of the town were expelled, with more than 9,500 people being moved in 11 convoys. Šumperk was rapidly repopulated, especially by Czechs from inland. Although the Communist Party won the Šumperk election in 1946 with 34.7% of the vote, the council was ruled by a coalition of social democrats. After the coup d'état in 1948, all businesses, without exception, were confiscated by the state and united into large entities. During the 1960s, extensive concrete residential tower blocks were erected on the outskirts of the town. On 21 August 1968, Šumperk was occupied by the Polish People's Army, which was replaced by the Red Army on 3 October 1968. Jan Zajíc, a student of the Šumperk Industrial School, committed suicide by self-immolation as a political protest against Soviet occupation, following Jan Palach. The Soviet army left Šumperk in May 1990 after the Velvet Revolution. Demographics Economy Šumperk was a significant centre of the textile industry throughout the Austria-Hungary, interwar and Communist eras. Thanks to factories focusing on the production of natural and synthetic silk, Šumperk has become a European centre of silk industry. Communist rule nationalised every company in Šumperk and united them into a large national company named Hedva. The silk production in Hedva ended in 1998 and only thread production continued. However, in 2019, this production ended as well and that meant the end of textile industry tradition in the town. Today, Šumperk is still an industrial town, even though the focus has changed. The largest industrial employer is TDK Electronics, which produces ferrites for automotive purposes. The beginnings of production in Šumperk date back to 1956, when the ferrites were produced under Pramet brand. The second largest industrial company is Dormer Pramet, a manufacturer and supplier of cutting tools. It is a successor of the Pramet company, which was founded here in 1951. A significant company is also Škoda Pars which renovates old trains and trams; its best known product is the RegioNova train. The largest non-industrial employer is the Šumperk hospital. Transport Šumperk is located on the Brno–Olomouc–Šumperk railway line. Culture Cultural institutions located in Šumperk include a cinema, the North Moravian Theatre, or a regional museum. The main cultural facilities are the Šumperk Cultural Hall and the town's library. Several festivals take place annually in the town: Blues Alive is the biggest international blues festival in Central Europe. It was established in 1996. Slavnosti města Šumperka