Hodonín
Hodonín (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Morava River, on the border with Slovakia. Administrative parts. Hodonín is made up of only one administrative part. History. The castle in Hodonín was founded sometime in the 11th century. However, the document from 1046 which was the oldest mention of the castle, is demonstrably a forgery. The first written credible mention of Hodonín is from 1169. In 1228 it became a town. During the Thirty Years' War the town was severely damaged and the population decreased . In the 18th century a local castle was rebuilt to a tobacco factory, whose production helped repopulate the town. The northern part of the municipal territory, especially the hamlet of Pánov, retirement home and the Hodonín Zoo, was severely damaged by the 2021 South Moravia tornado. Economy. In the vicinity of the town there is an oil field and a stratum of lignite, which was formerly transported to the town of Otrokovice, a few kilometers from the city of Zlín, by the Baťa Canal, which was built by the Czech entrepreneur Tomáš Baťa and now operates as a tourist attraction . The largest industrial employers based in the town are MND (oil and gas producer) and Delimax (manufacturer of delicatessen and fish products). Sights. The main sights are the Church of Saint Lawrence and the town hall, both located on the town square. The church is originally a Gothic structure from the first half of the 13th century, baroque rebuilt in 1780–1786. The town hall was built in the Nuremberg Art Nouveau style in 1902–1904. Its tower is open to the public as a lookout tower. The Hodonín Zoo was founded in 1977 and it is one of the smallest and  youngest zoos in the country. Twin towns – sister cities. Hodonín is twinned with: