49°57′55″N 16°58′15″E / 49.96528°N 16.97083°E | ||
| Area | 27.91 km2 (10.78 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 26 697 (2015) | ||
| Founded | 1269 | ||
| Mayor | Zdeněk Brož | ||
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 787 01 | ||
   Location in the Czech Republic
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| Statistics: statnisprava.cz | |||
| Website: www.musumperk.cz | |||
Šumperk (Czech pronunciation: [ˈʃumpɛrk]; German: Mährisch Schönberg) is a district town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It is the centre of the north of Moravia and, due to its location, is known as "The Gate to the Jeseníky mountains."
The original German name is a compound of an adjective "schön" (meaning "beautiful") and a noun "berg" (meaning "hill"), later supplemented by a distinguishing adjective Mährisch (= Moravian). The Czech name evolved from a direct phonetic transcription of Schönberg – "Šenberk" (schön=šen; berg=berk), later "Šumberk" and finally "Šumperk". (There are many place names with similar origins across the Czech Republic, such as Šumbark or Žumberk.)
After World War II and the expulsion of Germans, there was a suggestion of giving the town a name with Czech origins. Suggestions included approximate translations such as Krásná Hora or Krásno nad Desnou and names unrelated to the original name, such as Svobodov, Velenov, and Jeseník (which was ultimately used for nearby Frývaldov). In the end the name of Šumperk remained unchanged.
The Šumperk Basin area was probably not permanently inhabited. It has been speculated that the Desná Valley was an alternative route of the Amber Road.
Šumperk was probably established in the second half of the 13th century, by German settlers from Silesia. The town rapidly became prosperous due to rich deposits of precious metals and copper. Šumperk belonged to the Margrave of Moravia. The first written record of Šumperk is from 1281. This document refers to Jeneč of Šumperk, a town administrator who lived in a small fort on the outskirts. The fort has not been preserved. A Dominican monastery was founded in 1297.
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Wikipedia