Holeà ¡ov (; ) is a town in KromÃÂà ÂÃÂà ¾ District in the ZlÃÂn Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.
Holeà ¡ov consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
The name is derived from the personal name Holeà ¡.
Holeà ¡ov is located about east of KromÃÂà ÂÃÂà ¾ and north of ZlÃÂn. The Rusava Stream flows through the town.
The western and southern parts of the municipal territory with the town proper lie in a flat landscape of the Upper Morava Valley. The northern part with the villages of Dobrotice and TuÃÂapy lies in the Moravian-Silesian Foothills. A small eastern part of the territory extends into the Hostýn-VsetÃÂn Mountains and includes the highest point of Holeà ¡ov, the hill Lysina with an elevation of .
Holeà ¡ov has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb; Trewartha: Dcbo). The annual average temperature is . The annual precipitation is . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on 7 January 1985 to on 1 August 2013.
The first written mention of Holeà ¡ov is from 1141 in a deed of Jindà Âich ZdÃÂk, when the settlement was a fief of the bishops of Olomouc. Between 1300 and 1322, the market village transformed into a town.
In the second half of the 14th century, Holeà ¡ov was acquired by the lords of Sternberg. In the late 16th century, the town was held by Karel Sr. of Zierotin and later by Ladislav IV Popel of Lobkowicz. In 1574, the local Gothic fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence. Holeà ¡ov suffered during the Thirty Years' War and in 1643, the castle and two thirds of the town were burned down. From 1650 to 1762, Holeà ¡ov was owned by the Rottal family. During their rule, the town was reconstructed, and a large castle with a Baroque French-style garden and the Church of Assumption of the Virgin Mary were built.
The last owners of Holeà ¡ov was the Vrbna family. After 1848, Holeà ¡ov became the administrative centre of the Holeà ¡ov District and the economic centre of the region. The town began to industrialize and the main industries were the woodworking, furniture, knitting and food industries. In 1960, the district of Holeà ¡ov was dissolved.
The first mention of Jewish presence in the town is from 1391. The Jewish community began to form here after 1454, when the Jews were expelled from royal towns. During the 17th century, Rabbi Shach served as a rabbi in Holeà ¡ov until his death. From 1849 until 1918, the Jewish community had its own administration separated from the town. In these times, the community participated on the town's industrialization and included successful entrepreneurs. The Jews almost disappeared from Holeà ¡ov during World War II as the result of the Holocaust.
The Old Synagogue was built after the local wooden synagogue was destroyed by a fire in 1560. The New Synagogue was built in 1893 and destroyed by the Nazis in 1941.
The public airport of regional importance in the southern part of Holeà ¡ov was transformed into Strategic Industrial Zone, which is one of the largest industrial zones in the country.
The short finished section of the D49 motorway connects Holeà ¡ov with HulÃÂn, where is the junction of the D1 and D55 motorways.
Holeà ¡ov is located on the railway line Roà ¾nov pod Radhoà ¡tÃÂmâÂÂKojetÃÂn.
Holeà ¡ov is known for its large castle with the French-style garden complex and a game park. The early Baroque castle was built in 1655âÂÂ1674. Today the castle is open to the public and houses also the town museum and gallery.
The landmark of the town square is the parish Church of Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The Baroque church was built in 1708 and consecrated in 1735. In 1748, the Black Chapel was added to the church. Under the chapel is the crypt of the Rottal and Vrbna noble families.
Trinitarian monastery is a valuable Baroque complex of buildings, built in 1748âÂÂ1750. Its Church of Saint Anne was originally a part of the pre-castle complex.
The Old Synagogue is the second oldest synagogue in Moravia. It is an uncommon synagogue of the Polish type built in the Renaissance style which includes ornate ironwork and paintings on ceilings and walls using floral and animal motifs. The Old Synagogue, also known as the "Shakh" or "Ã Â ach" Synagogue, was preserved because it looked like an ordinary building from outside. Today it contains an exhibition about the life of Jews in Moravia.
The Jewish cemetery contains about 3,000 graves. The oldest preserved tombstones are from 1647.
Holeà ¡ov is twinned with:
Holeà ¡ov also cooperates with Gloggnitz in Austria.