Abertamy
History
History
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[thumb\|150px\|Church of Fourteen Holy Helpers](/wiki/File:Abertamy_church_out.jpg "Abertamy church out.jpg")
Miners started to settle in the area between 1525 and 1529\. The first written mention of Abertamy is from 1529\. In 1579, Abertamy was promoted to royal mining town by Emperor [Rudolf II](/wiki/Rudolf_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor "Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor"). On 15 September 1590, a [strong earthquake](/wiki/1590_Neulengbach_earthquake "1590 Neulengbach earthquake") was recorded here. [Silver](/wiki/Silver "Silver") mining gradually declined, especially during the [Thirty Years' War](/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War "Thirty Years' War"), when it ended in 1622\. Only the mining of [tin](/wiki/Tin "Tin") continued. Abertamy lost its town rights, and the area was forcibly recatholicized after the war. In the mid\-19th century manufacturing of [gloves](/wiki/Glove "Glove") began and expanded in the 20th century. In 1876, Abertamy obtained the town status again.

In the 1930s, 98% of the population of Abertamy were ethnic Germans. The town was annexed by [Nazi Germany](/wiki/Nazi_Germany "Nazi Germany") in 1938 and in 1938–1945 it was administered as part of the [Reichsgau Sudetenland](/wiki/Reichsgau_Sudetenland "Reichsgau Sudetenland"). In 1945, many German speaking people were [expelled](/wiki/Expulsion_of_Germans_from_Czechoslovakia "Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia") and local industry was nationalised. However roughly 150,000 of three million Sudeten Germans in the surrounding region were not expelled due to their indispensable mining and technical skills. A large German\-speaking minority remained here until the 2000s, but it is gradually disappearing.

Intensive mining of uranium ore had started in the area after World War II. There used to be two shafts in Abertamy. In 1998, the factory producing gloves closed down.


What were the effects of expelling German-speaking people on local industry?