The free royal town of Mirotice was established in the second half of the
13th century close to an old market village by the last Premyslids after the
royal castle Zvikov and the royal town of Pisek were founded. The church of St.
Jilji was built there, in Roman style early in the 13th century, and its
administrator was instituted directly by the Czech kings.
Due to an economic recession after the Hussite wars, Mirotice started loosing
its independence. The town, with all its privileges, was given to noblemen
Pribik of Zahradka and Ondrej of Rasenice, by King Sigismund (Zikmund) in 1431.
By 1457 the town was owned by the noble family of Lev of Rozmital. The once free
Mirotice, now ruled by the royal administration, had become a subjective townlet.
Mirotice became part of the administration of the royal castle Zvikov in 1544.
The Mirotice townsfolk founded their own city hall in 1562 in memory of their
lost independence and as an expression of their ambition to gain back their lost
autonomy. Svamberks of Zvikov favoured their town belonging to the castle.
Therefore, Jindrich of Svamberk confirmed upon Mirotice in 1549, the privilege
of using the town brewery, the municipal forests and the Lomnice River. Other
privileges included; the right to use the municipal book of records and
contracts, the town emblem (the first Premyslid sign-a female eagle), the
communal brick-kiln and the municipal weighing machine. The written privilege
also stated that there was a subjective duty to Zvikov, the feudal lord. One had
to give him 180 days of service and pay various kinds of tributary; including
142 hens a year. In 1575, the auspicious economic development of Mirotice was
slowed down due to a big fire, which destroyed 50 houses.
Mirotice remained a part of Zvikov after the partition of Svamberk's domain in
1584. There were 76 houses, mostly in the hands of the class and executive
nobility. The economic situation of Mirotice was, at the beginning of the 17th
century, so good that the Mirotice burghers contemplated the possibility of
buying their once lost freedom back. In 1610 they agreed to pay 10,000
threescore of groschens to the Zvikov domain landowner, Jan Jiri Ehrenreych of
Svamberk, to get out of their fiefdom. Unfortunately Pasov soldiers raided
Mirotice in 1611 and ravaged the town to such an extent that the last instalment
could not be paid. Mirotice was encumbered with debt and Jan Horcic of Prosty on
Bratronice became the new owner. He granted the city all Svamberk's former
privileges and even added some others.
The beginning of the thirty years war and the anti-Hapsburg revolt was
disastrous for Mirotice. Most of the town's houses were plundered and burned to
the ground. Ten years later, in 1630, there were 28 uninhabited houses of the
former 83 in the town. The last third of the thirty years war completed the
disaster. The town suffered as soldiers incessantly moved through demanding food,
lodging, fresh horses, and ransom. The number of uninhabited houses was
increasing as residents fled the town and left their homes. The main source of
municipal income, the Brewery, was wrecked. This unhappy situation;
characterized by a total decline of trade, a small number of inhabitants, and
many houses in ruin, continued until the end of the 17th century.
Mirotice was in the possession of many owners in the 17th century. The last of
them were Jiri Frantisek Doudlebsky and his wife Ludmila. They added the town to
their neighbouring Cerhonice homestead. As well as the previous owners, they did
not want to accept the ancient Mirotice privileges. This resulted in frequent
lawsuits. In 1688, the Cerhonice homestead, including Mirotice, was bought by
the Premonstratensain Monastery in Schlagl, Upper Austria. The lawsuits
continued with the new owner until Emperor Leopold ended them in favour of
Mirotice.
Mirotice's economic situation improved during the first decade of the
Premonstratensian rule. Some uninhabited houses were reconstructed, trade
activity was revitalised and even the municipal economy improved with the
reopening of the town's brewery and the brick-kiln. This economic upswing
brought danger of Germanization, because the new owner allotted the remaining
uninhabited houses to German inhabitants from the Upper Austrian domains (mainly
from the town of Aigen and its surrounding area). However, influence from the
new German speaking inhabitants turned out to be quite weak, and the newcomers
were soon assimilated under the influence of all the Czech environment.
The Austrian-French war, occupation by the French army for six months in 1741
through 1742, and the 14 day French army occupation during the Prussian war in
1744, caused a lot of damage to the area. However, Mirotice and the surrounding
country were able to recover.
The Corporation of Mirotice worked well in the 18th century. Ancestors of the
distinguished painter Mikolas Ales took part in the Corporation for the first
time in 1742, soon they were elected aldermen and mayors. During this period of
the 18th century, Mirotice achieved a good standard of living. Thanks to good
revenues from the municipal brewery, its surrounding forests, the brick-kiln,
and prosperous trade in local business. The lively traffic on the so called
Imperial Road through Mirotice, played an important role for the welfare of many
local inns. These quickly growing businesses were mostly in the hands of the
local Jewish community. At the end of the 18th century Mirotice was enlarged by
new homes on Rybarska street and the new quarter Neradov, built on the other
bank of the Lomnice River.
Famous Czech marionettist Matej Kopecky married into a Mirotice family in 1795.
He settled there after soldiering in the Napoleonic wars for several years. In
1817 he used to set off with his marionettes from Mirotice on long trips around
Bohemia to play the theatre, which was very popular among the ordinary people.
He was a big part of the Czech National Revival Movement. His theatre promoted
Czech national pride and love for the Czech language.
The Mirotice municipality was established in 1792 by an experienced legal
counsel who was an exponent of the state and responsible for political and
judicial affairs.
1811 was a disastrous year for Mirotice. One of the town mills was destroyed by
fire. It spread quickly and consumed the whole northern part of the square.
The push for autonomy known as the Czech National Revival, (a cultural and
political movement to revive the Czech language and culture), influenced social
life in Mirotice in the 1930's. Frantisek Ales, (father of the distinguished
Czech painter Mikolas Ales who was born in Mirotice in 1852) and the sons of
Matej Kopecky were active members of a newly founded theatre club. In 1869, the
Society of Sokols and voluntary fire fighters were established by Ladislav
Stroupeznicky. (Stroupeznicky was a Czech dramatist and novelist who later
became the first dramatic adviser of the National Theatre in Prague.)
Mirotice social and intellectual life consisted of several societies and clubs
during the second half of the 19th century. A reading group with 38 members and
lead by the professional teacher Vaclav Spala, was established in 1888. A
fellowship of veterans formed in 1882, a voluntary fire brigade was formed in
1883 and a gymnastic society was started in Sokol in 1900. Sokol played an
important role in reviving personal and national consciousness. Its objective
being to promote not only Czech culture and social life but physical, cultural,
and intellectual development among its members.
Unfortunately in 1875, the fame and importance of Mirotice inns faded away. The
busy traffic of its main road decreased when a newly built railway bypassed
Mirotice and passed through nearby Cimelice and Smetanova Lhota.
The end of World War II brought tragic consequences to the small town. On April
29, 1945 an American aeroplane fired on retreating German troops of the Schorner
Army and accidentally demolished 27 homes and damaged 30 others. 17 people lost
their lives that Sunday morning.
Unfortunately the bombing was not the last of misfortunes in the centuries long
Mirotice history of trials and tribulations. Supported by the Soviet Army and
Soviet influence, both of which were already strong in Czechoslovakia, the
communists were able to carry out a coup in February of 1948. For Mirotice, as
well as for the whole country, it meant decades of communist rule. It will take
many years before the town fully recovers from the forty years of the
totalitarian rule, ended by the Velvet Revolution of 1989.