The Town of Nová Role

Nová Role (Czech Republic) is situated in the foothills of the Krušné hory mountains near the regional town – world-known Karlovy Vary spa.

The municipality’s name has probably originated from the Old Slavic word “rola” – agriculturally cultivated land, as the first permanent settlers of this area were people from the Slavic tribe of Sedlčané. Nová Role is the seventh oldest settlement of the Karlovy Vary Region. The first written record about Nová Role (Nowa Raluna) dates back to 1293. According to unsubstantiated legend, as early as in the 12th century, there used to be a hunting pavilion for royal personnel accompanying Czech monarchs, who stayed at the Loket castle, situated on the riverbank in Nová Role.

The oldest historic sight of the town is the Church of St. Archangel Michael. This church represents a valuable Romanic-Gothic monument dating back to the era of King Přemysl Otakar I and King Wenceslas I. The church accommodates ruins of the original chapel from 1240-1255. On the initiative of the local people, the church was reconstructed in 1989 and at present it hosts regular services and religious ceremonies. Currently, the church is actually one of the oldest still functional cultural monuments within the Karlovy Vary district.

Nová Role has had town status since 1964. The town has its own coat of arms and flag with the main symbol being a porcelain teapot representing porcelain manufacturing.

At present, Nová Role’s population is 4,040 comprising the districts of Nová Role, Mezirolí a Jimlíkov.

The population has increased within the past few years thanks to the completion of new apartment buildings in Nová Role and also detached houses both in Nová Role and in Mezirolí. The construction of new apartment buildings and detached houses continues. A construction of detached houses in Jimlíkov is planned as well. The majority of apartments in the panel buildings in Nová Role has been transferred to private ownership of the citizens.

The town manages a home with domiciliary services, where preferential apartments are assigned to the citizens of Nová Role already taking advantage of domiciliary services.

Nová Role is a member of the Association of Municipalities Krušné hory – west.

Nová Role is known primarily for its porcelain manufacturing in Karlovarský porcelán a. s. Thun. In 2001, the Nová Role porcelain factory celebrated its 80th anniversary.

The town also hosts production of smithcraft and within the past 15 years a number of medium-sized and small businesses have been established, such as construction, repair and service companies, store owners, jeweller’s, hairdresser’s, consulting services, graphic arts and small farmers. Several pubs offer refreshments in Nová Role, Mezirolí and Jimlíkov.

Nová Role is traversed by tourist routes and cycling paths, which continue to German Saxony.

A few facts about history.

The beginnings of the settlement of Nová Role fall into the period of arrival of the first Slavs, who penetrated here against the Ohře river. It was the trunk of the Sedlcans. At first they settled the poorest parts of Poohří and later settled downstream of Ohře river basins and then the river Rolava. The main subsistence of the Sedlcans was agriculture, and their tribal settlement was Sedlec.

The Sedlec and later founded Nová Role were of pure Slavic origin, unlike, for example, the Nejdek and higher-lying communities that were founded later, ie in the 14th century. Their first settlers became mainly Germans, and their colonization was always supported by the present Czech monarch.

The landscape in the Rolava basin was characterized by continuous deep forests, alternating with bogs and marshland. Residents who populated the upper Rolavy River and the higher positions of the Ore Mountains discovered the site of tin, silver and iron ore.

A preserved monument dating back to the first settlement of the Nová Role from the middle of the 13th century is the remnants of the stone masonry of the original church building, Chapel from 1240-1255. Historical sources do not say who gave the church a stand. We know only that in 1278 the church took over the Order of Cross-Stars with a Red Star and at the end of the 13th century belonged to the Sedlec Factory. However, the first written record of the existence of Nová Role is only in 1293 under the rule of King Wenceslas II. Since this year, the year of the establishment of the municipality is also mentioned.

From the first name to the present, the village has made several changes to its name:

1293 - Nowa Raluna
1355 - Rolaw
1412 - Rolau
1523 - Neu Rolaw
1553 - Nowa Rola
1785 - Neu Rohle
1847 - Neu Rohlau
1854 - Rolava nova (Neu Rohlau)
1923 - New Role (German Neurohlau)
The New Role was one of the oldest settlements in Karlovy Vary, the seventh. Until 1410, Nová Role was the property of the Bohemian Crown. Since 1310, there has been a change of owners, whom the neo-choral chronicler, Ladislav Frnk, made an exact monograph. In 1359-1411 the village belonged to the castle of Loket. In the years 1411-1553 Loket Castle belonged only to the courtyard, the village belonged to the Falknov domain (Sokolov). Since 1554, the whole village belonged to the estate of Šliky, based in Ostrov. In the years 1622-1848 it was the property of Noctics.

