Šumperk is a town in the Olomouc Region in north-western Moravia with about 27,000 inhabitants, the economic, administrative and cultural centre of the region.

Aerial view, 2009
Aerial view, 2009Photo: RostislavŠubert, 2009 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Location and standing

Šumperk is a town in the Olomouc Region in north-western Moravia. According to the town’s website, it is one of the major economic, administrative and cultural centres of the region and has about 27,000 inhabitants [1].

Foundation and the Middle Ages

The exact date of the town’s origin cannot be determined because no foundation charter has survived; the founding probably took place after the middle of the 13th century on land belonging to the sovereign. According to the town, the first settlers probably came from Silesia. One interpretation derives the name from the German Schön-Berg, meaning “beautiful hill” [1].

The first undoubted written record dates from 1281 and names the sovereign’s steward Jenec of Šumperk, who resided in a small stronghold on the edge of the town. A Dominican monastery, whose building is now used by a secondary medical school, is mentioned in writing from 1297 [1].

In 1340 the town was acquired from Margrave Charles, later Emperor Charles IV, by the Lords of Lipá, and in 1352 it was again held by Margrave John of Moravia. From 1340 the Šumperk estate had mining rights, because the surroundings yielded precious metals. In 1391 Margrave Jobst granted the town Magdeburg law including the mile right, which gave craftsmen a production monopoly and secured the sale of their goods; 68 burghers then received the right to brew beer, and the community the right of escheat [1].

Early modern period

In 1470 Jiří Tunkl the Elder of Brníčko took over the town as a pledge. The Tunkl family is known in northern Moravia for founding numerous fishponds and for harsh treatment of their subjects [1]. At the beginning of the 16th century the town passed permanently to one of the branches of the Žerotín family, who chose the local château as their family seat and improved the town after the fire of 1513. As early as 1562 the burghers bought themselves out of serfdom and Šumperk became a free royal chamber town [1].

For taking part in the uprising of the estates the town lost its royal privileges and in 1622 came under the rule of the Liechtensteins. Towards the end of the Thirty Years’ War it was captured and plundered by Swedish troops several times. The post-war boom was interrupted by a fire in 1669; from 1679 witch trials took place, and by 1696 about 25 burghers had fallen victim to them [1].

Linen-making and the textile industry

In the 18th century the town’s prosperity was secured by linen-making and a monopoly on the production of a kind of velvet called trip. This tradition was followed by the founding of the first corduroy manufactory in the Habsburg monarchy in 1785 and by the later development of the textile industry, which in the second half of the 19th century contributed to an exceptional improvement of the town. Because of its stately appearance Šumperk was called “little Vienna” [1].

After 1945

The markedly German character of the town changed after the Second World War with the expulsion of the great majority of its inhabitants. The arrival of new settlers meant a brief stagnation; later the population grew to almost double the pre-war level [1]. After 1989 an urban heritage zone was declared, and costly restoration of houses and streets considerably transformed the previously neglected historic core [1].

Timeline

  • after the mid-13th century – foundation of the town [1]
  • 1281 – first undoubted written record [1]
  • 1297 – mention of the Dominican monastery [1]
  • 1340 – mining rights; the town is acquired by the Lords of Lipá [1]
  • 1391 – Magdeburg law and the mile right [1]
  • 1562 – buying out of serfdom, free royal chamber town [1]
  • 1622 – transfer to the Liechtensteins [1]
  • 1785 – first corduroy manufactory in the Habsburg monarchy [1]

Chronology

  • — A hostel in Šumperk caught fire during the night of 6 October 2026; firefighters evacuated 14 people and the damage exceeded one million koruna. → iDNES.cz Novinky.cz
  • — Detectives of the Police of the Czech Republic in the Olomouc Region concluded their investigation of the murder of a taxi driver in Šumperk on 17 February 2026 and passed a proposal for an indictment of the 39-year-old accused man to the public prosecutor; besides the murder, the police charge him with the attempted murder of two other people, for which he faces a sentence of 15 to 20 years or an exceptional sentence. Czech News Agency iDNES.cz

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Sources

  1. Město Šumperk