Majetín


Majetín is a village and municipality in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic.

Geography

Majetín is located in the historic region of Moravia. It lies approximately northwest of Přerov, south-east of the regional capital Olomouc, and east of Prague. The municipality covers an area of.
The railway line from Olomouc to Přerov runs west of the village. The next train station is at neighbouring Brodek u Přerova.

History

In the 13th century, a water castle existed at the site. The place was first mentioned in a 1277 deed, when one Herman of Moiethin acted as mediator in a border dispute between the abbeys of Hradisko and Velehrad. In 1306, King Wenceslaus III of Bohemia vested Lord Unka of Moyetyn with extended woodland estates which also were claimed by the Olomouc citizens who founded the village of Grygov. A lengthy conflict arose which was finally decided in 1352 by the Moravian margrave John Henry in favour of Olomouc. The Lords of Majetín remained in dispute with their neighbours; during the Hussite Wars they supported the insurgents, whereafter Emperor Sigismund had their castle demolished.
When the line became extinct in 1440, the estates changed hands several times. In 1521 Majetín was purchased by the Moravian governor John III of Pernstein and incorporated into the Lordship of Tovačov. The present-day municipality was established in 1850. A village church was erected in 1863, dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius; the Majetín parish arose in 1872.

Notable people

The Meitner family, ancestors of Austrian nuclear physicist Lise Meitner, settled in Majetín. Under the rule of Emperor Joseph II in the late 18th century, they adopted the surname Meietheiner, derived from their place of origin.