Mašťov


Mašťov is a town in the Czech Republic.

History

The town of Mašťov was founded at the beginning of the 12th century, when it was awarded to the local aristocrat Milhost by Soběslav I. Throughout seven centuries the town changed hands multiple times due to political instability, economic hardship, and several wars that also subjected the town to plunder, disease, fire, and famine. In 1918, when the independent country of Czechoslovakia was formed with Mastov located in the North West part of the country, the town was still dealing with the after effects of the First World War, such as homelessness and unemployment. Gradually the town recovered, but the booming economy was affected by the worldwide depression of the 1930s.
During World War II Mastov was considered to be part of the Sudetenland, awarded to Germany through a treaty between Germany, France, and England, with all Czech residents forced to leave their homes and move to the central part of the Czech Republic. After the war Mastov slowly recovered but never fully developed into the business and industrial town it had been before. A local historian named Vladimir Vales wrote a book on the history of the town, 800 Let Mastova.