Mírov

Mírov (German: Mürau) is a municipality and village in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants. It is known for its high-security and maximum security prison.

Mírov
Municipality
Mírov Prison
Flag Coat of arms
Mírov Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°47′53″N 16°50′51″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Olomouc
District	Šumperk
First mentioned	1266
Area
• Total	13.57 km2 (5.24 sq mi)
Elevation	395 m (1,296 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	353
• Density	26/km2 (67/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	789 01
Website	www.obecmirov.cz

Geography

Mírov is located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Šumperk and 36 km (22 mi) northwest of Olomouc. It lies in the Zábřeh Highlands. The highest point is a hill at 559 m (1,834 ft) above sea level. The Mírovka Stream flows through the municipality.

History

The first written mention of Mírov is from 1266. A medieval castle from the mid-12th century in Mírov was rebuilt into a Baroque fortress in 1684. It served as the occasional seat of the Olomouc archbishop until 1741, when it was looted by Prussian army. In 1750, the fortress was rebuilt into a prison. In 1850, the prison was bought by the state, a neo-Gothic reconstruction was carried out and a state prison was set up there.^[2]

From 1980 to 1990, Mírov was an administrative part of Mohelnice.^[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,162 —     1880 2,107 −2.5% 1890 1,982 −5.9% 1900 1,740 −12.2% 1910 1,550 −10.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,607 +3.7% 1930 1,016 −36.8% 1950 676 −33.5% 1961 643 −4.9% 1970 546 −15.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 494 −9.5% 1991 409 −17.2% 2001 436 +6.6% 2011 748 +71.6% 2021 760 +1.6%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Economy

Today, the castle serves as a high-security and maximum security prison. It has a capacity of 381 prisoners. With about 250 employees, it is the main employer in Mírov.^[5]

Transport

The I/35 road (part of the European route E442) passes through the municipality. It replaces the unfinished section of the D35 motorway from Olomouc to the Hradec Králové Region.

Sights

The main landmark and the most important historic monument is the neo-Gothic castle with the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene.^[6] The Baroque church was built in 1664–1687.^[7]

Notable people

• Karl Michael von Levetzow (1871–1945), German poet and librettist; died here
• Hugo Sonnenschein (1889–1953), Austrian writer; died here
• Štefan Tiso (1897–1959), Slovak politician and lawyer; died here
• János Esterházy (1901–1957), Hungarian politician; died here