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Hodonín

Coordinates: 48°50′56″N 17°7′57″E / 48.84889°N 17.13250°E / 48.84889; 17.13250
From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems
For other places with the same name, see Hodonín (disambiguation).

Hodonín
Town
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Interactive map of Hodonín
Coordinates: 48°50′56″N 17°7′57″E / 48.84889°N 17.13250°E / 48.84889; 17.13250
CountryFile:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic
RegionSouth Moravian
DistrictHodonín
First mentioned1169
Government
 • MayorLibor Střecha
Area
 • Total
63.31 km2 (24.44 sq mi)
Elevation
167 m (548 ft)
Population
 (2026-01-01)[1]
 • Total
23,344
 • Density368.7/km2 (955.0/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
695 01
Websitewww.hodonin.eu

Hodonín (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɦodoɲiːn]; German: Göding) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The town is located on the Morava River in the Lower Morava Valley, on the border with Slovakia.

Hodonín was founded in the 11th century and became a town in 1228. However, it began to grow significantly only in the 19th century due to industrialisation. Among the main landmarks of Hodonín are the Church of Saint Lawrence and the Art Nouveau town hall. The town is known as the birthplace of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of Czechoslovakia.

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Hodona. In Old Czech, the name was written as Godonín and the German name Göding was derived from it.[2]

Geography

Hodonín is located about 51 kilometres (32 mi) southeast of Brno, on the border with Slovakia. It lies in a flat landscape in the Lower Morava Valley. The town is situated on the right bank of the Morava River, which forms the Czech–Slovak border in this area. The western municipal boundary is formed by the Kyjovka River, which feeds here a system of eight fishponds.

History

The castle in Hodonín was founded sometime in the 11th century. However, the document from 1046 which was the oldest mention of the castle, is demonstrably a forgery.[3]

The first written credible mention of Hodonín is from 1169. In 1228, it became a town. During the Thirty Years' War the town was severely damaged and the population decreased. In the 18th century a local castle was rebuilt to a tobacco factory, whose production helped repopulate the town.[4] The railway to Hodonín was built in 1841, and extended to Holíč in 1891.[5]

Hodonín was the first town in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia to be liberated from Nazi Germany occupation at the end of World War II. The battle for the town that was part of the Bratislava–Brno offensive, began on 11 April 1945, after the Red Army captured the nearby Holíč. Soviet troops crossed the Morava River and advanced toward Hodonín, supported by fighter planes that had already bombed German defenses and retreating units in the area. After approximately 24 hours of fighting, Soviet forces overcame the German resistance, and by 8 p.m. on 12 April, the town was fully liberated.[6]

The northern part of the municipal territory (especially the locality of Pánov, a retirement home and the Hodonín Zoo) was severely damaged by the 2021 South Moravia tornado.[7][8]

Demographics

Economy

In the vicinity of the town is an oil field and a stratum of lignite. Lignite was mined here from the beginning of the 19th century until 2009.[11]

The largest industrial employers based in the town are Delimax (manufacturer of delicatessen and fish products) and MND (oil and gas producer).[12]

Transport

The I/55 road (the section from Břeclav to Uherské Hradiště) passes through the town. There is a road border crossing and a railway border crossing, leading to neighbouring Holíč.

Hodonín is located on the intraregional railway lines Břeclav–Olomouc and Brno–Hodonín. There is also the line from Hodonín to Vrbovce in Slovakia.[13]

Sights

The main sights are the Church of Saint Lawrence and the town hall, both located on the town square. The church is originally a Gothic structure from the first half of the 13th century, rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1780–1786. The town hall was built in the Art Nouveau style in 1902–1904, by architect Ernst von Gotthilf in 1902–1904. Its tower is open to the public as a lookout tower.[14]

The Hodonín Zoo was founded in 1977 and it is one of the smallest and youngest zoos in the country.[15]

The history of local oil extraction, lignite mining and related technological processes are presented in the Museum of Oil Extraction and Geology.[16]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Hodonín is twinned with:[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Population in municipalities as at 1. 1". DataStat. Czech Statistical Office. 18 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Charakteristika zájmového území". Povodňový plán města Hodonín (in čeština). Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  3. ↑ "O počátcích hradu Hodonína" (in čeština). Město Hodonín. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Stručně z historie Hodonína" (in čeština). Město Hodonín. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Nejstarší snímek nádraží je nejspíš z roku 1877". Deník.cz (in čeština). 26 January 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "April 12, 1945: First Czech town liberated from Nazi occupation". Czech Radio. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "Likvidace škod probíhá i v opomíjeném Pánově. U obcí vzniknou parkoviště pro dobrovolníky" (in čeština). Czech Radio. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "The most powerful tornado on record hit the Czech Republic, leaving several fatalities and 200+ injured across the Hodonin district". Severe Weather Europe. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in čeština). Czech Statistical Office. 21 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 27 March 2021.
  11. ↑ "Lignit a geologické lokality" (in čeština). Muzeum naftového dobývání a geologie. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  12. ↑ "Registr ekonomických subjektů". Business Register (in čeština). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  13. ↑ "Station details Hodonín". České dráhy. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "Turistické cíle ve městě" (in čeština). Město Hodonín. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Z historie Zoo Hodonín" (in čeština). Hodonín Zoo. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  16. ↑ "O muzeu" (in čeština). Muzeum naftového dobývání a geologie. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  17. ↑ "Partnerská města" (in čeština). Město Hodonín. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
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