Svihovec Centennial Reunion
July 14-15, 2007
Final Go-Round in Mott, ND
A Little History ...
Read all about Svihovecs, from the late 1800s to present day. This family history was written 10 years ago and recently updated by its author (Kevin Carvell). It initially was drafted only as a history of the Emil Svihovec branch. However, it contains extensive amounts of information about the entire family's Czech roots, its first decade in Minnesota, and the early homestead years in North Dakota. As a result, we trust that it will provide items of interest to members of the entire clan. Right-click this link and choose Save As to download and read later. You will need the free acrobat reader to open the file.
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Svihov Family Coat of Arms
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Some people have raised questions about
the "official" Svihov coat of arms. Kevin Carvell did some research and following is what he learned. The contenders [for the "official" Svihov coat of arms] are three:
1. A red shield with three white strips on the right side. The white stripes represent the three key rivers in the region over which the Svihovecs ruled - the Vltava, Otava, and Uhlava rivers of southern Bohemia.
2. The Svihov Castle coat of arms. Upon the shield's red background are two elements: a flower and a castle or fortification. The castle, which has two towers connected by a wall, is in the top portion of the shield. In the bottom portion upon a white background are three red, thorny flowers and green foliage.
3. The City of Svihov flag. There are red stripes on the left and right edges. In the center, which is white, is a flower virtually identical to the flower on the castle's coat of arms -- three red, thorny flowers and green foliage.
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The red flowers on the city flag and castle coat of arms are almost certainly roses. I say that because they have thorns, they're red, and because of the town's connection with the Ryzmberk (also spelled Rozmberk, Ryzeberk, Ryzeberg, Ryzmberka, and, in more Germanic contexts, Rosenberg) family. That family's name means "Rose Castle" and their emblem is a single rose. Those Ryzmberks were the leading family of Czech aristocracy, the most powerful clan of their day (1300s-1600s). They owned 23 castles, six towns and 500 villages. Their line died out completely in 1611. The town of Svihov was founded in the 1200s by a royal family called Drslavici who moved to the site from the Ryzmberk Castle 12 miles away. These Drslavicis were related to a noble family known as the House of Svihovsky. The Svihovsky's, meanwhile, had intermarried with the Ryzmberks and were a leading family among the aristocracy and the tenth richest family in Bohemia in the mid-1500s.. The Svihov Castle itself was built, or perhaps rebuilt, toward the end of the 1400s by Puta Svihovsky of Ryzmberk who had inherited his family's estates in the Svihov area. The Ryzmberk Castle sports a prominent tower which looks remarkably similar to the two depicted on the Svihov Castle coat of arms. So, we know Svihov was founded and its castle built by families tied to the Ryzmberk Castle and family. Thus, it would not perhaps be out of place for them to adopt a coat of arms that portrayed both the Ryzmberk Castle and the roses for which the castle and its family were named. However, the clear winner for the Svihovec family coat of arms is the red shield with three white stripes. It's displayed in the castle in an ancient painting dated back 500 years, it's used by Svihov Castle officials of the current day, and Petr Svihovec, the family historian in Prague, also says it's our official coat of arms. To complicate this whole question of a family castle, note that the
largest castle ruins in the Czech Republic are at Rabi. That castle was
taken over in 1380 by Puta Svihovsky. His great-grandson was later the
head of the Supreme Court and Rabi was the scene of important political
gatherings. This great-grandson died in 1504 and the castle was sold in
1548. |
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Did you read the family history? You can download it here.
 The Seven Svihovec brothers |
 The Svihovec Homestead |
 Threshing in 1910 |