The Czech word strání translates into English as slopes, and the moniker is indicative of the fact that the village is nestled in a valley of the White Carpathian Mountains.
History
Strání is located in an ancient mining area and an apparent settlement area of the Stone AgeCorded Ware Culture. During the Middle Ages, Strání was on the so-called Hungarian Way. This road was used by Bohemian troops as they marched to attack the Turks and Tatars in Hungary. After the mid-13th century it became an important commercial link between Hungary and Czech lands. By 1359, Strání was listed as a town in official records. In 1483, tolls were collected in Strání for the upkeep of the commercial road, and by 1492 Strání included 44 houses and 2 mills. In 1502, John Bernard of Kunovice conquered the area, including Strání, and his family maintained dominion over Strání until the Battle of White Mountain in 1618, when the Bernardi lands were confiscated by the Emperor because the family supported the failed rebellion against him. In 1625, the Bernardi land holdings were sold to the Lichtenstein family, which, as previously mentioned, maintained ownership of Strání until 1945. Until 1943, there was a thriving Jewish community in Strání, but in that year the Nazis deported all known Jewish Stránaci to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Even so, several buildings in Strání are still architecturally ornamented with the Star of David. One such example can be found on the rear façade of Sklipek, a local bar.
The village
Strání is governed by a mayor and a twelve-member council. Strání is also home to two post offices, one in the village center and one in the neighborhood of Květná. There are two kindergartens and a primary school in the village. Strání is also home to MP Ondřej Benešík, who serves as the chairman of the European Affairs Committee in the Czech parliament. The CatholicChurch of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is in the village center. The parish church was first commissioned by Prince Wenceslas von Lichtenstein in 1748 and was built with material taken from the ruins of a fortress. But the original church was too small and the church belfry damaged by lightning, so the Lichtenstein church was ultimately demolished and replaced with a new, larger church, constructed in the Neo-Gothic style and consecrated in 1911. Nearby the church is Štrbákovec, a 19th-century house that is now home to a small cultural museum, which is a national historic landmark. Also near the church is Zámeček, a two-story château with vaulted ceilings throughout that was constructed in the late-16th century, expanded upon in the mid-17th century, renovated in the mid-19th century and renovated again in 2011. The Lichtensteins owned Zámeček from the 17th century until 1948 when the building was nationalized.
Industry
Central to the stability and future growth of Strání are the two largest employers in the village, the Květná Glass Works and the manufacturing company Santra. In 1794, the Lichtensteins, thanks to beech forests, high-quality glass sand and the close proximity of an important trade route to Hungary, chose Strání as the location of a glass works. Glass production began in the summer of 1795 and has been continuous since that time. In 1897 Květná was only the second glass factory in Europe to introduce etched glass production. Today, Květná produces only sodium potassium glass using traditional blowing and hand-shaping methods and ladle furnaces. It employs about 180 villagers. Santra, headquartered adjacent to Zámeček, manufactures a wide variety of park furnishings and storage solutions and employs about 50 locals.
Cultural references
In Leoš Janáček's opera The Cunning Little Vixen, the priest moves to Strání, expressing the hope that life will be better there. It is one of the only two place names mentioned in the opera.
