Karniów is a small town on the Silesian-Moravian border. The medieval urban layout and industrial monuments from the 19th century have been preserved here. Above the city, on the Cvilin mountain, there is a famous Marian sanctuary.
The city was founded in the 13th century and was one of the most important trade centers on the border of Bohemia and Moravia. A castle was built here, which has been preserved in the rebuilt form to this day. The accelerated development of the city continued until the Thirty Years' War, when the buildings were largely destroyed.
The second period of the heyday of Karniów was in the 19th century, when the town became one of the centers of the textile industry. The former spinning mill belonging to the Larisch family and villas built for them, such as the villa of Alois or Karl Rudolf, have survived from those times. At that time, the city's Jewish population grew significantly, and a Moorish-style synagogue remained there. Currently, its interior is open to the public.
An important attraction of Karniów is the hill Cvilin. The baroque sanctuary of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, which is an important pilgrimage center in this part of Bohemia, rises on it. There is also a neo-Gothic lookout tower resembling a castle tower on the hill.