Outline of the Periods We can date today from November 17, 1989. It has won common sense, justice and democracy. Yes, the "New Age" started, and new people appeared in the cradle of New Role. These are written in more detail in the chronicle of the city of 1990.

The famous Revolutionary Movement "Citizen Forum" started working in New Role on November 25, 1989, when it first organized a first public performance in the House of Culture. The so-called public "discussion forums" followed in the cinema.

The civic forum soon took over the organization of order in the city, and the RE rehabilitation commission in March 1990 investigated all cases of discriminated local citizens after 1968. An extraordinary public session of the city council was held on 22nd February 1990, with 23 new deputies and from which came the election of the new chairman of the CNM. Mr. Bedřich Kubeš was elected by him.

The calm and stabilization of the new conditions in the town took place after the municipal elections on 24 November 1990, after which on 6 December 1990 the city council elected Mrs. Olga Zámostná as the secretary of the CNM.

After these municipal elections, when a new era of "municipalities" started, they asked for the separation of the village of Božíčany and Děpoltovice, including. Nivy village. Two new municipal authorities and the New Role Municipal Authority have been established. Currently, parts of Jimlikov and Mezirolí belong to Nové Role.

And after years we find that the first generation of Czechs, who had settled in New Role since 1945, has long been aged and new housing estates started. Her children have grown up here and her grandchildren have begun to grow up too. The settlement of Nová Role was, thanks to the technical services of the town, planted years ago by planting ornamental trees and shrubs. And so today it can be said that Nová Role has one of the most beautiful settlements in the district.

Since the "Velvet Revolution," the city's construction has not stopped and continues with the construction of family houses in the old village along Rolava, but it also builds and repairs in Mezirolí and Jimlikov. Further construction will continue according to the Territorial Plan of the Municipal Authority of the New Role. The housing has to be given a new source of heating, the heating plant in the porcelain actually olluces. Slowly and surely, another picture of the city and the connected villages is completed. Nor does the building of new private trades and trades remain in the background. The joy is to look at their new businesses, modern upgrades and how reliable private entrepreneurs work.

The Nová Role residence has 1,200 dwelling units. After 1968 there was another gradual move of local Germans to Germany, which had a partial effect on the daily reduction of the population. Just as the original young marriages slowly grow older and the influx of new marriages is smaller, fewer children are born in A. Roli in recent years. All this has an impact on reducing the number of children already in kindergartens and subsequently in elementary schools. In 1992, Nová Role had about 3,900 inhabitants.

The following interest organizations:
Czech Gardening Union (3 general organizations), Czech Fishing Union, Czech Hunting Association, Czech Beekeepers Association. It is also necessary to appoint the Junák Center, the retirement club and perhaps not to forget others. Each of these organizations has done a lot of work to improve the lives of the city's inhabitants. Good public activities are shown by volunteer fire brigades in Nové Roli and Mezirolí. And finally, a lot of work was done by a group of local enthusiasts of "civic initiative", which began in 1990 to repair the church of St. Michal and the final work finished in 1993 at the 700th anniversary of the founding of Nová Role.

Among the production companies, it is necessary to name the Karlovy Vary, the Bohemia Nová Role, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2001. Another is Art Mining and Metalworking MSK-BÖDA. It commenced its activity (production) at the end of 1991.

Even cultural life has not stopped. The city library organizes regular exhibitions of books, paintings, photographs, etc. These are the work of local natives and contemporary inhabitants. In addition, Palla-klub Club of Karlovy Vary was exhibited here. The permanent program has a local Bohemia cinema. The House of Culture organizes various cultural events. The Municipal Office N. Role publishes the newsletter Novorolský zpravodaj and in the church organizes valuable cultural events during the year (Easter, Christmas and New Year). Various local celebrations are won by Novorolská brass band or pupils of the elementary school.

As you can see, many have changed in our country. New Role in 2003 celebrated the 710th anniversary of the founding of the village and in 2004 60 years since the village was promoted to the city.