Děčín and its History
Děčín is located in north-western Bohemia at the confluence of two rivers , the Labe ( Elbe ) River and Ploučnice . Its history is interesting because there is Czech and German element in it .
It was settled in the 9th century by the Slavic tribe of Děčané . They gave the name to the town . In the 10th century the Přemyslid dukes built a ford , but it was rebuilt in 1059 . King Ottokar II of Bohemia ( 1253 – 1278 ) had the town of Děčín laid out as an administrative centre of the surrounding estates after calling in German settlers . The population , history and culture stayed German until their expulsion in 1945 . It was under the control of the Lords of Wartenberg until 1534 , when Lord Rudolf von Bünau bought it . This family introduced Protestantism to the region and the town flourished , however the Protestant belief was suppressed by the Habsburg kings in the course of the Counter-Reformation , and the Bünaus were driven out upon the 1620 Battle of White Mountain . In 1628 they sold the town to the Barons of Thun , it was devastated several times during the Thirty Years ' War .
In the 18th century , Tetschen , a German name for Děčín , followed fashion and became a spa town . The centre was not the ideal place to build a spa and the idea was eventually dropped in 1922 . Soon , neighbouring Bodenbach grew bigger than Tetschen and received town privileges in 1901 . Upon the 1938 Munich Agreement , both towns were annexed by Nazi Germany , incorporated into the Sudetenland and merged in 1942 . The population , history and culture stayed German until their expulsion in 1945 .
After World War II the German population was disseized and expelled according to the 1945 Potsdam Agreement and the Beneš decrees . The area was inhabited by many people from Czechoslovakia who got a piece of land , job and a place to live in Děčín .
The Děčín Castle was formed into barracks and during the Soviet occupation used by the Red Army . When they finally left in the year 1991 , the castle was in a bad state . But now you can ’ t really tell , because it is in a great condition .
ford : a shallow place in a river or stream allowing one to walk or drive across = crossing ( R . B .)