Bad Gräfenberg
| Jeseník | |||
| Frývaldov (until 1948) | |||
| Town | |||
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| Country | Czech Republic | ||
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| Region | Olomouc | ||
| District | Jeseník | ||
| Commune | Jeseník | ||
| Elevation | 432 m (1,417 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | 50°13′47″N 17°12′17″E / 50.22972°N 17.20472°ECoordinates: 50°13′47″N 17°12′17″E / 50.22972°N 17.20472°E | ||
| Area | 38.22 km2 (14.76 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 12,510 (2006-10-02) | ||
| Density | 327/km2 (847/sq mi) | ||
| First mentioned | 1267 | ||
| Mayor | Adam Kalous | ||
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 790 01 | ||
   Location in the Czech Republic
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| Statistics: statnisprava.cz | |||
| Website: www.jesenik.org | |||
Jeseník (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjɛsɛɲiːk]), Frývaldov until 1948 (Czech pronunciation: [ˈfriːvaldof]; German: Freiwaldau) is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic, the administrative capital of Jeseník District.
The original name was Freiwaldau, deriving from German frei vom Walde. – the name means “free from the woods”. The former Czech name of Frývaldov was a phonetic transcription of the German original (frei=frý, waldau= valdov). After Second World War the town was renamed along with many other towns containing German elements in their names. It is named after the surrounding mountains which are called Hrubý Jeseník, or Jeseníky.
The town is located in the historic Czech Silesia region on the Bělá River, a tributary of the Nysa Kłodzka. It is situated within the Hrubý Jeseník mountain range, north of the Praděd peak. In the west are the foothills of the Golden Mountains
Freiwaldau in the Duchy of Silesia, probably founded in the course of the German Ostsiedlung, was first mentioned in 1267, when it already held the status of a town belonging to the territory of the Bishops of Wrocław. With the surrounding villages it became part of the bishops' ecclesiastical Duchy of Nysa in 1290.
In the 14th century Freiwaldau developed as a centre of iron production with several foundries and hammer mills processing the ore from the productive deposits in the surrounding mountains. Later on, the flourishing town was purchased by the Swabian Fugger dynasty. In 1506 the Bishop Johann Thurzó vested its citizens with Bergregal privileges. After the iron ore deposits were exhausted, the Fugger sold the town back to the Wrocław bishops in 1547 and linen weaving became the most important source of income.
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Wikipedia