PÃ Âerov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 41,000 inhabitants. It lies on the BeÃÂva River. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.
PÃ Âerov consists of 13 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
The name PÃ Âerov is of Old Slavic origin. It meant 'ditch', 'pool', 'swamp', or 'stagnant water'.
Pà Âerov is located about southeast of Olomouc. The eastern part of the municipal territory lies in the Moravian Gate lowlands, the western part lies in the Upper Morava Valley. A small northern part extends into the NÃÂzký JesenÃÂk range. The highest point is the hill ÃÂekyà Âský kopec at above sea level. The BeÃÂva River flows through the city.
Settlement in the locality dates back to prehistoric times. A locality called Skalka in Pà Âedmostàcity part is known worldwide for its rich archaeological discoveries dating mainly from the Paleolithic period. Discoveries include excavations of a large number of mammoth bones, sites of mammoth hunters' camps from 27âÂÂ26 thousand years ago, and others. Together with DolnàVÃÂstonice it is the most important archaeological site in the country.
The first written mention of Pà Âerov is in a deed of bishop Jindà Âich ZdÃÂk from 1141 and testifies to Pà Âerov's administrative function in the castle system of the Pà Âemyslid state. King Ottokar II of Bohemia gave Pà Âerov the privilege of being a royal town in 1256.
An old stone fortress was built here in the first half of the 13th century. It was conquered and damaged during the Hussite Wars. In 1487, Pà Âerov was acquired by the Pernà ¡tejn family. Vilém of Pernà ¡tejn had rebuilt the HornàSquare and the fortress, which became a solid Gothic castle. The hill around the castle was colonized by new settlers, including members of the Unity of the Brethren, thanks to which the town became a centre of culture and education in the 16th century.
In the second half of the 16th century, reconstruction of the castle into a Renaissance residence began. In the late 16th century, PÃ Âerov was bought by Karel the Elder of Zierotin, who chose the town as his seat. He had finished the reconstruction of the castle. During his rule, the town experienced prosperity. After the Battle of White Mountain, Zierotin was forced to moved away and the town lost its importance.
In 1841, the railway to PÃ Âerov was built and the town has become an important railway junction. In the second half of the 19th century, there has been rapid economic growth, driven primarily by the production of agricultural machinery.
German terror in Bohemia and Moravia peaked in spring 1945, sparking a Czech uprising, which started in PÃ Âerov on 1 May and then spread throughout the whole country after the murder of 78,154 Czech Jews and 340,000 Czech citizens during the German occupation. In June 1945, during the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, 265 Germans (71 men, 120 women and 74 children) were killed in PÃ Âerov.
On 1 July 2006, the town of PÃ Âerov became a statutory city.
The main employer based in the city is Meopta, a multinational company manufacturing various products mainly in the field of optics. It was founded in 1933.
Other major industrial companies include Precheza (representative of the chemical industry founded in 1894, owned by Agrofert) and DPOV (a subsidiary of ÃÂeské dráhy focused on repairs and modernization of railway rolling stock).
PÃ Âerov is known for the Zubr Brewery. The brewery was founded in 1872.
The D1 motorway goes around the city.
Pà Âerov is a major railway junction and has direct connections with Prague, Brno and Ostrava in the Czech Republic, Warsaw and Kraków in Poland, Bratislava and Preà ¡ov in Slovakia, Vienna and Graz in Austria, and Budapest in Hungary.
A public domestic and private international airport is located in Pà Âerov. It was established in 2013 by transformation from original military airport Pà ÂerovâÂÂBochoà Â.
In PÃ Âerov there is the College of Logistics, a private technical college of non-university type.
Pà Âerov is home to Volejbal Pà Âerov, a professional women's volleyball club playing in Extraliga à ¾en (top tier).
HC ZUBR PÃ Âerov is an ice hockey club that plays in the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League (2nd tier).
The city's association football club is 1. FC Viktorie PÃ Âerov. It plays in lower amateur tiers.
Tenis Pà Âerov is a tennis club founded in 1899. Many notable players played for the club, e.g. Libor Pimek, Karel NováÃÂek, Jaroslav Navrátil, Jana Novotná, Ctislav DosedÃÂl, Jaroslav PospÃÂà ¡il and LukÃ¡à ¡ Rosol.
Auto Klub PÃ Âerov is dedicated to motor sports. There is an autocross track in the city, which regularly hosts the national autocross championship. The auto club also operates a motocross track that hosted several national championships between 1961 and 1974. There used to be also a motorcycle speedway track in the city and hosted a final round of the Czechoslovak Individual Speedway Championship in 1958, 1959 and 1967.
The historic town centre is formed by HornÃÂ Square and its immediate surroundings, delimited by the preserved town walls. HornÃÂ Square is lined by Renaissance burgher houses. The most valuable house is the so-called Corvinus' House from 1570, with a preserved Renaissance portal.
The landmark of the square in the PÃ Âerov Castle. The Renaissance castle has preserved Gothic core and stone elements from the original fortress. Today it houses the Comenius Museum, founded in 1887.
There is five church buildings in Pà Âerov. The oldest is the parish Church of Saint Lawrence from 1725âÂÂ1732.
Mammoth Hunters Memorial in PÃ ÂedmostÃÂ is an exhibition pavilion, which presents this archeological site and its discoveries.
PÃ Âerov is twinned with: