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Historical Towns

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Page 1: Historical Towns

HistoricalTowns

Page 2: Historical Towns
Page 3: Historical Towns

Content

Brtnice 4 - 5

Bystřice nad Pernštejnem 6 - 7

Černovice 8

Golčův Jeníkov 9

Habry 10

Havlíčkův Brod 11 - 13

Horní Cerekev 14

Hrotovice 15

Humpolec 16 - 17

Chotěboř 18 - 19

Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou 20 - 21

Jemnice 22 - 23

Jihlava 24 - 27

Kamenice nad Lipou 28 - 29

Ledeč nad Sázavou 30 - 31

Moravské Budějovice 32 - 33

Náměšť nad Oslavou 34 - 35

Nové Město na Moravě 36 - 37

Pacov 38 - 39

Pelhřimov 40 - 43

Počátky 44 - 45

Polná 46 - 48

Přibyslav 49 - 50

Světlá nad Sázavou 51 - 52

Svratka 53

Telč 54 - 56

Třebíč 57 - 60

Třešť 61 - 62

Velká Bíteš 63 - 64

Velké Meziřičí 65 - 66

Žďár nad Sázavou 67 - 69

Žďírec nad Sázavou 70

Žirovnice 71 - 72

Map 73

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Page 4: Historical Towns

Brtnice

www.brtnice.czInformation Centre Náměstí Svobody 74588 32 Brtnice Tel.: +420 567 571 722E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The town of Brtnice lies in the valley of a river of the same name,

on the Jihlava – Třebíč road. The town’s name is derived from a

place where bee-hives (“brtě”) used to stand. Until the Thirty

Years War, Brtnice was one of the wealthiest towns in the Jihlava

area, with fl ourishing trade and crafts.

The fi rst written mention of Brtnice dates to 1234. In 1410, it

became the property of one of the major families of the Lords

of Brtnice and Wallenstein. The town fl ourished for two full

centuries under their gold and blue coat of arms with lions, and

a mighty fortifi ed castle was built there. In the 16th century, the

castle was re-built, acquiring roughly the features that it boasts

today. After 1623, these Czech nobles were replaced by the Italian

family Collalto et San Salvatore, which held the Brtnice estate

until 1945. The new owners strove to improve the architecture

of their seat. A cloister was built, the interior of the church was

redone, and the chateau also saw building adaptations. The

town acquired its present atmosphere in the Collalto era, having

retained its original layout.

SIGHTS

A number of Renaissance and Baroque houses lining the square

have survived, showing the development of building and

decorations from the beginning of the 17th century until the

Empire era. The Town Hall has the most striking façade. Its

present form is the result of an extensive Renaissance overhaul in

the 2nd half of the 16th century. The façade with the loft gable

and battlements dates back to this era, as well as windows with

Renaissance jambs, portals in the passageway, and interiors with

comb vaults. The bell in the Town Hall turret was named “The

Work Bell”.

Chateau

It was originally a Gothic castle, dating from the 1430s. At the

end of the 16th century, during the reign of Hynek Brtnický of

Walenstein, it was rebuilt into a Renaissance seat by the Italian

architect Baltazar Maggi de Ronio. The most recent renovations

at the end of the 18th century gave the chateau its present

appearance. The chateau is not open to the public.

Chateau Church

The originally evangelical prayer house dedicated to St. Mathew

was built in 1588 by Hynek Brtnický of Walenstein. In 1629, the

Collalto family started a rebuilding project based on the plans

of the architect G. B. Pieroni. The interior was changed and two

chapels were added, giving the church the shape of a Greek

cross. When complete, it was re-consecrated as the Assumption

of Virgin Mary and later dedicated to the beatifi ed Juliana from

the Collalto family. The adjoining former cloister was built in

1636-44 for monks of the order of Pauline Fathers, who were

invited to town by the owner of the Brtnice estate, Rombald XIII

de Collalto, in 1624. The monastery was abolished by a decree of

the Emperor in 1784.

Parish Church of St. James the Greater

It is the dominant building from the historical development of

the town. It was built around 1727 on Gothic foundations. The

1760 fi re damaged it so greatly that it had to be rebuilt nearly

from the ground up between 1776 and 1784. The church houses

precious historical artistic craft objects. Among the most valuable

is the Renaissance, richly decorated copper baptismal font.

Bridges

The River Brtnice plays an unusual role in the town’s scenery. The

Baroque statues of saints on its bridges are the work of a local

native, David Lipart, from 1715-1718. The bridge is even in the

town’s coat of arms. A unique local feature is the Jewish Bridge

which, in combination with the chateau in the background, gives

the impression of a Brtnice likeness of Prague Castle. It was originally a Gothic castle dating from the 1430s At the

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The River Brtnice plays an unusual role in the town’s scenery TheT

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Page 5: Historical Towns

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Birth House of Josef Hoffmann

The corner house in the square is an example of the town’s medieval

architecture. It was rebuilt several times – in the Renaissance style,

and later in the Baroque. It is the birth house of Josef Hoffmann

(1870 – 1956), a world-famous architect and a major fi gure of

the Viennese Art Nouveau. His work had a signifi cant impact

on decorative art in the early 20th century. He created a large

number of designs for the Wiener Werkstätte artistic workshops,

which he co-founded. The museum exhibition features examples

of drinking-glass design, porcelain dinner sets, furniture, and

household textiles. A number of these timeless designs are still

alive in the production of major Austrian companies. For his birth

house, he designed new pieces of furniture and multicoloured

paint for the walls of the rooms, which was uncovered when the

building was renovated.

Contact information: Náměstí Svobody 263, 588 32 Brtnice, tel.

+420 567 216 128, +420 724 543 722, e-mail: sindelkova14@volny.

cz, www.brtnice.cz

The museum is operated by the Moravian Gallery in Brno,

Husova 18, 662 26 Brno, tel. +420 532 169 111, e-mail: info@

moravska-galerie.cz, www.moravska-galerie.cz/en

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Rokštejn

The most frequent destination of walks originating in Brtnice

is the romantic castle ruin in the river valley, between the

villages of Panská Lhota and Přímělkov (8 km from Brtnice).

The castle was founded in the second half of the 13th century

and its complex building development puts it among the

most important monuments of medieval architecture. As a

stronghold of the Hussite nobility of South-Western Moravia,

it was burned and partially knocked down during the Hussite

wars. A four-sided tower survived, as well as remnants of the

walls of the residential buildings and the castle wall walkway.

During several years of archaeological surveying, a number of

interesting fi nds were discovered at Rokštejn. Among the most

interesting is the skeleton of a new-born child stashed in the

foundations of the tower – evidence of fading pagan rituals. It

was a so-called building sacrifi ce that was to assure safety and

good fortune for the castle. Another unusual fi nd is a set of

bone dice in the tower by the gate, which the guards used to

pass time while on duty.

A Nature Trail through the Černé lesy Micro-region

A trail originates in Brtnice that draws attention to interesting

points in thirteen municipalities in the micro-region: the chateau

and Baroque bridges adorned with sculptures in Brtnice, the

Rokštejn ruin, natural monuments, remnants of fortresses,

decorative house gables, sacral monuments, and lakes. Total

length of trail: 50 km

Contact information:

Information Centre, náměstí Svobody 74, 588 32 Brtnice

tel.: +420 567 571 722

e-mail: [email protected]

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Bystřice nad Pernštejnem

www.info.bystricenp.czwww.bystricenp.czTourist Information Centre Masarykovo náměstí 1593 01 Bystřice nad PernštejnemTel.: +420 566 551 532E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The fi rst historical reference to this town stretching along the

River Bystřice is from 1220. The settlement was established as

the economic centre of a newly colonised territory. The town

fl ourished most under the rule of the Pernštejn family, in the

15th and 16th centuries. In 1580, Emperor Rudolf II granted

Bystřice the status of a town and gave it new privileges and a

coat of arms. In the 19th century, weaving especially fl ourished

there. The modern development of Bystřice is associated with the

development of the uranium industry in the 1960s. The town’s

landmark is St. Lawrence’s Church, with a double-towered front.

The main square is adorned by a plague column and a fountain

featuring statues of the missionaries Cyril and Methodius.

SIGHTS

The town’s landmark is St. Lawrence’s Church. It was built in the

13th century and has been rebuilt many times over the centuries. It

owes its present look to the Baroque rebuilding at the end of the

17th century. The two towers at

the front were added in 1750,

and their height was increased

during the repairs necessitated

by the 1841 fi re.

The former town hall building,

from 1809, today houses the

museum. The square features

a plague column and a fountain

with sculptures, dominated

by statues of the missionaries

Cyril and Methodius. The

fi rst mention of the fountain

comes from 1506. The Marian column from 1727 is decorated with

sculptures of the town’s patrons – St. John Nepomuck, St. Florian, St.

Sebastian, and St. Lawrence.

The cemetery-based Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1615 by

Jan Čejka of Olbramovice. Originally, it was evangelical. After the

Battle of White Mountain it was closed and only reopened in 1719.

The Baroque St. Anne’s Chapel dates back to 1749.

A statue of T. G. Masaryk, the work of Vincenc Makovský, stands in

front of the T. G. Masaryk Primary School. It was fi rst unveiled in

1938, only to be removed two years later, and then unveiled again

after the Second World War, and removed again in 1961. It returned

to its pedestal for the third time in October 1968. In 1984, it was

removed again and stored in the Horácká Gallery in Nové Město na

Moravě. Its most recent unveiling took place on 6 July 1990.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Municipal Museum

The museum resides in the former town hall building, built in the

1800s on the site of two older houses. Original Gothic vaults have

survived in the cellars. One of the exhibition halls is devoted to

the academic painter Alois Lukášek. Throughout the year, the

permanent exhibitions are supplemented with exhibitions from

the museum’s collections.

Permanent exhibitions: biological collection, history of the

town, ethnography, agriculture, crafts, Štěpánov cast iron,

archaeological collections, development of settlement on the

upper Svratka, and a mining exhibition.

Contact Information: Masarykovo náměstí 1, 593 01 Bystřice nad

Pernštejnem, tel. +420 566 552 180, e-mail: muzeum.bystricko@

tiscali.cz, www.bystricenp.cz

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TIPS FOR TRIPS

Pernštejn Castle

The monumental castle above the confl uence of the Rivers

Svratka and Nedvědička is one of the best-preserved Gothic

castles. Its historical interiors are furnished with period furniture.

The interior castle premises are interestingly interconnected with

winding hallways and passages and spiral staircases.

Tel. +420 566 566 101, e-mail: [email protected]

www.hrad-pernstejn.cz/en

The Šiklův mlýn (“Šikl’s Mill”) Old Western Town

The entertainment park in the valley of the River Bobrůvka

features a saloon, a black-smith’s workshop, a casino, a sheriff’s

offi ce, and a train station from the America of the late 1800s.

In summer months, a rich programme is prepared for visitors

– a western show with a demonstration of the cowboy’s art of

lassoing, horse training, action theatre, etc.

Contact Information: Western - Šiklův mlýn, 592 56 Zvole 49, Tel.

+420 566 567 400, e-mail: [email protected], www.western.cz

The Svratka Water-Management Nature Trail

The main mission of the trail crossing the Bystřice micro-region

is to protect and utilise the region’s water assets. The 16 km-

long trail starts in the village of Dalečín, passes through the

valley of the River Svratka, along the right-hand bank of the Vír

Water Reservoir, to the village of Švařec. The trail features 22

stops with instructive texts, maps, pictures, aerial photographs,

and information about the villages along the way. You can look

forward to interesting information about the construction of the

Vír Reservoir, the fl ooded village Chudobín, water protection,

possible accidents and their liquidation, as well as the treatment

of raw water.

The Karasín Lookout Tower

This tower with a restaurant lies 704 m above sea level and

comprises a one-level brick building and a 30-meter-tall square

tower. It can be reached via tourist trails, but also by car.

The Horní les Lookout Tower

The Horní les hill, 774.3 meters above sea level, not far from

Rovečné, is the highest point of the Svratecká hornatina Nature

Park. The tower is 59 meters tall, and its balcony can be reached

by 201 steps. The tower can be reached via the blue tourist trail

from Vír, or via the red tourist train from Olešnice na Moravě.

Vítochov – The Romanesque St. Michael’s Church

Černvír – An 18th-century log bridge made of fi r, 35 meters long,

covered with shingles

Švařec – A 19th century covered wooden footbridge over the

River Svratka, and the 16th century Chapel of the Holy Trinity.

The ruins of Zubštejn, Aušperk, Pyšolec, Bukov, and Dalečín

Castles

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Page 8: Historical Towns

Černovice

www.mestocernovice.czTown Hall of ČernoviceMariánské náměstí 718394 94 ČernoviceTel.: +420 565 492 102Fax: +420 565 492 109E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The fi rst mention of human settlement in the area can be found in

Kosmas’ Chronicle; permanent settlement probably commenced

in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The original settlement

was established on Černovice Brook, and by the second half

of the 14th century, seven mills had been built there, which is

documented in the 1379 Registry of the Rožmberk Estate. In the

past, Černovice was an important market centre, with two trade

routes intersecting there in the Middle Ages: one was the salt

route from Prachatice to Hradec Králové, and the other went

from Tábor in the direction of Jindřichův Hradec. The oldest

written record of Černovice has survived in the description of

the Prague Archdiocese draw up between 1344 and 1350, on the

initiative of Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice. The town’s coat of

arms dates to the 14th century.

SIGHTS

Due to frequent fi res and disasters, Černovice does not abound in

sights. The chateau was built in 1641 by the then-owner of the

estate, Martin Jindřich Paradise de la Saga, on the site of a former

brewery. The chateau acquired its present appearance during

the time of Prince Schönburg. He moved the brook that ran

through the chateau’s courtyard to its present location. He had

a rock formation removed for its new channel, thereby creating

the Black Alley. In the southern part of the chateau was a very

beautiful chapel of the Birth of Virgin Mary, which was used

for coal storage during the totalitarian era, and now has been

converted into an offi ce. The

chateau is occupied by the

Diagnostic Institute of Social

Care for the Youth, which

takes care of both the chateau

and the enclosure.

The old town hall, with Gothic

interior elements and ribbing, used to stand in the square; from

it, the town was run for nearly 700 years. In 1966, the hall was

converted to a cinema. There is also a monument to the victims

of the First World War. It was unveiled in 1926 and is the work

of the academic sculptor J. V. Duška. In 1937, a memorial to the

victims from Zborov, Terron, and Doss Alto was unveiled in front

of the Sokol gymnasium. Inside the memorial is soil from the

battlefi elds mentioned.

Also worth mentioning is the cross in the square in front of the

tower, featuring the coat of arms of the Zessner family, from the

fi rst quarter of the 19th century. Another cross, in the cemetery,

dates back to 1832, and features the coat of arms of the Schönburg

family, on its pedestal.

Behind the church is a Marian column that in the 1950s was

moved here from the square, where it had stood since 1892.

The decanal Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross stands

on the site of St. Catherine’s Chapel. The church building, as we

know it today, dates to 1737, when it was rebuilt by the Kinsky

family after the 1730 fi re. The family also donated sculptures

of patron saints of Bohemia for the side altars. Until 1813, the

church was surrounded by a cemetery.

Sculptures of St. Wenceslas and St. John Nepomuck have stood on

the bridge in Pršín since 1924, when they were moved there from

the bridge in front of the chateau, where they had stood since

about 1730. St. Anne’s Chapel in Pršín was built in 1736. On the

way to Svidník Hill, 740 m above sea level, is a Jewish cemetery

from 1730.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

Jewish Cemetery

The cemetery dating back to 1730 is situated on the road to

Svidník Hill (740 m above sea level). In autumn 2001 a Memorial

to Jewish Holocaust Victims was unveiled there. It comprises 53

stones along the path to the cemetery – the 43 stones on the

left bear the names of Holocaust victims and the 10 on the right

commemorate the inhabitants who survived imprisonment. The

renovated mortuary houses an exhibition of photographs and

materials documenting the Jewish history of Černovice. The

exhibition can be visited upon arrangement with Mr. Alfred

Teller, tel. +420 565 492 057, +420 776 631 248.

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Page 9: Historical Towns

Golčův JeníkovHISTORY

There were several settlements between the 10th and the 12th

centuries on the overland trail that passed through Bohemia

to Moravia. In spite of that, the history of Jeníkov is not very

clear. It can be assumed that the town came about through the

merger of two settlements in the locale, some time around 1580.

More about the fate of the town is known after 1636, when the

estate, confi scated from the Trčka family, became the property of

Martin Maxmilián, the Free Lord of Goltz. He improved the town

relatively quickly. Since 1648, it has been called Golčův Jeníkov.

In 1773, the estate was purchased by Count Filip Kolovrat –

Krakowský, who claimed the state tobacco factory for the town.

In 1812, the building was converted to a chateau. This man, an

economist by education, also established a needle factory in

town, which was the fi rst of its kind in Central Europe. In 1785,

he had a tower built by the deaconry and equipped it with bells.

During the Napoleonic wars, there were lazarettos in the town,

as well as a military camp. In 1808, the town was consumed by

a great fi re. It was restored under the rule of the Herberstein

family, and the appearance that it acquired in that era has been

largely retained to date. In the same era, a park was established

by the chateau, with trees that are a special kind of seven-leaf

chestnut. Since 1870, Jeníkov has enjoyed a railway connection.

SIGHTS

Goltz’s Baroque fortress with a square layout features a barrel

vault on its ground fl oor. A spiral staircase leads to the fi rst fl oor,

comprised of three residential rooms. There are gun-holes on the

second fl oor.

The Empire-style decanal Church of St. Francis Seraphim was

built in 1827; attention is drawn to its interior paintings and

furnishings. A curious item is a whale bone under the choir loft

by the main entrance, brought by General Martin Goltz from his

military campaigns.

The Deaconry was established in 1627, and it originally served

as a Jesuit residence. The Goltz family symbols are featured

above the jambs of the entrance door. The church, deaconry, and

parish house can be visited upon agreement with the priest (F.

Skřivánek, tel. 569 442 184). A rarity is the 49-meter bell tower,

which stands across the road from the church. Due to his disputes

with the Jesuits,

www.golcuv-jenikov.czInformation Centre – Lanete, spol. s r.o.Náměstí T. G. Masaryka 114582 82 Golčův JeníkovTel.: +420 569 442 577Fax: +420 569 442 578E-mail: [email protected]

Count Ledebour had it intentionally built outside of the church

buildings. The original tower was half stone, half oak. In its

present form, it dates back to 1785, but the bell is from 1482.

The cemetery-based St. Margaret’ Church was founded in the

14th century; on the northern wall, a remnant of a Gothic portal

can be seen.

The Town Hall was built in 1648.

Between 1871 and 1873,

a new neo-Romanesque

synagogue was built on

the site of the original 1659

wooden Jewish prayer

house, boasting Moorish

decorative features.

Moses’ Decalogue is

inscribed above the

main gable in gold, and

underneath it is a large decorative Star of David. The synagogue

was renovated in the 1920s, and now houses a depository of the

Prague Jewish Museum: it is not open to the public.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Goltzova tvrz Gallery

The tower fortress was built in 1650–53 by General Martin

Maxmilian of Goltz. It was of a residential nature, but in the

event of an attack, the fortress would have served as a defensive

stronghold. There attic even boasts gun-holes. After General

Goltz’s death, the property passed from one owner to another;

the fortress was no longer used as a residence, but served as a

hop-storage for the local brewery, and after 1912 it was left to

dilapidate. After the 1990s renovation, it houses a gallery with

a sales exhibition of Czech 19th and 20th century paintings.

Contact information: The Goltzova tvrz Gallery, Goltzova tvrz

8, 582 82 Golčův Jeníkov, tel. +420 603 865 778, +420 603

480 887, +420 603 497 420, e-mail: [email protected], www.

antikgoltz.cz

Jewish Cemetery

It lies about a kilometre outside of town. The oldest tombstones

with legible inscriptions date back to the 16th century. Three

tombstones are in the form of sarcophagi. Rabbi Aaron Kornfeld

is buried there, a signifi cant Jewish scholar who established a

Talmud school in town, this was the last school of its kind in

Bohemia.

Visits possible upon agreement with the cemetery manager (Mr.

Jarmil Ronovský, tel. +420 569 442 691).

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Habry

www.habry.czTown Hall of HabryŽižkovo nám. 66582 81 HabryTel.: +420 569 441 217Fax: +420 569 441 229E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

Habry was an ancient trading settlement on the overland

route from Prague to German Brod (today Havlíčkův Brod)

and on to Moravia. The town stretches along both banks of

the River Malá Sázavka. The first written mention about the

settlement of Habry can be found in Kosmas’ Chronicle from

1101, when Prince Oldřich passed through it with his army.

From the narrow path called “Haberská stezka”, which used

to pass through the border forest, the ages created a broad

trading route. As a natural centre for traders from a broad

area, Habry was granted the status of a township with market

rights by Charles IV in 1351, and given the right to use its own

coat of arms: an ancient silver key in a red shield intersecting

with a white sword with a golden handle. After 1850, Habry

became the centre of a self-administering district, and in 1909

Habry’s status was elevated from that of a township to that

of a town.

SIGHTS

The historical sights of the town of Habry include the Baroque

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, built in 1384.

In 1730, both the church and the parish house were rebuilt.

In front of the church entrance is a statue of St. Florian, from

1713.

The Baroque castle was built around 1718. The originally

two-storey building was used as a school until 1992.

The old Town Hall, with a turret and clock, was built in 1770.

Žižka’s Stone Table, from 1422, is at the top of the hill called

Táborec.

A 1714 sculpture of John Nepomuck is housed in a nook in

house No. 152.

The stone bridge with a road crossing the River Malá Sázavka

was built in 1825.

The 1825 Jewish synagogue was converted to a wide-screen

cinema in 1979.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Táborec Hilltop (515 m above sea level) with an abandoned

and flooded quarry, where, as legend has it, Jan Žižka set up

camp in 1422, before doing battle with Sigismund’s army.

The Birch Alley protected area is 2 km to the west of town

and is the site of one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries, from

the 17th century.

A tourist trail passes through the forest to a memorial to the

partisan movement, in Leškovice.

Habry was an ancient trading settlement on the overland

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Havlíčkův BrodHISTORY

The town’s history reaches back to the early 1200s. The original

settlement near the silver mines gradually developed into a

town with royal rights. Its rich history is documented by about

a hundred sights; in the 1980s, the town’s centre was declared

a heritage zone. The town walls with bastions, the historical

centre with a Baroque square lined with gabled houses, rich

church furnishings, a fountain with a Triton, a fabled skeleton

on the New Town Hall tower, as well as one of the most precious

bells in the Czech Republic are only a few examples of the riches

that invite the town’s visitor for a tour. Also of interest is the

tradition of the Brod secondary school, called the Carolinum,

where a number of important fi gures studied, such as Josef

Dobrovský, Bedřich Smetana, Jan Zrzavý, and Karel Havlíček,

whose name the town has borne since 1945.

SIGHTS

The historical town centre is an urban heritage zone. Gabled

houses have survived around nearly the entire square and in

adjoining alleys. Some of the

buildings here were in part

made of brick as early as in the

13th century.

Havlíček’s House is the seat

of the Vysočina Museum in

Havlíčkův Brod. One of its

exhibitions is devoted to Karel

Havlíček, who lived there. The

corner bay survived from the

original Renaissance house, as

well as a painted ceiling on the

fi rst fl oor, and Gothic architectural features have also survived.

The Old Town Hall in the southern part of the square is a valuable

Renaissance building adapted in the 17th century. The front

terminates with battlements, and the Renaissance gable features

the so-called Brod Death Figure. According to legend, this was

the treacherous guard Hnát, whose skeleton was placed at the

Town Hall as a warning. The place of his execution is, as legend

has it, called Hnát’s Rock (probably from 1513) on the bridge over

the River Sázava.

www.muhb.cz, http://mic.muhb.czMěstské informační centrumHavlíčkovo náměstí 57580 01 Havlíčkův BrodTel.: +420 569 497 357E-mail: [email protected]

The New Town Hall, also called Stará rychta, dates to the end of

the 15th century. At the end of

the 19th century, it was rebuilt

in the Neo-Baroque style.

Malina’s House, with a richly

diverse façade and gable, is

late Baroque.

The house “At the Golden

Lion”, with a walled-in Gothic

pillar at the front, is the

oldest inn in town, and was

mentioned as early as in the

mid 1500s.

In the centre of the square is a plague column from 1717 and

Koudel’s Stone Fountain with a Triton – probably the work of

sculptor J. V. Prchal, from the second half of the 18th century.

The town’s landmark is the decanal Church of the Assumption

of Virgin Mary. It was built in the mid 1200s and subsequently

rebuilt several times. Valuable frescoes in the early Baroque

dome have survived, as well as a very valuable main altar; a side

altar features a painting of a guardian angel, probably by Karel

Škréta. The massive four-storey tower houses the bell known as

Vilém, one of the oldest cast in Bohemia. It bears the date 1305,

weighs 2 metric tonnes, and it was sold to the town’s inhabitants

by Mikoláš Trčka of Lipá in 1453. An outstanding feature is the

church clock with a 24-hour dial. The deck on the tower affords

distant views.

The Church of the Holy Family was built as a part of the Augustinian

Monastery, from 1679 to 1696. Construction was commenced by

the Italian builder Jan Baptista Dominic Canavalli and completed

by the Chrudim builder Daniel Měnický. In the north, the Chapel

of God’s Tomb was added in 1725. One of the country’s best

The town’s history reaches back to the early 1200s. The original

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11

Page 12: Historical Towns

Baroque sculptors, Ignác

Rohrbach, took a decisive part

in decorating its interior. The

single-nave building with a

three-sided presbytery has

three sections of barrel vaulting

with lunettes and passes. In

the west is a choir with a ledge,

decorated with a fresco from

the middle of the 18th century

and contemporary wrought

bars. The perfect acoustics

of the space allows it to host

organ concerts. After the

abolition of the Bare-footed

Augustinians, the monastery building served as a school

In 1889, the “Future” (“Budoucnost”) Municipal Park was

established. Its 25 hectares feature interesting kinds of fl ora,

such as katsura trees, sweet chestnut, and the American tulip tree.

With a cascade of nine ponds, the park turns into a forest that

reaches all the way to the municipality of Knyk. Respite is offered

by a gazebo with a view, a children’s castle, and the Kotlina

sports facility. You will fi nd a memorial to Vojtěch Weidenhoffer;

a bust of Josefína, the mother of Karel Havlíček Borovský, by V.

Dohnalová; and a bust of Bedřich Smetana, by J. Pelikán. The

sculpture of Karel Havlíček Borovský comes from the workshop

of the academic sculptor Bohumil Kafka, from 1924. The park’s

landmark is the Church of the Holy Trinity, a structure with an

interesting composition and with the three-sided Chapel of the

Holy Cross. According to legend, it was built on the site where a

tulip grew with three fl owers in the decanal garden, symbolising

the Holy Trinity.

St. Adalbert’s Church, originally Gothic from the 13th century, has

been adapted in the late-Gothic style from the end of the 16th

century.

St. Catherine’s Church was built in the 13th century on the site of

the former ford, and subsequently rebuilt several times; originally,

it was a church for the local hospital.

The surviving parts of the town walls with bastions comprised

a part of the fortifi cations, from around 1310 and from the last

quarter of the 15th century, when the town had a double belt of

walls with a moat.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Vysočina Museum of Havlíčkův Brod

The museum can be found in Havlíček’s House in the square. Only the

corner bay and the painted ceiling on the fi rst fl oor have survived from

the original Renaissance house, as well as certain Gothic architectural

features. After two fi res, the front of the house was adapted in 1871

by the architect František Schmoranz of Slatiňany, in the Neo-Gothic

style. The house was held by the family of Karel Havlíček Borovský

between 1832 and 1880. Below the bay is a commemorative plaque

and Havlíček’s medallion is on the façade. The permanent exhibition

“In the Footsteps of Karel Halvíček in Německý Brod” features authentic

personal belongings of Karel Havlíček, his parents, his wife Julia, and

daughter Zdenka. The museum’s collection is rich in glass, archaeological

fi nds, paintings and sculptures, manuscripts, and precious prints.

Contact Information: 580 01 Havlíčkův Brod, Havlíčkovo náměstí 19,

tel. +420 569 429 151, fax: +420 569 429 987, e-mail: muzeum@

muzeum.hbnet.cz, www.muzeumhb.cz

Gallery of Fine Art

Since 1965, the gallery has

specialised in Czech book

illustrations, drawings, and prints

created after 1918. It is housed in

a historical 14th century burgher’s

house, in which a number of

Gothic, Renaissance, and Classicist

architectural elements have

survived and can be viewed by

visitors. The signifi cant position

of the owners of the house in

the medieval era is documented

by a number of archaeological

fi nds that were amassed during the renovation of the house and are

now deposited in the museum. The gallery’s collection comprises some

seven thousand works of art, featuring prints and illustrations by Cyril

Bouda, Adolf Hoffmeister, Emil Filla, Ota Janeček, Kamil Lhoták, Jaroslav

Panuška, Bohuslav Reynk, Karel Svolinský, Jiří Trnka, Adolf Zábranský, Jan

Zrzavý and many others. The exhibition includes the renovated Uhrov

Altar, featuring a sculpture of Calvary by Ignác Rohrbach. The high-

Baroque altar was made around 1735 for the Chapel of the Elevation

of the Holy Cross at Uhrov Chateau. The permanent exhibition is

supplemented with exhibitions of top Czech graphic artists.

Contact Information: 580 01 Havlíčkův Brod, Havlíčkovo náměstí

18, tel., fax: +420 569 427 035, e-mail: [email protected],

www.galeriehb.cz

Štáfl ’s Bastion

A well-preserved wall tower

from the original fortifi cations.

The tower houses items

commemorating a local native,

the painter Otakar Štáfl (1884

– 1945). Tours for groups upon

request.

Contact Information: Tourist

Information Centre, Havlíčkovo

náměstí 57, 580 61 Havlíčkův

Brod, tel. +420 569 497 357,

e-mail: [email protected],

http://mic.muhb.cz

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12

Page 13: Historical Towns

Štáfl ’s Cottage

This timber building from the second half of the 16th century is

one of the most valuable monuments of old rural architecture in

Bohemia. The interior of the residential room features timber

walls and the original ceiling made of massive logs. The cottage’s

name refers to the family of the original owner. The cottage

houses a permanent exhibition of the scouting movement and

occasional exhibitions are held there.

Contact Information: ul. Barbory Kobzinové 2015, tel. +420 604

130 962, e-mail: [email protected], www.sweb.cz/antikhb

The Lookout Tower of the Church of the Assumption of the

Virgin Mary

The tower’s observation deck 40 meters above ground affords a

view of the town and the general area.

Contact Information: Information about the current opening

hours can be obtained from the Information Centre, Havlíčkovo

náměstí 57, Havlíčkův Brod, tel. +420 569 497 357, e-mail:

[email protected], http://mic.muhb.cz

POINTS OF INTEREST

The Brod Death Figure

A skeleton, also called the “Brod Death Figure”, can be seen

in a niche of the Renaissance gable of the former town hall.

He holds a scythe in his hand with the Latin inscription „Qua

hora nescis“ – “You never know the hour”. He is associated

with the name of the guard Hnát, who, according to legend,

gave a signal to the armed inhabitants of the neighbouring

town of Jihlava for a siege of the town in 1472, by ringing a

bell at the Lower Gate. The ringing, however, warned the

burghers of Brod, who repelled the attack. As punishment,

the treacherous guard

was thrown into the

town moat and stoned

to death. The place is

commemorated by the

so-called Hnát’s Rock,

which is integrated in the

ledge of the stone bridge

over the River Sázava.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Memorial of K. H. Borovský

An exhibition commemorating the life and work of the writer and

journalist Karel Havlíček Borovský (1821 – 1856) is placed in his

birth house, which was declared a national cultural asset in 1976.

It houses Havlíček’s writings and documents as well as literature

about the author. The marble bust and memorial plaque were

made in 1931 by the sculptor Ladislav Šaloun, on the occasion of

the opening of the memorial. There is a monument to Havlíček in

the local square, by sculptor J. Strachovský, from 1901.

Contact Information: 582 23 Havlíčkova Borová, Havlíčkova 163,

tel. +420 569 642 123,

e-mail: [email protected],

www.havlickovaborova.cz

Lipnice nad Sázavou Castle

One of the most massive Bohemian castles was built in the early

14th century on the elongated top of a rocky ridge. In the early

1500s, it was rebuilt as a late-Gothic castle, and later received

Renaissance adaptations. The castle’s St. Lawrence’s Chapel was

adapted in the Baroque style at the end of the 17th century. After

the 1869 fi re, the castle became dilapidated, and it was partially

renovated in the fi rst half of the 20th century. The large tower

offers views up to 70 km distant. In addition to the tower, the

tour includes the armoury, an archaeological exhibition with a

set of Gothic stove tiles, St. Lawrence’s Chapel, and the extensive

cellar system with the original medieval well. The Samson Gallery

holds seasonal exhibitions. In summer, the courtyard comes to life

with performances by theatre groups, fencers, and musicians.

Contact Information: 582 32 Lipnice nad Sázavou, tel. +420 569

486 189, e-mail: [email protected], www.hrad-lipnice.cz.

Below the castle is a Memorial to Jaroslav Hašek, in the house in

which Hašek spent the latter years of his life and where he wrote

his most famous work: The Good Soldier Švejk and His Fortunes in

the World War. Tel. +420 569 486 105, www.lipnicens.unas.cz

Stvořidla

A nature reserve on the River Sázava; a paradise for water

enthusiasts and tourists; and a public campground with a stop of

the same name on the railway line.

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13

Page 14: Historical Towns

Horní Cerekev

www.hornicerekev.czTown HallNáměstí T. G. Masaryka 41394 03 Horní CerekevTel.: +420 565 396 495Fax: +420 565 396 746E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

No precise historical records have survived attesting to the

date of the town’s establishment. The original settlement

was settled by a man called Líček, and it was named Líčkovice

after him. Later, the settlement was named after the church,

originally wooden – cierkev. In the 14th century, the settlement

was expanded by Dobeš z Bechyně, the highest marshal of the

Kingdom of Bohemia. He granted certain rights to Cerekev

– the right to be a town, judicial powers, as well as the right

to fortify itself, turning the settlement into a town. The fi rst

surviving written document of the town dates to 1361. Dobeš

z Bechyně built a fortress with moats on the shores of the

town’s largest lake. The history of the Horní Cerekev estate

is very diverse, with twelve various owners – the most famous

of whom was the Léskovec family. During their rule, between

1411 and 1655, Horní Cerekev became the centre-point of the

resolution of government problems and economic issues. It was

named after the oldest known member of the Léskovec family,

Jan: Cerekev Léskovcova Superiori (Horní). The last owner was

the Hohenzollern family, which held the estate until 1945.

The latest chapter in the history of Horní Cerekev is the

elevation of its status from that of a municipality to that of a

town, on 27 October 2000.

SIGHTS

One of the town’s landmarks is the Church of St. John the

Baptist. The original St. Linhart’s Chapel was renovated by the

Léskovec family at the end of the 15th century, in turning it into

a church. The interior furnishings were donated to the church

by Count Cavriani, and the southern exterior wall was decorated

by the Dean, Jan Soval, with a sun dial. On the western side

above the entrance is the crest of the Archbishop of Prague,

František Ferdinand Küenburg, from 1715, carved in granite.

Another architectural and cultural monument is the Church

of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. The original wooden

church with two towers was rebuilt in stone. After the 1821

fi re, which destroyed both towers as well as the bells, only one

was put up again. The interior of the church and most of its

furnishings come from the 18th century. The main arch depicts

the Last Supper, by the academic painter Číla, from 1911. Under

the church fl oor are tombs of the nobility, clergy, and burghers.

Immediately next to the church is the parish house. The fi rst

mention of the parish house is from the 14th century. The fi rst

known priest, Jiří Matěj of Vlašim, came to the local parish in

1359.

What today is the chateau used to be a water fortress owned by

Dobeš of Bechyně in the 14th century. It was cleverly built on a

small peninsula on the edge of the “Chateau” Lake, so that its

moats could be fi lled with water. The chateau was completely

rebuilt in the 17th century by Albrecht Šebestián, equipping it

with arcades. In 1734, František Ferdinand Küenburg adapted

it roughly to its present form. On the eastern side used to

be a wooden drawbridge for pedestrians: riders had access

via a stone bridge from the west. Legends say that a secret

underground passage led to distant forests in Plaňany. In the

mid 1990s, the neglected chateau was renovated by a private

owner, but it is not open to the public.

A memorial to war victims was built and ceremoniously

unveiled in the square in 1935, in memory of the inhabitants

of Horní Cerekev who fell in the First and Second World Wars.

Not far from the memorial is a statue of St. John Nepomuck,

the town’s patron, dating from 1713. It has stood here since

1843; previously, the statue had stood by the Church of the

Annunciation of the Virgin Mary.

A granite Gothic plaque for Jan Léskovec, from 1558, is placed

on the former Rajský Mill, below the chateau.

About one kilometre from town is a Jewish cemetery, which

has been gradually renovated since 2000.

NATURE

On the edge of Horní Cerekev, in the direction of Kamenice nad

Lipou, is a heritage-protected tree – an ash – which is estimated

to be 200 years old. A very valuable natural point of interest is

the 1 km-long chestnut alley, planted in 1884 – 1886 along the

Horní Cerekev – Pelhřimov road.

In the immediate vicinity of Horní Cerekev, you can enjoy a

beautiful natural locale with a fl ooded stone quarry, more than

25 m deep in places. In the nearby village of Nová Buková is the

European watershed of two large river basins: the Elbe and the

Danube.

14

Page 15: Historical Towns

HrotoviceHISTORY

Finds of Neolithic pottery document that this locale has been

settled since ancient times. The fi rst written mention of Hrotovice

can be found in a deed of King Přemysl Otakar I, from 1228. Since

its founding, Hrotovice has had a fortress, a church, and a parish

house. The Hrotovice estate was held by a number of aristocratic

families and lower nobility. Until the mid 1800s, Hrotovice was

a small village that did not differ in any way from other villages

in the area. From 1850, a district court and revenue authority

had their seat in the municipality, a post offi ce was established,

and the fi rst industrial companies were founded, i.e., a sawmill,

brickworks, and a distillery. The town continued to develop even

at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1930s, Hrotovice

became a popular summer destination due to its beautiful

surroundings. In 1994, Hrotovice was granted the status of a

town.

SIGHTS

The town’s landmark is the chateau, built in the Renaissance style

at the end of the 16th century, on the site of a medieval fortress.

The chateau acquired its present appearance in the fi rst third of

the 18th century, when it underwent an overhaul and received

Baroque adaptations. The rectangular courtyard boasts open

arcades on the ground fl oor, and frescoes have survived in the

chateau chapel. The linden tree in the chateau’s courtyard was

planted in 1918, in honour of the declaration of an independent

Czechoslovak state. In 1991 – 1994, the chateau façade and

courtyard were renovated, with a fi nancial contribution from

Hrotovice’s businesses and inhabitants.

The originally Romanesque St. Lawrence’s Church was rebuilt in

the Gothic style in the mid 1300s, and in the second half of the

17th century it underwent Baroque adaptations. The town boasts

18th century Baroque statues of St. Francis, St. John Nepomuck,

St. Vendelín, St. Donát, and St. Florian.

The stone cross in the centre of the square, and the memorial

on the front wall of the chateau, commemorate the Hrotovice

tragedy of 8 May 1945, when the explosion of a mistakenly

dropped bomb at the very end of the war killed 114 inhabitants

of Hrotovice and 36 Soviet soldiers.

www.hrotovice.czInformation Centrenám. 8. května 2, 675 55 HrotoviceTel.: +420 568 860 057E-mail: [email protected] information centre is open from May to SeptemberMěsto Hrotovicenáměstí 8. května 1, 675 55 HrotoviceTel.: +420 568 838 530, +420 568 838 532Fax: +420 568 860 324 E-mail: [email protected]

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

Memorial of F. B. Zvěřina

The exhibition in the newly renovated house in the square

presents the life and work of the academic painter František

Bohumír Zvěřina, a local native (1835 – 1908). The building also

houses an information centre, which operates seasonally.

Contact information: Information centre, Náměstí 8. května

2, 675 55 Hrotovice, tel.: +420 568 860 057, e-mail: icentrum@

hrotovice.cz, www.hrotovice.cz. Open 1 May – 30 Sept., outside

of the opening period, contact by telephone, on +420 568 838

532.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

The Nové Rybníky Nature Trail

Nové Rybníky (New Lakes) near Hrotovice are an important

summer resort, used as a natural swimming facility. They can be

reached by a two-kilometre nature trail with a natural theme.

Five rest-stops feature sheds with benches, bike stands, and

information and map boards.

Mstěnice

An abandoned medieval village with a fortress (about 4 km to

the south of Hrotovice) was fi rst mentioned in written sources in

1393. The village was destroyed in 1468 by the Hungarian army of

King Matthias Corvinus, in his march on Třebíč. An archaeological

survey has been conducted there, which is of fundamental

signifi cance for learning about the life of medieval villages. The

remains of a massive stone fortress and courtyard stand there, as

well as a rare fi nd: a grain-drying facility with a barn from the

second half of the 13th century.

Information Centre of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant and

the Dalešice Hydro Power Plant

Top-level audiovisual technology provides visitors with

information about the energy sector, the use of nuclear energy,

and the power plant itself.

Contact information: Dukovany nuclear power plant, information

centre, 675 50 Dukovany, tel. +420 561 105 519, e-mail:

[email protected], www.cez.cz

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Page 16: Historical Towns

Humpolec

www.infohumpolec.cz Municipal Cultural and Information CentreHavlíčkovo náměstí 91396 01 HumpolecTel./Fax: +420 565 532 479E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

Humpolec lies near the D1

motorway, approximately

half-way between Prague and

Brno. The establishment of

the medieval settlement in

the 12th century was related

to the ancient overland trail

connecting Želiv Monastery

with Prague and Moravia. The

settlement belonged to the

Order of Teutonic Knights, Želiv

Monastery, and a number of

aristocratic families. In the 13th

century, the area gained in importance due to the extraction

of silver; after its decline at the end of the 15th century, the

foundations of the town’s drapery tradition were laid. In that era,

Orlík Castle was built on a hilltop above the town, whose remains

can still be seen in the municipal forest park. In the 19th century,

drapery production reached such dimensions that the town was

dubbed “the Bohemian Manchester”. The town’s landmark is

St. Nicholas’ Church, founded by the Želiv Premostratensians in

1233. The Upper Square is dominated by the Town Hall and the

museum, and near the cemetery is the fi rst toleration church in

the Czech lands, built in 1785 –1788. The most signifi cant local

natives include the anthropologist Aleš Hrdlička, conductor Josef

Stránský, and director Jindřich Honzl.

SIGHTS

The town’s landmark is the decanal St. Nicholas’ Church established

by the Želiv Premonstratensians in 1233. Its Baroque adaptations

are in part the work of the famous architect Jan Blažej Santini.

The remnants of the medieval Orlík Castle are a decorative

feature on the town’s skyline and a part of the municipal forest

park. The castle was abandoned in the 1630s. Only its prism-

shaped tower, entry gate, and parts of the residential buildings

and walls have survived.

At the foot of the hill, below the castle, is a Jewish cemetery from

1719, where relatives of the composer Gustav Mahler, born in the

nearby village of Kaliště, are

buried. The Jewish settlement

is documented by the partially

preserved Jewish quarter in

Zichpile, and by a Baroque

synagogue from the second

half of the 18th century. The

nearby shafts constitute the remnants of medieval mining.

The Upper Square is dominated by the 1914 Town Hall, adorned

with sculptures by František Fiala – Futurista, and by the Museum

of Dr. Aleš Hrdlička.

The square also features a memorial to the suffering in both

World Wars and in the Communist era. Worth mentioning is also

the statue of T. G. Masaryk by the sculptor Makovský, in Tyršovo

Square. It has been removed three times and then restored to its

place, the last time being on 1 March 1990.

In Havlíčkovo Square, a single-nave evangelical church from 1862

can be found, and not far from the cemetery is the fi rst toleration

church in the Bohemian lands, built between 1785 and 1788.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

Museum of Dr. Aleš Hrdlička

Since 1933, the museum’s exhibits have been placed in a former

school building, built in 1851. The anthropological exhibition

informs the visitor about the latest hypotheses of the origin of life

on earth, and attention is paid to human biology and the work

of the anthropologist Aleš Hrdlička. The ethnographic exhibition

shows the Humpolec area as it was in the 19th century, and in

the exhibition devoted to the life and work of Gustav Mahler,

recordings of his music can be heard. The permanent exhibitions

are supplemented by exhibitions throughout the year. Exhibition

halls in the Upper and Lower Squares are used for temporary art

exhibitions.

Contact Information: Horní náměstí 273, 396 01 Humpolec, tel.

+420 565 532 115, fax: +420 565 532 479,

e-mail: [email protected], www.infohumpolec.cz

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16

Page 17: Historical Towns

The “In the Footsteps of History” Trail

This fi ve-kilometre trail with ten stops informs walkers about

the history of the most signifi cant architectural sights in town:

the Museum of Dr. Aleš Hrdlička bears the name of the world-

famous anthropologist, a local native. St. Nicholas’ Church, from

the beginning of the 13th century, is listed by expert literature

as an example of the development of the art of Czech building.

The building that today serves as a Spořitelna branch has a

commemorative plaque noting the speech made by K. H. Borovský

from the building’s window in 1848, when it served as the town

hall. Architect Josef Zítek participated in the construction of the

new Town Hall at the same time as he worked on the plans for

the National Theatre. The functionalist Gočár’s House is inscribed

on the Central List of Cultural Assets. The Baroque Jewish

synagogue, rebuilt in 1886, is presently used by the Czechoslovak

Hussite Church. The corner stone of the fi rst toleration church in

Bohemia was laid on 18 May 1785. The statue of T.G. Masaryk,

which has been removed three times, is a work of V. Makovský.

The building today used as the Town Hall is decorated with

sculptures by František Fiala, known as Ferenc Futurista.

Contact Information: Municipal Cultural and Information Centre,

Havlíčkovo náměstí 91, 396 01 Humpolec, tel. +420 565 532 479,

email: [email protected], www.infohumpolec.cz

The Ruin of Orlik Castle

Only the prism-shaped tower, entry gate, and parts of the

residential buildings and walls have survived from the medieval

castle that was abandoned in the 1630s. Newly built is the castle

bread oven and a replica of a 15th century pottery kiln, so that

in summer visitors can try baking bread and making pottery.

Fencers, musicians, and theatre companies bring the castle to life

during the summer Medieval Festival. A tour with a guide can be

provided by inquiring with the manager.

Contact Information: Castrum, o.p.s., Hradská 818, 396 01

Humpolec, tel. +420 723 735 062, +420 724 937 647, e-mail: info@

hrad-orlik.cz, [email protected], www.hrad-orlik.cz

Jewish Cemetery

The cemetery is outside the town of Humpolec, in what is today

the forest park below Orlík Castle. It was established in the early

1700s and later expanded twice with the addition of terraces.

By the entrance, there is the “bejtshtube”, a ceremonial room

where the deceased was ritually cleansed before burial. There

are about one thousand tombstones in the cemetery, many of

which are of great artistic value; most are Baroque and Classicist.

The cemetery was used by Jews from the general area; several

relatives of the composer Gustav Mahler and the author Franz

Kafka are buried there.

Bernard Brewery

The brewery produces special brand-name beer without

pasteurisation. An excursion through the family brewery guides

visitors through the brewing tradition established in town in the

mid 1500s. The excursion, including a video presentation and

beer tasting, takes approximately 1 hour.

Contact Information: The Bernard Family Brewery, a.s., ul. 5.

května 1, 396 01 Humpolec, tel. +420 565 532 511, +420 565 532

407, fax: +420 565 532 183; e-mail: [email protected], www.

bernard.cz

TIP FOR TRIP

Kaliště – The Birth House of Gustav Mahler

Originally an inn, in which the world-famous conductor and

composer Gustav Mahler (1860 – 1911) was born, the house

was renovated with the contribution of the Musica noster amor

Foundation. The renovation was completed in 1999, under the

auspices of the soprano Gabriela Beňačková. A new music hall

has been added to the period restaurant, which is the venue

for concerts and international master-level courses in singing,

piano, and contemporary musical interpretation. Souvenirs

and brochures with the composer’s family tree are available; an

exhibition of the Czech connections in the life of G. Mahler. A

visit must be arranged in advance.

Contact information: 394 51 Kaliště u Humpolce 9, tel. +420 565

546 528, +420 777 868 239, e-mail: [email protected],

www.mahler-penzion.cz

Fencers, musicians, and theatre companies bring the castle to life

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Page 18: Historical Towns

Chotěboř

www.chotebor.czInformation Centre– Chotěboř Municipal LibraryKrále Jana 258583 01 ChotěbořTel./Fax: +420 569 626 634E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The fi rst written reference to the town comes from 1265, but it

can be supposed that the fi rst settlement stood there in the 12th

century and was probably related to the Libice Trail that passed

through there. The fi rst documented holder of the estate was

Smil of Lichtemburk, who owned the silver mines. In 1331, the

King of Bohemia, John of Luxembourg, bestowed on the town

the Jihlava town mining rights and elevated its status to that of

a Royal Town. In 1454, King Ladislav the Posthumous had the

town fortifi ed again. At the end of the 15th century, the Mikuláš

Trčka of Lípa Jr. acquired Chotěboř and connected it to his estate,

whereby it changed from a royal town to a liege town. During

the Thirty Years War, the town was damaged by the Swedish army

and Catholicised. From 1683, the estate was held by Count Kinský,

who had the Baroque chateau built. After 1836, ownership of

the town passed to the family of Dobřenský of Dobřenice, until

its confi scation in 1948. The character of the town was disrupted

in the 19th century by several fi res, which destroyed many houses

in the square and the church. A major event in the town’s history

was the arrival of the fi rst train on 1 June 1871.

SIGHTS

The chateau was built in 1701 – 1702. The foundations and parts

of the walls of the former fortress, whose origins date back to

the rule of Charles IV, were used in the construction. The chateau

features the Chapel of the Holy Trinity with rich stucco decorations,

frescoes, and paintings with biblical themes. Since 1952, the

chateau, which was returned to the Dobřenský family in 1992, has

been the seat of the Chotěboř Municipal Museum. The museum

collection grew primarily due to its own activities and through

donations by the local residents

and the museum’s admirers.

Especially the collections of

military items, sigillography, and

geology contain precious items.

As a whole, the collection of

fi ne art and the book collection,

containing several relatively

precious manuscripts, fi rst

and old prints, are the most

signifi cant.

The Church of St. James the

Elder, originally Romanesque and later Gothic, was damaged by

several fi res and re-built in a neo-Gothic style. The church boasts

two naves and a prismatic tower.

In the Václav Fiala Park is the neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic

Chapel of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, which was built in 1863

on the basis of plans by Fr. Schmoranz.

The Chapel of St. Anne was built on the site of a small chapel in

1902.

The Marian column in the small park under Trčků z Lípy Street

was built in 1700 when the town was threatened by a plague. It

was sponsored by the holders of the Chotěboř estate, the Kinský

family.

The Marian column in the square was built by the town in 1890.

By the entrance to the chateau park is a statue of John Nepomuck

from 1720.

A technical monument is a

three-storey rectangular water

tower. Its tank was fi lled with

water from a well by the River

Doubrava and from it water was

distributed by gravity through

pipes to Chotěboř Train Station,

for steam train engines.

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18

Page 19: Historical Towns

DON´T FORGET TO VISIT

Municipal Museum

The Italian-type, early Baroque chateau was built by Count Vilém

Leopold Kinský in the early 1700s, on the site of a Gothic fortress.

The Chapel of the Holy Trinity, with rich stucco decorations, has

survived in its original condition. The chateau was adapted in

the 19th century and after the 1927 fi re. It is surrounded by a

15-hectare English garden in the protected valley of the River

Doubrava. The chateau is held by the Dobrzenský family, which

has resided there since 1836. The museum collections document

the town’s historical development, and it has rich collections fi ne

art and archaeological,

geological, and ethno-

graphical artefacts. The

collection of books is also

precious, featuring seve-

ral rare manuscripts, fi rst

prints, and old prints.

Thematic exhibitions

are held throughout the

year.

Contact information:

Riegrova 1, 583 01

Chotěboř, tel. +420 569

623 293, e-mail: muzeum-

[email protected], www.

muzeum-chotebor.org

TIP FOR TRIP

A Nature Trail through the Valley of the River Doubrava

The River Doubrava fl ows through the nature reserve, through

a canyon-shaped, forested valley, creating picturesque and wild

corners with boulders in the riverbed and numerous weirs. You can

encounter rock towers and a waterfall there, as well as a gigantic

pot and a boulder sea. A splendid view of the valley is offered

by the Čertův stolek rock tower, in whose vicinity two man-made

caves are located. A commemorative plaque for the priest and

poet František Boštík has been placed on the Sokolohrady rocky

promontory, where Sokolov Castle used to stand. The Mikšova

jáma Pond, Koryto Canyon, the Great Waterfall, and Točitý vír are

just some of the other interesting and fabled places in the valley.

The medium-diffi culty trail, which runs parallel to the red tourist

trail, passing through romantic spots and locales where protected

plants and animals are found, is 4.5 km long and has 11 stops.

The trail starts near the Upper Mill near Chotěboř and ends in the

village of Bílek.

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15-hectare English garden in the protected valley of the River

19

Page 20: Historical Towns

Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou

www.jaromericenr.czThe Information Centre of the Municipal Cultural Centre Komenského 1029675 51 Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou

Tel.: +420 568 440 132E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

According to a legend, the settlement was founded in 1131

by the Přemyslid Prince Jaromír, but the first written records

document the establishment of a fortress with a larger

settlement only in the early 1300s. In the 16th century, the

fortress was converted to a Renaissance chateau that was

similar in layout to the contemporary three-wing buildings.

After 1623, the estate was confiscated and sold to the German

warrior Gerhard of Questenberk. In three generations, the

town experienced previously unseen economic, building,

and cultural development. Extensive building adaptations

took place at the chateau at the end of the 17th century,

under Jan Antonín Questenberk, who also enriched the

town by developing a Servite Monastery with a Loreto and

St. Catherine’s Hospital. The building development at the

chateau was completed in the early 1700s under Jan Adam

Questenberk, according to the design of architect Jakub

Prandtauer.

In the 18th century, the town also experienced unusually rich

cultural life. Jan Adam of Questenberk gathered the famous

chateau orchestra at his seat, which was among the most

significant of its era. It is here that the opera “On the Origin

of Jaroměřice na Moravě”, sung in Czech, was first heard in

1730. It was composed by the chateau Kapellmeister and

composer František Václav Míča, a native of Třebíč.

When a teacher, Václav Jebavý, came to the Jaroměřice

burghers’ school two hundred years later, he found a quiet

town without any traces of the former abundance of cultural

life. In spite of that, the poet – under the pseudonym of

Otokar Březina – found unique inspiration there for his poems

and philosophical essays.

SIGHTS

The extensive Baroque chateau boasts two levels and an

H-shaped layout. The backbone is the main wing facing the

square, and the side wings mark off an honorary courtyard in

the north, and in the south they are connected to the park.

The ochre-white colour scheme of the walls makes the façade

appear more plastic. In this form, the chateau is one of the

most significant Baroque buildings in Europe.

The adjoining chateau park

is divided in two by the River

Rokytná. Its nearer part is

designed as a French garden,

and the other features looser

landscaping. The entire park

is composed in thorough

symmetry, which emphasises

the use of stone benches

and sculptures from the

1730s, depicting figures from

classical mythology.

The chateau’s St. Margaret’s Church, which adjoins the main

chateau wing, was decorated by K. F. Toepper, Jean Baptiste,

and the painter Seglioni.

The Otokar Březina Museum

is located in the building in

which the poet spent the latter

years of his life. He is also

buried in the local cemetery.

The tombstone is an excellent

work by the poet’s friend,

the sculptor Antonín Bílek, a

bronze sculpture “The Author

and His Sister Pain”, depicting

both the poet’s personal and

artistic fate.

The square boasts a sculpture of the Holy Trinity and a set of

Baroque sculptures can be found on the bridge over the River

Rokytná – St. Mary Magdalene, St. John Nepomuck, a Pieta,

and St. John Sarkander.

According to a legend, the settlement was founded in 1131

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20

Page 21: Historical Towns

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

Chateau

The originally Renaissance chateau was built on the site of a

Gothic water fortress and was later converted into extensive

Baroque castle grounds with St. Margaret’s Parish Church. It

is surrounded with a symmetrical French-style garden which

turns into a landscaped park. The chateau features an

installation of period interiors with valuable furnishings and

collections. The public rooms of the chateau are especially

noteworthy: the Ancestral Hall with an allegorical painting

on the vault, by F. M. Francius; the Dance Hall with paintings

by Jean Baptiste and a well-preserved set of sitting furniture;

and the Chinese Chamber with inlays. The stucco decorations

are by G. Alfieri and J. Canoni. A Roman bath and salla terrena

were set up on the chateau’s ground floor. The historical

exhibition commemorates the musical tradition connected

with Count Jan Adam Questenberk and the Kapellmeister of

his chateau ensemble, František Václav Míča. Many concerts

and cultural events are held at the chateau every year; the

Peter Dvorský International Music Festival builds on the

musical tradition.

Contact information: Náměstí Míru 1, 675 51 Jaroměřice nad

Rokytnou, tel. +420 568 440 237, +420 724 730 852, e-mail:

[email protected], www.zamek-jaromerice.cz.

The Otokar Březina Museum

The museum is the oldest literary museum in Moravia. The

poet’s apartment has been preserved in its original form, and

the study library contains all of Březina’s work. The archive

contains manuscripts, testimonials about Otokar Březina and

the persons whom his work infl uenced, as well as about his

friends. School groups can choose from two video projections

and nearly thirty audio-programmes concerning other major

fi gures – Jakub Deml, František Bílek, Jan Zahradníček, Jiří

Kuběna, and others. The museum also houses a mini-gallery of

František Bílek’s paintings and prints.

Contact information: Březinova 46, 675 51 Jaroměřice nad

Rokytnou, tel. +420 603 760 768, e-mail: studijniknihovna@

otokarbrezina.cz, e-mail: [email protected],

www.otokarbrezina.cz

The originally Renaissance chateau was built on the site of a

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Page 22: Historical Towns

Jemnice

www.mesto-jemnice.czwww.tic.jemnice.czTourist Information Centre Husova 2675 31 JemniceTel.: +420 721 508 737E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

Jemnice is one of the oldest towns in Moravia. The original

settlement was established on the site of a border castle,

dating from the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The town

was established in the early 13th century as a royal property

at a crossroads of trading routes, near a ford across the River

Želetavka, near deposits of gold and silver. Evidence of that

is the town’s name – Jemnice was the seat of the „jamníci“

(pitters), collecting ore from pits. The fi rst written records of

Jemnice are in the Kuřim Chronicle of 1226.

The town experienced its peak in the Middle Ages. During

the reign of the Luxemburg dynasty, it was granted extensive

privileges. Later, this era of fl ourishing was followed by an era

of decline. Twice the town was pillaged – in 1468, during the

military mission of Matthias Corvinus, and during the Thirty

Years War. In addition, the ownership of the Jemnice estate

passed from one family to another. From 1842 until 1945,

Jemnice was held by the Pallavicini family.

The layout of the historical part of the town is determined by

its well-preserved medieval walls and several gates. The town

acquired its present, classicist, appearance after the 1832 fi re.

Major fi gures born or active in Jemnice included the Austrian

romantic poet Franz Grillparzer, a family of painters – the

Charlemonts, and the painter Roman Havelka.

SIGHTS

The town has been declared a heritage zone. The entire historical

core is surrounded by well-preserved double walls with four

bastions and two barbicans.

The signifi cance and showpiece nature of the medieval town are

documented by the surviving church buildings. The oldest is St.

James’ Church in the suburb of Podolí – originally a Romanesque

rotunda, it has retained its round tower (the oldest surviving

tower in Moravia). The presbytery is High Gothic, and the nave

was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century.

The municipal St. Stanislaus’ Church in the square, originally

Gothic, received a Renaissance vault in the 16th century; its

interior furnishings are Baroque. Under the organ loft are

signifi cant Renaissance tombstones of the Lords of Meziříči and

Lomnice.

The interior of the Gothic St Vitus’ Monastery Church is the

result of the 18th century Baroque renovation, when fresco altar

decorations by J. Winterhalter were added in the presbytery.

Jemnice is one of the oldest towns in Moravia The original

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Page 23: Historical Towns

By the Franciscan monastery is the “St. Vitus Linden Tree”, nearly

800 years old, associated with the work of the preacher Jan

Kapistrán.

The chateau was built in 1661, in the rebuilding of the late-

Romanesque castle, and acquired its fi nal appearance one

hundred years later. The chateau is surrounded by an extensive

naturally landscaped park (21 ha).

The medieval water system, leading from St. Vitus’ Church to

town, is protected as a technical monument.

To the north of town, on a hill by the road to Chotěbudice, is

the family crypt of the Pallavicini family, built between 1902 and

1904 in a Neo-Classicist style.

POINT OF INTEREST

Barchan

One of the oldest historical

festivals in Central Europe

is held annually on the

fi rst Sunday after St. Vitus’

Day; its roots extend back

to the era of the reign of

the Luxemburgs. The legend says that in 1312, John of

Luxemburg, the King of Bohemia, had to intervene militarily

against robber barons. He left his wife Eliška Přemyslid in

Jemnice, where she was under the protection of the Jemnice

burghers. The massive walls ensured that the town itself

was safe. The King informed his wife about the success of

his mission in the manner common at that time – through

4 messengers. Eliška gave them a barchet – a measure of

fabric, a scarf, stockings, and a wreath.

www.barchan.jemnice.cz

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Třebíč Vysočina Museum, Jemnice Branch

The exhibits are housed in a Baroque burgher’s house with

Empire-style adaptations. At the back, farm buildings from the

turn of the 20th century have survived. The museum exhibits

document the town’s history and the mining of minerals in South-

Western Moravia.

Contact Information: Náměstí Svobody 75, 675 31 Jemnice, tel.

+420 604 419 160, www.zamek-trebic.cz, www.tic.jemnice.cz.

Town Walls

Double walls have survived around the entire historical core of

the town, with four bastions and two barbicans. A sculpture of

a so-called fi ne virgin – the town’s palladium – has been walled

into one of the gates.

Jewish Quarter and Cemetery

Jemnice was the home of one of the oldest Jewish communities

in the lands of the Bohemian Crown. The fi rst written record

dates to 1336. The vast majority of houses and the gate have

survived. The oldest tombstones at the Jewish cemetery come

from the 17th century.

TIP FOR TRIP

Na Jemničkách

Two kilometres south of town is a locale with remnants of

medieval adits, left after the extraction of gold and silver.

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Page 24: Historical Towns

Jihlava

www.jihlava.cz, http://tic.jihlava.czTourist Information CentreMasarykovo náměstí 2586 01 JihlavaTel.: +420 567 167 158-9E-mail: [email protected]

Tourist Information Centre – Mother of God Gate - brána Matky BožíVěžní 4785/1586 01 JihlavaTel.: +420 567 167 155-6E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

Jihlava, the oldest mining town in the lands of the Bohemian

crown, was established in the fi rst half of the 13th century

during the colonisation of the region, which was accelerated

by the fi nding of silver ores. The riches fl owing from mining

were especially apparent in the generosity with which the town

was founded. The regular layout of the grid of streets with

a large square in the centre is from 1270, and the three main

church buildings were built nearly simultaneously – St. James’

Parish Church and the Conventual Franciscan and Dominican

Monasteries. Royal privileges guaranteed the town prosperity

and Jihlava soon became one of the most powerful towns in the

kingdom. It was protected by massive fortifi cations, the square

was lined by stone houses with arcades, and coins were minted in

town. Jihlava also assumed a leading position in the legal sphere

– for the fi rst time in Central Europe, mining law was codifi ed

there, in addition to town law, and it became a model for many

other mining towns.

The signifi cance of silver mining declined at the end of the

14th century, when the richest veins of sterling silver had been

exhausted. The town’s economic development had, by that point,

been assured by trade and crafts – drapery became the decisive

industry for three centuries. The large fi re of the town in 1523

ended the medieval stage of the development of the town, which

was renewed in the Renaissance style.

After the damage caused by Swedish occupation at the end

of the Thirty Years War was removed, the town was renewed

in the Baroque style and achieved new material and cultural

development. Empress Maria Theresa invited Dutch drapers to

town, whose experience improved production. In the second

half of the 18th century, Jihlava was the second largest producer

of fabric in the monarchy. The city gradually loosed itself from

the tight clasp of its walls, a town hall was added, and at the

beginning of the 19th century, town gates with narrow passages

were torn down and house façades received Classicist adaptations.

The entire heritage reserve – a unique combination of Gothic,

Renaissance, and Baroque architecture – will please every admirer

of artistic monuments and age-old history.

SIGHTS

The historical centre of town is an urban heritage reserve. The

sloped rectangular square, with its 36,650 square meters, is

one of the largest historical squares in the country. It is lined

by precious burghers’ houses on Gothic foundations. After the

1527 fi re, they were rebuilt in the Renaissance style; in the 17th

and 18th centuries, they were adapted in the Baroque style; and

the exterior appearance of the houses were also supplemented

by the stark Classicist facades

of the 19th century. The

historical character of the

square was harshly violated by

the building of a department

store (completed in 1983). The

square is supplemented by a

Baroque plague column from

1690. The valuable original

of the statue of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception,

from its crown, has been placed inside the Jihlava Town Hall. Two

stone fountains are decorated with sandstone sculptures of the

classical gods of the waters, Neptune and Amphitrite, and a band

of original 19th century paving stones has survived around the

fountains. Underneath the historical city core is an underground

labyrinth of passages that is 23 kilometres long. Some of the

passages are open to the public.

The Town Hall, adapted in the Baroque era, was created through

the joining of three early-Gothic houses. It was in front of the

Town Hall that the Compact of Basel was ceremoniously declared

on 5 July 1436, ending the Hussite wars in the lands of the

Bohemian Crown.

The Parish Church of St. James the Greater was consecrated in

1256. The interior with Baroque adaptations features Gothic

sculptures and a Renaissance golden baptismal font. The

observation deck of the northern tower is open to the public in

summer.

The Conventual Franciscan Church of the Assumption of the

Virgin Mary is one of the oldest stone buildings in town. Inside,

the original appearance of the church has survived, with massive

late-Romanesque pillars, fragments of Gothic painting, and

sculptures of female saints.

The Dominican Church of the

Elevation of the Holy Cross

was built in the style of French

Gothic and completed under

the infl uence of Parler’s Gothic.

Together with the monastery,

it was handed over for military

purposes in 1871; today, it

is used by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. A portion of the

monastery has been turned into the Gustav Mahler Hotel.

An extraordinarily valuable sculpture is stored inside the former Jesuit

Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola – the Přemyslid cross – a statue of a

crucifi ed person from the early 14th century. The church was built in

1683 – 1689 by the Italian builder Jacopo Brascha. Its good acoustics and

high-quality organ make it possible to hold spiritual music concerts.

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St. John the Baptist’s Church is among the oldest surviving

stone buildings in Vysočina. At the end of the 12th century,

it was the centre of a market village, which gradually lost its

importance after the establishment of a town on the opposite

bank of the river. The contemporary appearance of the church

is the outcome of Baroque renovations from the end of the 18th

century. By the western entrance is a painting of a sleeping

miner, commemorating the former fame of Jihlava’s silver mining.

Masses of Czech – German reconciliation are held there on the

occasion of the patron’s feast day.

The evangelical St. Paul’s Church was built between 1875 and 1878

in the Neo-Gothic style. It was named to honour the protestant

preacher Pavel Sperat, who was active in Jihlava at the beginning

of the 1520s. It was under his infl uence that a signifi cant part of

the inhabitants chose Protestantism.

The town walls were built from the mid 13th century on.

The three-kilometre-long

fortifi cations comprised two

rows of walls with towers,

bastions, a moat, and fi ve town

gates. Only the gate of the

Mother of God has survived.

The band of walls surviving to

date has been renovated in its

17th century Baroque form,

and the space between the walls has been turned into a park.

The Jewish Cemetery is the only reminder of the existence of a

Jewish community. It was established in 1869 and comprises over

one thousand tombstones of the members of the local Jewish

community, including Rabbi J. J. Ungar, the parents of Gustav

Mahler, and Louise Fürnberger, and many others. A memorial

to the victims of the Holocaust was erected in the cemetery on

8 May 1995.

The Memorial of the Royal Oath can be found underneath Prague

Bridge, in the place where King Ferdinand entered the Kingdom

of bohemia on 30 January 1527. He was welcomed by the Czech

lords and knights there and swore to preserve freedom and the

privileges of the land and all estates.

There are a total of four border stones in the shape of a frustrum.

They were built in 1750 by the decision of Maria Theresa, as a

resolution of a dispute over the course of the Bohemian –

Moravian border, to the north of the River Jihlava. That is why

they bear the symbols of both lands.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Vysočina Museum of Jihlava

The exhibition of the museum,

established in 1892, is housed

by two architecturally valuable

Renaissance houses on the

main square. The permanent

exhibition focuses on silver

mining and coin minting

in Jihlava, and on geology,

minerals, and nature in the Czech Bohemian Highlands,

presenting protected areas in the Jihlava region; it also presents

a guild room and a Jewish prayer room. An interactive exhibition

called “Jihlava Changed by the Centuries” is devoted to the

town’s history from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

Seat of the museum: Masarykovo náměstí 55, 586 01 Jihlava, tel.

+420 567 309 728, fax: +420 567 300 828.

Exhibition buildings: Masarykovo náměstí 57/58, 586 01 Jihlava,

tel. +420 567 573 880,

e-mail: [email protected], http://muzeum.ji.cz

Gustav Mahler’s House

There are exhibition premises in the house occupied by Gustav

Mahler’s family between 1860 and 1889, as well as a multi-purpose

hall and the stylish coffee shop Café Mahler. The permanent

exhibition comprises the estate of the academic sculptor Thea

Weltner, Mahler’s niece, and the exhibition “Young Gustav

Mahler and Jihlava”. The exhibition presents’ Gustav Mahler’s

youth and young adult years and documents the impact of the

environment on the artist’s ripening, against the backdrop of the

historical image of the Jihlava of that era.

Contact Information: Znojemská 4, 586 01 Jihlava, tel. +420 567

306 232, e-mail: e-mail: [email protected], www.

dum-gustava-mahlera.cz

The Vysočina Regional Gallery

The gallery occupies two historical houses in the centre of town,

whose interiors are noteworthy from the architectural point of view.

The Gothic is represented there by

portals at the front, the ground-

fl oor “mázhaus” boasts vaulting

on Tuscan pillars, and the house

boasts tall halls with Renaissance

decorations. The gallery’s

collection comprises works of art

from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Throughout the year, short-term

exhibitions are held in both

buildings.

Contact Information: Komenského 10, 586 01 Jihlava, tel. +420 567

301 680, Masarykovo náměstí 24, tel. +420 567 309 722, e-mail: e-mail:

[email protected], www.ogv.cz

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Page 26: Historical Towns

The Lookout Tower of the Church of St. James the Greater

The construction of the

northern church tower, 63

meters tall, was completed

in the early 14th century. It

served as a guard tower for the

town, had a pyramid-shaped

roof, and fi gural painting on

the façade. Historical sources

document that from 1561

there was a tower keeper with

two helpers operating there

– they announced the time by

sounding a trumpet, welcomed

rare guests with fanfares, and

protected the town by watching

for fi re and enemies. The last tower keeper and his family lived

there until 1924. The deck is 40 meters above ground (556 meters

above sea level) and offers a view of the area in summer.

Contact Information: Masarykovo nám. 2, 586 01 Jihlava, Tourist

Information Centre, tel. +420 567 167 158-9, e-mail: tic@jihlava-

city.cz, http://tic.jihlava.cz

Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel, in the Church of St. James the

Greater

The construction of the chapel

was the last change made

to the layout of the church,

whose origins are dated to

the 1240s. It was built in 1702

and sponsored by the town

physicians and a great Jihlava

patron, Jakub Jindřich Kielmann

of Kielmannseck. The octagonal

Baroque sight is noteworthy

for its wall paintings and rich

stucco decorations. It houses

a precious Gothic Pieta from

1370. It is only open to the

public on Saturdays and Sundays in the summer, and the ticket is

also good for the lookout tower.

For more information, contact: Masarykovo nám. 2, 586 01 Jihlava,

Tourist Information Centre, tel. +420 567 167 158-9, e-mail: tic@

jihlava-city.cz, http://tic.jihlava.cz

The Mother of God Lookout Gate

The gate is the only one of fi ve town gates in the medieval

fortifi cations to have survived, and it is a characteristic symbol

of the city. The crown of the gate is open all year round and the

battlements 24 meters above ground afford a view of the entire

town. The mezzanines house exhibitions devoted to the history

of silver mining in Jihlava. Information panels inform visitors

about the historical development of the wall fortifi cations and

the town-hall clock. A telescope is available in the tower for

regular astronomical observations.

Contact Information: Věžní 1, 586 01 Jihlava, Tourist Information

Centre in the Mother of God Gate, tel. +420 567 167 155-6, e-mail:

[email protected], http://tic.jihlava.cz

The Jihlava Underground

The Jihlava underground is the second largest system preserved

underneath historical buildings in the Czech Republic. The

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26

Page 27: Historical Towns

passages were created through the mutual interconnection of

cellars, which were cut in stone from the end of the 14th century,

often in three levels, and served in the storage of beer and craft

products. Some of the passages are accessible between April and

September from the courtyard of the Municipal Library (Hluboká

1), and the excursion takes about 30 minutes. At its deepest

point, the route is 13 meters below the surface; a unique feature

is the fl uorescent passage. Occasionally, in the high season, the

excursions are enriched with demonstrations of the art of fencing,

instruments of medieval torture, etc.

Contact Information: Hluboká 109/1, 586 01 Jihlava, tel. 567 167

887, e-mail: [email protected], www.agricola.cz, http://tic.

jihlava.cz

Contact information of the manager: Smrčenská 5, 586 01 Jihlava,

Občanské sdružení Georgii Agricola, tel. +420 605 982 142, e-mail:

[email protected], www.agricola.cz

ZOO

The zoological garden lies in the valley of the River Jihlávka, in

the forest park Březinovy sady, a 10 minute walk from the centre

of town. Three pavilions are open to the public: an exotic pavilion

featuring monkeys and reptiles, the carnivore pavilion, and the

Amazon pavilion. A draw for visitors is the African village of

Matongo, with native huts and a lagoon with fl amingos. The

unusual children’s corner, with a twelve-meter slide and petting

zoo, is especially popular among child visitors, as is the option to

ride in a small train.

Contact Information: Březinovy sady 10, 586 01 Jihlava, tel. +420

567 573 730, e-mail: [email protected],

www.zoojihlava.cz

The Jihlava Brewery

The brewery produces the beer „Jihlavský ježek“. The beer

making tradition in Jihlava reaches back to 1379. A visit to the

brewery connected with tasting can be combined with lunch in

the neighbouring Brewery Restaurant (Pivovarská restaurace),

where beer specialities can be tasted.

Contact Information: Pivovar Jihlava a.s., Vrchlického 2, 586 01

Jihlava, tel. +420 567 164 111, e-mail: [email protected],

www.pivovar-jihlava.cz/

TIP:

Tourists can visit selected tourist destinations on a special ticket

– the Ježek Discount Card. It includes entrance to the Mother of

God Gate, the Lookout Tower of St. James’ Church, an excursion

through the Jihlava Town Hall, Gustav Mahler’s House, and

the Jihlava ZOO. The card can be purchased in Jihlava’s tourist

information centres and is valid until the end of the year in which

it was purchased. Each facility can be visited once on the card.

POINT OF INTEREST

The Jihlava Miners’ Parade commemorates the silver fame

of the former royal town.

The parade tradition,

reaching back over a

hundred years, was started

in 1890 by the curator of

the Municipal Museum,

Johannes Haupt, and they

were held until the Second

World War. After the

war, it was merged with

the celebration of Miners’

Day, and in 1967 it ceased

altogether. It was renewed

through the efforts of

enthusiasts in 1999, and

since then the parade has

been held in Jihlava every odd year. A parade of 160 children

dressed in historical costumes representing every mining

profession passes through the city.

TIP FOR TRIP

The Mining Nature Trail, 10 km long, is situated on the edge of

town, in the locale of Jihlava – Lesnov. Its thirteen stops focus on

examples of the remnants of silver extraction (St. George’s adit,

the mining mill race, remnants

of adit-based mining), the

history of the lookout tower on

Rudný Hill, and natural points

of interest (www.jihlava.cz/

kralovskemesto/pdf/hornicka-

stezka-s.pdf).

Contact Information: Tourist

Information Centre, Masarykovo

náměstí 2, 586 01 Jihlava,

tel. +420 567 167 158

e-mail: [email protected]

http://tic.jihlava.cz

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Page 28: Historical Towns

Kamenice nad Lipou

www.kamenicenl.czInformation Centre Kamenice nad Lipou ChateauNáměstí Čsl. armády 1394 70 Kamenice nad LipouTel.: +420 565 432 343E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The fi rst written mention of the town comes from 1267.

Kamenice nad Lipou was established in the early 1200s as a

settlement by a castle. According to the chronicler Hájek of

Libočany, it was called Kamenice u Lipky, later was called Česká,

and after the town walls were renewed in 1702, it received the

attribute “nad Lipou” (above the linden tree) according to the

linden tree planted in the chateau garden in 1248.

A number of aristocratic families held the castle and the estate

over the centuries. The fi rst known owners of the castle were

members of the Benešovic family. A signifi cant owner of the

estate was Count Rey, who built the school and established iron-

workshops. Until 1945, the estate was held by the family of the

Viennese banker Geymüller, which took good care of the castle

and the town.

Crafts and trades developed in town – drapery, stocking-

production, and shoe production. In the 1720s and 1730s, silver

was mined in the Melíšek, and at the end of the century, iron

ore in Vodná. In 1875, Antonín Rückl built a glass factory in

Včelnička. The narrow-gauge railway line, which today is an

interesting curiosity, albeit still in use, opened in 1906 and

connects Kamenice with Jindřichův Hradec.

SIGHTS

The chateau was built on the site of the 13th century Gothic

castle, when Jan Malovec had castle redeveloped in the second

half of the 16th century. The courtyard and the palace survive

to their original extent. Spacious rooms were added on to the

town castle walls and another two levels of arcades were built.

One level of the arcades was later walled in, in the era of the

Geymüller family. In 1839 – 1842, a workshop for combing wool

was set up in one of the chateau’s wings. From 1946 until 1998,

the chateau served as a children’s sanatorium. The chateau has

undergone a complete renovation and presently houses the

museum.

All Saints’ Church was established in the early 13th century:

it has undergone a number of building adaptations, and was

destroyed by fi re several times. The tombstones of the local

aristocratic families, on the exterior walls of the church, come

from the 16th and 17th centuries – formerly, they were placed

on the church fl oor. The tower was built in 1707, is 49.75 meters

tall, and houses four bells that produce a majestic harmonious

sound. The tower was last renovated in 1994.

The Bradlo Forest Cemetery is about a kilometre south of

town. There is a cave in the south-western slope, called the

Lutheran Arian Stove, where non-Catholics gathered in secrecy,

as legend has it. A signifi cant researcher in the fi eld of tropical

diseases, and the discoverer of the spotted fever bacteria, Dr.

Stanislav Provázek von Lanow, and his sister, the painter Maria

Galimberti-Provázková, are buried at the cemetery. St. Mary

Magdalene Chapel, dating from the mid 1300s, stands at the

cemetery, on an octagonal foundation. Since 1806, the road

to the cemetery has been lined by fi fteen stone Stations of the

Cross, which were set up in 1765; between 1992 and 1993, it was

restored by the academic sculptor Krnínský and equipped with

paintings by R. Brichcín.

A memorial linden tree was planted in the chateau park in 1248.

The crown of the tree was struck by lightning in 1824; only the

torso of the trunk survived and two bottom branches, which

span 36 meters wide. The trunk’s circumference at ground level

is 6 meters. During the celebrations of the 750th anniversary of

the town’s establishment, a daughter linden tree was planted in

the chateau garden in 1998. The Freedom Linden in the square

was planted in 1919, and those by the church in 1848.

The square is adorned by an Empire-style fountain, carved by

the Jihlava stone-mason Hraba in the mid 1800s; the statute

of St. Wenceslas erected by Maria Teresa of Golč in 1765; a

memorial plaque, on the 750th anniversary of the town; and

a memorial to Fr. Sadílek, a local teacher and founder of the

scouting movement, who died in the Mauthausen concentration

camp.

A reminder of Jewish

settlement here is the Jewish

cemetery established in

1803. It is about 1.5 km from

town, in the direction of

the village of Antonka, and

boasts wonderful views of the

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Page 29: Historical Towns

surrounding countryside. The cemetery was renovated between

1991 and 1993 with the fi nancial assistance of the Prague

Jewish Community, and in May 1996 a plaque was put up to

commemorate local Holocaust victims. There are many Empire-

style tombstones in the cemetery from the fi rst half of the 19th

century.

The composer Vítězslav Novák

was born in Kamenice. A

museum exhibition is devoted

to the composer, and one of

his busts, by Karel Otáhal, is

placed on the school building;

the other, by Jan Kodet, was

unveiled in 1995 in front of

the chateau. The composer’s

mother comes from the nearby

forester’s lodge, “Johanka”. It

can be reached by a larch alley

planted in 1835.

A memorial plaque on a house

on Vackova Street commemorates the patriotic priest, poet, and

writer František Josef Vacek, author of the text of the popular

song “U panského dvora”.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Chateau

The late-Classicist chateau

was created by redeveloping

the Gothic castle. In the

16th century, the castle was

expanded and two levels

of arcades were built. The

tower over the gate was added in 1744. A major Classicist

rebuilding project was undertaken before the middle of the

19th century. From 1946 until 1998, the chateau served as a

children’s sanatorium. Then it was transferred under the

administration of the Prague Museum of Decorative Arts and

underwent a complete renovation. The renovation uncovered

remnants of the original castle walls in the courtyard, and an

extensive renaissance hall was discovered in the eastern wing of

the chateau. The chateau features an exhibition of the artistic

work of blacksmiths, from the medieval production of treasury

cases, and Baroque wrought bars, to the work of contemporary

authors. Visitors can test the complex lock mechanism. The

collections of the Museum of Decorative Arts on display here

feature children’s toys from the end of the 19th century and

documents about the building development of the castle. The

southern wing of the chateau houses the Municipal Museum

with the exhibition called “Museum for All Senses” devoted to

the town’s history.

Contact Information: Prague Museum of Decorative Arts, Zámek

Kamenice nad Lipou, Nám. Čsl. armády 1, 394 70 Kamenice nad

Lipou, tel. +420 565 432 667, e-mail: [email protected],

www.upm.cz

Municipal Museum of Kamenice nad Lipou, Náměstí Čsl.

armády 1, 394 70 Kamenice nad Lipou, tel.: +420 565 434 168,

e-mail: [email protected], www.kamenicenl.cz, www.

muzeumvsemismysly.cz

The Narrow-Gauge Railway Line

A technical curiosity is the local line with a gauge of 760

mm, which is in regular operation on the Jindřichův Hradec

– Obrataň route. The fi rst run took place on 23 November

1906. In summer, it offers many options for trips through the

romantic countryside, and occasionally the train set is pulled by

a historical steam engine. An interesting feature is the use of

traditional Edmandson cardboard tickets, supplied by the line’s

own printing house at the local train station. Tickets from there

are distributed to other customers in the Czech Republic, but

also to Austria, Switzerland, and other countries.

For current information, see www.jhmd.cz.

TIP FOR TRIP

The Kamenice Chateau is the

starting point of the three-

kilometre Nature Trail of

Vítězslav Novák. Its twelve

stops inform the walker about

the landscape and wildlife

surrounding the town, and the

stop by the Johanka forester’s

lodge is devoted to the work

of composer Vítězslav Novák

and his ties to the town.

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29

Page 30: Historical Towns

Ledeč nad Sázavou

www.ledecns.czInformation CentreHusovo nám. 60584 01 Ledeč nad SázavouTel.: +420 569 721 471Tel./Fax: +420 569 721 507E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

Ledeč nad Sázavou is one of the oldest towns in Bohemia. Its

origins can be dated to the mid 1100s, with the fi rst written

reports of it being from 1181 and 1186. In the 13th century,

the Squires of Ledeč were noted as the owners, with Zikmund

of Ledeč being the most signifi cant: he was among the leading

men in the lands of the Bohemian crown, during the reign of

Přemysl Otakar II. Soon after its establishment, Ledeč became the

second most signifi cant fi nancial centre in the area of the River

Sázava, after Německý Brod (today’s Havlíčkův Brod). It grew due

to production and trade, and from the end of the 14th century it

gradually acquired all of the rights of being a town, which were

then collectively confi rmed by King Ferdinand I in 1562. Written

sources from the Hussite era refer to Ledeč as a town.

SIGHTS

The town’s landmark is the castle. The castle grounds stretch

along the right bank of the Sázava, on a tall limestone

promontory. The castle was established in the mid 1200s as an

early Gothic building. On your visit to the castle, you can also visit

the municipal museum, featuring a collection of weapons, coins,

glass, porcelain, and pottery.

The Jewish synagogue was built on a property purchased in 1739,

replacing the old synagogue that had been damaged by fi re, and

that had stood in the town since 1606. Its Classicist adaptations

were made after a fi re in the 19th century. After the war, the

synagogue served as a warehouse, and in 1991, it was declared

a cultural asset. The Ledeč Jewish community ceased to exist in

1942 with the deportation of Jews to concentration camps; none

have returned to Ledeč. After the war, the synagogue served as a

warehouse, and in 1991, it was declared a cultural asset.

The Jewish cemetery is in the western part of town, next to

the new cemetery. It was established in 1601 and is among the

oldest in Bohemia. About one thousand people of the Jewish

faith are buried there. It has not been used for burials since the

Second World War. The cemetery is precious both in terms of its

historical and artistic value. Most of the tombstones are Baroque,

and the oldest are from 1679 and 1706. The cemetery has been

undergoing ongoing renovations; this year, the tombstones of

the parents of Marie Hermann – Mahler (the mother of Gustav

Mahler) were found.

The establishment of the Church of St. Peter and Paul is dated

to the early 14th century. The

church is built in the Gothic

style. The decanal church lost

its treasures several times, but

a gilded copper monstrance

with the silver busts of twenty-

four saints has survived. It was

given to the church by Deacon

Jan Neffka in 1773. A European

rarity is the vault over the

church nave, which is purely

decorative, not load-bearing. It

was made by Ledeč potters in

the 16th century.

In the east of Hus’ Square stands an 11-meter-tall Marian sculptural

group, by the Pardubice sculptor and carver Jakub Teplý. The

sculpture was made to celebrate the Marian cult in Bohemia.

On the four sides are sculptures of Bohemian patron saints – St.

Wenceslas, St. Adalbert, St.

Florian, and St. John Nepomuck.

In the middle is a column with

clouds and angels, culminating

with a sculpture of the Virgin

Mary. In 1988, the sculptural

group underwent an overall

renovation.

Statue of Master John Huss –

the initiative for its creation

came from the local Tyl Theatre

Ensemble in 1921, when its

corner stone was ceremoniously

laid. The sculpture was made by

Ledeč nad Sázavou is one of the oldest towns in Bohemia. Its

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Page 31: Historical Towns

the Tábor sculptor Rudolf Kabeš, from artifi cial rock. In his right

hand, Master John Huss holds an open book with the inscription

“Truth Prevails” and the pedestal features the inscription “Love

each other, and wish truth to one another”. The unveiling

ceremony took place in May 1926.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

Castle – Municipal Museum

This castle from the fi rst half of the 13th century was fi rst rebuilt

in the Renaissance, then in the Baroque style, and then again

after the 1897 fi re. A number of architectural features have

survived – a cylindrical tower, renaissance loggia, and two gates.

The museum has been housed by the castle since 1938, and the

present exposition is a part of the Vysočina Museum of Havlíčkův

Brod. The exhibition is unique in the style in which it is installed,

featuring the 1930s method of presentation. The exhibits

present the lives of local craftsmen as well as a rich numismatic

collection, a collection of clocks and watches, and paintings.

The weapon collection is presented in a hall with Renaissance

sgraffi to decoration. Short-term exhibitions of paintings and

photographs can be seen in the museum’s gallery. In summer, the

castle grounds host occasional fencing, theatrical, and musical

performances.

Contact Information: 584 01 Ledeč nad Sázavou, tel. +420 731

612 457, +420 569 721 471 (Information Centre), e-mail: ic.marie.

[email protected], www.ledecns.cz

The Synagogue

The synagogue reopened in 2000, following a demanding

renovation; the vaulting, stucco decorations, and the women’s

balcony have survived. The synagogue is used for concerts and

as exhibition premises. It is only open during exhibitions and

concerts, and upon arrangement at the Information Centre.

Contact information: Information Centre, Husovo nám. 60, 584

01 Ledeč nad Sázavou, tel. +420 569 721 471, e-mail: ic.miroslava.

[email protected], www.lededns.cz.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

The Ruins of Chřenovice Castle

The castle is located on a rocky promontory above the confl uence

of the Rivers Jestřebnice and Sázava, north-west of Ledeč nad

Sázavou. The castle was established at the end of the 13th

century. It passed from one owner to another several times, and

by 1545 it was listed as having been abandoned. The 19-meter

cylindrical tower has survived, with thick walls made of quarried

stone. In 1904, a vessel with Prague groschen from the time of

Wenceslas IV was found in the ruins.

The Anna Glassworks – producing replicas of Baroque historical

glass, Bělá 55, 584 01 Ledeč nad Sázavou, tel. +420 569 721 164,

e-mail: [email protected], www.hutanna.cz

The Stvořidla Nature Reserve

This is the most beautiful and most valuable section of the River

Sázava, between Světlá and Ledeč. In the Quaternary period,

water carved a valley in the granite masses, through which the

river fl ows. Rounded granite boulders peek out of the riverbed.

The Sázava railway line runs along the right bank of the river

through Stvořidla.

On a picturesque bend of the River Sázava, below the train stop

in Vilémovice, is the so-called Sunny Cove. A Czech writer for

young people, Jaroslav Foglar (dubbed Falcon), a Scout leader of

many years, took his troop there repeatedly, beginning in 1925,

and he gave the locale its name. His most famous book “Boys

from Beaver River” was written there. In 1997, a memorial for

Jaroslav Foglar was unveiled in Sunny Cove.

The synagogue reopened in 2000, following a demanding

Brod The exhibition is unique in the style in which it is installed

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Page 32: Historical Towns

Moravské Budějovice

www.mbudejovice.czTourist Information CentreNáměstí Míru 1676 02 Moravské BudějoviceTel.: +420 603 207 511E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The first written mention of the existence of settlement here

dates to 1231 – the Budějovice area was a part of the dowry

of Queen Constance, the widow of Přemysl Otakar I.

This market settlement on the medieval trading route from

Jihlava to Znojmo was elevated to the status of a town in

the second half of the 13th century. King Vladislav II, of

the house of Jagellon, confirmed all of the town’s privileges

in 1498 and gave it its coat of arms and seal. In 1522, the

town was bought by the Wallenstein family and the town

developed rapidly under their rule. The property of Zdeněk

of Wallenstein was confiscated for his involvement in the

uprising of the estates, and in 1626 Emperor Ferdinand II

bestowed it on Colonel Hanibal of Schaumburk for his exploits

in war. His heir, Jindřich Rudolf Schaumburk, decided to build

his residence on the site of several burgers’ houses, and in

1666 the construction of the chateau began. The next owner

of the estate was Count František Václav Wallis. His grandson

Joseph held the post of the Minister of Finance in the state

administration of the Austrian monarchy. The Wallis family

held the town until 1848; after the abolition of slave labour,

they became the owners of the large landed estate. In 1928,

the estate passed to the niece of Joseph Wallis, Countess Maria

Anna Salm, Schaffgotsch by marriage. In 1945, the estate was

expropriated and a museum was set up in the chateau.

SIGHTS

The oldest architectural sight

in town is the cylindrical

rotunda – a 13th century

ossuary. It acquired its present

form through adaptations in

the 18th century, the ceiling

fresco “The Final Judgement”

is dated 1726.

St. Giles’s Parish Church was

built on the remains of a

church mentioned in 1240.

The church was originally

built without side naves, with

a wooden ceiling, and a wooden bell tower in the west. A

walled-in cemetery adjoined the church. The altar painting

of St. Giles was painted in 1851 by the Viennese painted Ignác

Dullinger.

Few records have survived of St. Anne’s Chapel; also opinions

differ as to the era of its origin, ranging from the 13th to the

15th centuries. According to a legend, the body of the King

of Bohemia, Přemysl Otakar II, was deposited there for one

night, when it was being transported from Znojmo to Prague in

1297 (Přemysl Otakar II fell on 26 August 1278 in the Moravian

Field).

St. John Nepomuck’s Chapel was built in 1713 by Terezie

Polyxena, the widow of Václav Renalt of Schaumburk. The

chapel stood at the cemetery built between 1617 and 1620.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Chateau – Museum of Trades

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The chateau was built by Count Jindřich Rudolf Schaumburk in

the 17th century, from the town hall and four burghers’ houses.

In 1947, a museum documenting the town’s history was set up

there. A portion of the museum collections, devoted to extinct

and rare trades and crafts, is located in the twelve butcher shops

built in 1839. The former chateau stables host exhibitions, and

the chateau courtyard is the venue of many cultural events.

Contact Information: The Třebíč Vysočina Museum – exhibition of

trades and crafts, Náměstí Míru 1, 676 02 Moravské Budějovice,

tel. +420 568 421 100, e-mail: [email protected]

The St. Giles’ Church Tower

It was built on the northern side of the presbytery of the church in

1714 and is 49.9 meters tall. Two bells have survived in it – the fi rst

from 1432, weighing 300 kg, and the second from 1535, weighing

1,700 kg. The observation deck, 26 meters above ground, offers

views of the town and its general area. When the weather is

good, even the Alps can be seen. Outside of the high summer

season, a visit to the tower can be arranged at the museum.

TIP FOR TRIP

The Sádek Wine and Cultural Centre

The centre stretches below Sádek Castle, in the midst of

vineyards. Its comprises a hotel with a restaurant, wine cellars,

wine shop, an amphitheatre and a Vinery Nature Trail. The

four stops on the two-kilometre trail take the visitor from

the parking lot to the castle. There are 40 different varieties

of grape vines planted in the locale, strung on pergolas that

are 800 meters long. Visitors can get to know extinct, original

varieties. The tour of the vineyard for groups must be arranged

in advance and it ends with a wine tasting.

Contact Information: 675 23 Kojetice na Moravě 169, tel. +420

568 882 883, +420 725 614 393, e-mail: info@vinohrady-sadek.

cz, www.vinohrady-sadek.czThe chateau was built by Count Jindřich Rudolf Schaumburk in

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Náměšť nad Oslavou

www.namestnosl.czInformation CentreMasarykovo náměstí 100675 71 Náměšť nad OslavouTel.: +420 568 620 493Fax: +420 568 620 338E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The advantageous position

on the River Oslava on an

important route from Jihlava to

Brno led to the establishment

of a settlement that was fi rst

mentioned in 1234. At that

time, it belonged to the Lords

of Mezeříčí and Lomnice,

who built a castle on the hill,

60 meters above the river.

The Žerotíns, an educated

and powerful family, rebuilt

it into a massive chateau in the mid 1500s. The town’s next

owners – the Haugwitz family – had a signifi cant impact on

the development of the town. Cloth was made in town, the

chateau was a centre of musical life, and thousands of volumes

were amassed in the chateau library. An important milestone

in the town’s history was 1850, when Náměšť became the seat

of district institutions. In 1886, it was connected to the Brno-

Jihlava railway line, and in 1923 it was granted the status of a

town. Although Náměšť nad Oslavou has changed since then,

its most signifi cant landmark remains the chateau tower, which

will charm everyone who visits the town. The same applies to

the Baroque bridge, which is compared to Charles Bridge in

Prague, due to the sculptures adorning it.

SIGHTS

The château is the

unmistakable landmark of the

town. The cylindrical stone

defensive tower has survived

from the original Gothic castle.

Under Jan the Elder of Žerotín,

between 1565 and 1578,

the castle was rebuilt into

a Renaissance castle, on the

basis of a plan by the architect

Gialdi. The coat of arms of

the Žerotíns sits over the entry

gate. The next owners – the

Haugwitzes – adapted the

chateau in the Baroque style.

The castle chapel is decorated

with sculptures and paintings from the abolished Capuchin

monastery. The vaulting of the chateau library boasts rich

stucco and fresco decorations. The library houses 16,000

volumes, including the Kralice Bible in six volumes. After 1945,

the chateau served as the summer house of President Edvard

Beneš. Concerts are regularly held in the chateau library and in

the courtyard. The chateau enclosure is famous for the raising

of fallow-deer.

The Baroque bridge over the River Oslava is one of the oldest

surviving stone bridges in the

country. It was built in 1737

and is decorated by twenty

sculptures of male and female

saints. Eight of them are the

work of Josef Winterhalter.

In the square, a visitor’s

attention will be captured by the sculpture of the Holy Trinity

from 1715, the work of the sculptor Antonín Riga, as well as by

the late Renaissance and Baroque parish house, whose front

is decorated with sculptures by Josef Winterhalter. The same

author provided sculptures for St. Anne’s Chapel, built in 1748

in the part of town called Špitálek. The paintings in it were

painted by Pavel Troger.

The landmark of the square is the Church of St. John the Baptist.

After the 1639 fi re, the church was rebuilt on the site of the

original Gothic church. Among its most precious decorations

are the altar paintings by the painters Stoll and Pavel Troger.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Chateau

The chateau’s halls house an extensive exhibition of tapestries

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Page 35: Historical Towns

from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Two tour circuits afford

visitors the opportunity to get to know the period furnishings

of the historical interiors, including a library, chapel, and the

study of President Beneš. The chateau is surrounded by a

park.

Contact Information: State Chateau of Náměšť nad Oslavou,

Zámek 1, 675 71 Náměšť nad Oslavou, tel. +420 568 620 319,

+420 568 620 201, e-mail: [email protected], zamek.namest@

telecom.cz, www.zamek-namest.cz

Municipal Museum at the Old Town Hall

The municipal museum was re-established in 2004. It features

two permanent exhibitions – the studio of the Náměšť

photographer Ondřej Knoll and Papírník’s printing house.

There, you can view old photographs and printing presses

from the beginning of the last century, and photographs of

old Náměšť and its surroundings, and learn about the past of

the art of book-printing. Authors’ exhibitions are held in the

gallery.

Contact Information: Masarykovo nám. 100, 675 71 Náměšť

nad Oslavou, tel: +420 568 620 493, e-mail: [email protected]

Cultural Promenade

Signs and an information

board will guide tourists

along all of the interesting

points in town, along two

routes (chateau, town). The

Cultural Promenade includes a

technical monument - Schulz’s

fi lters. They were used in the

construction of a waste-water

treatment station in the 1950s

and today are a rarity.

St. Anne’s Chapel – viewing possible upon arrangement with

the Municipal Cultural Centre, tel. 568 620 493

Church of St. John the Baptist – visits possible upon arrangement

with the parish authority, Masarykovo nám. 51, 675 71 Náměšť

nad Oslavou, tel. +420 568 623 955

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Kralice Bible Memorial

The memorial is located near the remains of the Gothic fortress,

where a secret printing house of the Union of Brethren printed

the Kralice Bible between 1579 and 1594. The museum shows

its visitors items from the original printing house: the 4,000

well-preserved metal type pieces are a world rarity.

Contact Information: 675 73 Kralice nad Oslavou, tel. +420 568

643 619, e-mail: [email protected], www.mzm.cz

The Mohelno Serpentine Step

Serpentine is a mineral whose chemical and physical properties

allow for the occurrence of dwarf plant forms. An exceptional

number of plant and animal species can be found on the

relatively small area of this protected territory. A nature trail

leads through the national nature reserve. It affords two

three-kilometre circuits, both requiring visitors to cope with

signifi cant elevation gain.

The Dalešice Water Reservoir

The Dalešice Reservoir (catchment’s area 1,136 km2, backwater

length 22 km) is used for recreation, water sport, and fi shing.

Surroundings of the dam are very picturesque and romantic.

The river basin is fl anked by steep hillsides, which are up to 100

m high. Two ruins of medieval castles, Kozlov and Holoubek,

further amplify the beauty of the dam. Especially from Kozlov’s

top, there is a beautiful view partly of the dam creating large

bends; partly of surrounding forests that had overgrow the

high steeps.

In summer, the regular ship transport and cruises are very

popular; fi ve anchorages are at tourist’s disposal.

For more information see: www.dalesickaprehrada.cz

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Page 36: Historical Towns

Nové Město na Moravě

http://infocentrum.nmnm.czMunicipal Information CentreVratislavovo náměstí 97592 31 Nové Město na MoravěTel.: +420 566 650 254Fax: +420 566 617 202E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The town is a sought-after tourist and recreation centre in the

Žďárské vrchy hills. Ski tracks in the snowed-under countryside

laid a foundation for the tradition of skiing and ski production

in the region over a hundred years ago. Since 1934, the Golden

Ski of the Bohemian Moravian Highlands has been held here, a

race which has been included in the World Cup of Cross-Country

Skiing disciplines since the 1980s. The town was established in the

13th century during the colonisation of the Bohemian-Moravian

border regions. It experienced its greatest development under

the rule of the Lords of Pernštejn in the 16th century. The

historical centre of town has been a heritage zone since 1990.

The largest number of artistic monuments is concentrated in

the central Vratislav Square, where the most valuable historical

buildings can be found – there is a gallery in the Renaissance

chateau, and the Town Hall, rebuilt in the Baroque era, is used by

the museum. Of particular note is St. Kunhuta’s Church, which is

decorated with sgraffi to. Open spaces in the town are decorated

with a number of signifi cant sculptures by the local natives Jan

Štursa and Vincenc Makovský.

SIGHTS

The urban heritage zone was declared in 1990 and comprises the

well-preserved historical centre of town, with many interesting

architectural sights.

The original Renaissance Chateau was built immediately after

1550. In 1643, it was pillaged by the Swedes, but was soon

restored. It burned down during the great fi re of the town in

1723, and in the Baroque adaptations in the middle of the 18th

century, a new, four-wing layout was created with the addition

of several buildings. The present form of the chateau comes from

1874, when it underwent Neo-

Renaissance adaptations. The

chateau houses the Horácká

Gallery.

The Old Town Hall was created

in 1555 by the conversion of a

burgher’s house that had been

purchased. The Renaissance

entry hall with a stone portal

survived from the original

building, and the second storey

with a turret was built after

the 1723 fi re. Inset in the front

façade is a stone dated 1555,

featuring a wisent head. The front façade is decorated with

sgraffi to from 1938. The building is the home of the Horácké

Museum.

The Roman Catholic St. Kunhuta’s Church is decorated with the

sgraffi to of the local native Karel Němec, from 1928 – 1929. The

oldest part of the church is the Gothic presbytery. The church

comes from the 16th century, and the nave was vaulted in the

18th century. Folk frescoes have survived in the so-called Black

Chapel.

The evangelical church was built between 1896 and 1898 in the

Neo-Renaissance style.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

Horácká Gallery

The gallery, established in 1964, has occupied the chateau since

1972. The exhibition “Changing Landscapes and Shapes” features

paintings and sculptures from the Gallery’s collection, and also on

display is moulded glass from the Škrdlovice glassworks, from the

1960s and 1970s. The gallery’s courtyard is a venue of concerts

and cultural events.

Contact Information: Vratislavovo náměstí 1, 592 31 Nové Město

na Moravě, tel. +420 566 654 211, e-mail: horacka.galerie@nmnm.

cz, http://hg.nmnm.cz

Horácké Museum

The museum exhibits have been housed by the former Renaissance

town hall since the beginning of the last century. The permanent

exhibits present folk culture, the tradition of glass- and iron-

making in the Nové Město region, the history of ski manufacturing

and skiing, and a classroom from the 1930s. In summer, the Vír

paintings and sculptures from the Gallery’s collection and also on

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Page 37: Historical Towns

Mill is placed in the courtyard of the museum – a set of wooden

fi gures propelled by a water wheel.

Contact Information: Vratislavovo náměstí 114, 592 31 Nové

Město na Moravě, tel. +420 566 650 216, fax: +420 566 618 961,

e-mail: [email protected], http://hm.nmnm.cz.

NATURE

Nové Město na Moravě is a signifi cant centre of the Žďárské vrchy

Protected Landscape Area. Its rock formations are especially

sought-after natural objects. Those that are accessible near Nové

Město include Vávrova skála, Pasecká skála with a lookout, and

Brožkova skála. Among more distant locales, those that are

particularly worth a visit include Žákova hora National Nature

Reserve, which has a nature trail; the highest hill of the Žďárské

vrchy range, Devět skal, which has a rock town; the Samotín and

Blatiny area, with characteristic buildings; and the Štarkov rocky

hills, with the ruins of Skály Castle.

POINT OF INTEREST

A Picture Trail through the Ochoza Forest

The Ochoza forest is interwoven with a maze of trails and

footpaths, and in the winter the tracks of the World Cup of

Cross-Country Skiing lead through it. A plan of the trail, for

setting out to see eight pictures, can be purchased at the

information centre, and you can go after them on skis, by

bike, or on foot. The places that have these pictures on the

trees are the subjects of stories and legends. The pictures’

authors are local artists, and the originals are exhibited in the

courtyard of the Horácké Museum.

Contact Information: Municipal Information Centre, Vratislavovo

nám. 97, 592 31 Nové Město na Moravě, tel. +420 566 650

254, e-mail: [email protected], www.nmnm.cz, http://infocentrum.

nmnm.cz

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Protected Landscape Area. Its rock formations are especiallyP

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Page 38: Historical Towns

Pacov

www.mestopacov.czTourist and Information Centre of the Stražiště Micro-Regionmikroregionu StražištěHronova 1078395 01 PacovTel.: +420 565 443 307E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The fi rst period in which the town fl ourished was in the 15th and

16th centuries. It was then that Pacov acquired town privileges

and the Gothic castle was turned into a chateau. In the early

18th century, the town became the property of the order of

Barefooted Carmelites, which expanded the chateau and used

it as their monastery until the reforms of Joseph II. Another

interesting historical sight is the decanal church, which has a

Gothic tower and Renaissance paintings in the interiors, and

the former monastery church, St. Wenceslas’, which is used for

art exhibitions. The town has made an important mark in the

history of the sport of motorcycling. It was here that the idea

arose of establishing an international motorcyclist federation,

carried out in Paris in 1904. A museum exhibition is devoted

to the history of the motorcycle races that were fi rst organised

on the local track in 1906. The museum bears the name of the

poet Antonín Sova, who was born in town in 1864, and the

region served as a good source of poetic inspiration for him.

SIGHTS

The original 13th-century castle was converted to a chateau

in the 16th century. In 1708, Barefooted Carmelites arrived in

Pacov and used the chateau as a monastery. It was expanded

into its present form around 1719, and then the monastery was

abolished under Joseph II, and the building was again used

as a chateau. In 1860, the eastern wing served as a school

and teacher’s residence. It was here that, in the family of the

teacher Jan Sova, the future poet was born in 1864. Until May

1945, the chateau was held by the Weiss – Tessbach family, and

then transferred under state administration; soon, a military

unit was deployed there. Soldiers resided there until 1992, and

fi ve years later the chateau was transferred to the ownership

of the town. Following a demanding renovation, the northern

part of the building is used by the town administration. The

southern and western parts will be used by the town for

cultural purposes.

Only the tower and the ground plan have survived from the

original 13th century decanal St. Michael the Archangel Church.

It was rebuilt into its present form in the second half of the

15th century. From this era come the Gothic reliefs on the

outer side of the buttresses on the southern side, designating

the institutions that participated in the building project. Most

interior paintings come from the 2nd half of the 16th century.

The outline of the vault,

caricatures, and inscriptions

are a hundred years older.

The interior furnishings are

primarily Baroque. The tower

reached its present height

only in the 1870s. The repairs

The first period in which the town flourished was in the 15th and

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Page 39: Historical Towns

to the exterior were completed in 1997.

The Baroque monastery St. Wenceslaus’ Church was built in

1719. Only 5 sections have survived from the original church.

It was renovated after the town’s great fi re in 1727, and with

the abolition of the order, it ceased being used for services.

Subsequent owners used the church for various purposes –

from a warehouse to prestigious public premises. Between

1947 and 1974, it was used by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church.

The overall renovation was completed in 1994, including an

adaptation of the underground premises. In summer, the

church interior is used for art exhibitions.

The cemetery-based St. Barbara’s Church was originally an

octagonal early Baroque chapel, to which a nave was added

in 1681 – 1682. The main altar and the pulpit are Baroque, as

are the woodcarvings of St. Peter and Paul. The organ comes

from the mid 1700s.

The oldest surviving tombstones in the Jewish Cemetery date

to the fi rst half of the 18th century, although the land was

purchased in 1680. Between 1920 and 1925, the cemetery was

expanded and a memorial hall was placed in the mortuary. The

cemetery can be visited upon arrangement with the Tourist

Information Centre.

St. Anne’s Chapel is a Baroque octagonal building from 1701

– 1702. Its dome features genre-scene paintings – a view of

Prague Castle and of Pacov. The altar is from the mid 1700s.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Antonín Sova Municipal Museum

The museum is housed in a one-storey, 18th-century burgher’s

house, which has been afforded heritage protection. The

museum exhibits document the history of the Pacov area, and

one exhibition is devoted to the life and work of Antonín Sova,

who was born in Pacov in 1864. The Painter’s Hall of Jana and

Hana Autengruber is also popular. The historical exhibition

includes documents related to the fi rst international motorcycle

race on the Pacov track in 1906. In addition to permanent

exhibits, short-term museum and artistic exhibitions are held

every year.

Contact Information: Hronova 273, 395 01 Pacov, tel. +420 565

442 193, fax +420 565 455 155, e-mail: muzeum@mestopacov.

cz, www.mestopacov.cz, http://muzeum.mestopacov.cz

POINT OF INTEREST

The 15th degree of East longitude passes through Pacov,

which serves as the prime meridian for Central European

Time. The local time to the west and east of the meridian

differs, for example by +11 minutes in the Aš Projection.

The course of the meridian is marked in a strip of yellow

on the roads of the town. Every year, the multicultural

festival The Pacov Meridian is held in town (www.polednik.

cz), when the chateau’s courtyard turns into an open-air

sculpting studio for a week. The resulting sculptures are

installed in the chateau’s park.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Sova’s Nature Trail

The twelve-kilometre trail, which has four stops, starts in

Pacov and carries on to Lukavec, via the village of Bratřice and

Stražiště Hill. Instructive boards provide information about the

municipalities through which the trail passes. In Pacov, they

introduce the museum, the Gothic St. Michael’s Church, the

Renaissance chateau, and the poet’s memorial in Sova’s Park; in

the valley between Pacov and Bratřice, it features the remains

of an 18th century glass factory; in Bratřice, a Baroque chapel

can be seen; below Stražiště Hill is an 18th-century chapel with

a source; and in Lukavec is the Hříbek Baroque Gazebo in the

chateau park.

Kámen Castle

This originally Gothic castle, that had undergone a Baroque

renovation, was adapted in the 19th century in the manner of

romantic Gothic. Its exhibits feature the history of the castle

and it houses an exhibition of unique historical motorcycles

from the turn of the 20th century (e.g., a Laurin and Klement

motorcycle from 1898). An exhibition of furniture and

accessories gives a hint of the atmosphere of life at a castle in

the second half of the 19th century. The castle is surrounded

with a landscaped park, dominated by an extensive alpine

garden. Throughout the year, seasonal exhibitions are held

there, and the Knights’ Hall is the venue of concerts, social

gatherings, and wedding ceremonies.

Contact Information: 394 13 Kámen u Pacova 1, tel. +420 565

426 609, +420 736 731 958, e-mail: [email protected],

http://hradkamen.pacov.info

introduce the museum, the Gothic St. Michael’s Church, the

h d h K i h ’ H ll i h f i l

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Page 40: Historical Towns

Pelhřimov

www.pelhrimovsko.czTourist Information Centre Masarykovo náměstí 10393 01 PelhřimovTel./Fax: +420 565 326 924E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The history of the town reaches back to the 12th century. A

legend considers Bishop Pelhřim (Pelegrine in Latin) to be the

town’s founder. The original egg-shaped layout has survived

to date. The town developed rapidly from the mid 1300s.

Its owners, the Bishops of Prague, granted it a number of

privileges; it was the business centre of the area, crafts and

trades developed there – drapery, linen-making, weaving,

and ginger-bread production. In the 15th century, Pelhřimov

boasted a number of ornate burghers’ houses and was

surrounded with solid walls and tall gates. Two of them have

survived.

In the mid 16th century, possession transferred to the Říčan

family of Říčany, which set up a chateau in the upper section

of the square. After long disputes with the suzerains, the town

bought itself out of servitude in 1572, and in 1596, Pelhřimov

was elevated to a royal town by the Majestate of Rudolph II.

The Thirty Years War put an end to the peaceful development

of the town. Armies invaded the town several times, and it was

also damaged by several fi res. In 1766, most houses burned

down. Because the houses were built entirely anew after the

fi re, the historical centre of town has a Baroque order to it.

In terms of the development and building expansion of the

town, the 19th century was important, with the development

of industry.

SIGHTS

The unity and well-preserved state of the architectural

monuments was the reason for the entire town core being

declared an urban heritage reserve. In its centre is Masaryk

Square, with Renaissance and Baroque houses and an Empire-

style fountain.

The originally Renaissance chateau was built in the middle of the

16th century, probably on the site of a tower-like 15th century

Gothic structure, which is documented by the cross vaulting in

the Gothic hall on the ground fl oor of the chateau. After the

large fi re of the town in 1682, the chateau was rebuilt in the

Baroque style. The chateau received its present form, as a two-

wing building with a mansard roof and a prism-shaped tower

with a fi gural clock, during the 1767 renovation. The dining

hall with ceiling paintings on the fi rst fl oor has survived from

the Renaissance era. From 1849, the chateau was the home of

the local court; this era is commemorated by the eagle in the

upper part of the façade. Sculptures of Justice and Protection

in the bottom part of the façade come from the era when the

building served as the town hall. The tower features a clock

that strikes to sound the time and whose face depicts Hercules

with a cudgel and Saturn with a scythe.

The decanal St. Bartholomew’s Church was built at the end of

the 13th century. The original basilica with three naves was

expanded and decorated with envelope sgraffi to in 1589. The

town’s landmark is the 61-meter-tall church tower.

St. Vitus’ Church is the oldest church in town. A three-nave

Renaissance building rises out off medieval foundations. The

church received Baroque adaptations between 1739 and 1740,

when another level was added to the tower. The Baroque

building burned out. Presently, classical music concerts are

held there and the church also serves as an exhibition hall.

The Chapel of Our Lady is the most signifi cant Baroque

building in town, and it is the purest in terms of architecture.

The former pilgrimage chapel, later used as a cemetery chapel,

The history of the town reaches back to the 12th century A

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was built between 1710 and 1714 according to the design of

the Reverelli brothers, and it is the only ecclesiastical building

in town to have survived in its original form.

The Church of the Holy Cross, built in 1883-1886 in the neo-

Gothic style, turns towards the town with its tall tower. It was

built on the site of a small ecclesiastical building from the end

of the 17th century, which was torn down when it became

dilapidated.

The late-Renaissance house called Šrejnarovský was built in

1614. It was named after its owner, the fabric-trader Kryštof

Šrejnarov. Its ground fl oor features a typical vaulted lobby and

the front is decorated with corner bay windows – remnants of

paintings which used to cover the entire façade have survived

on one of them. The building houses museum exhibits.

One of the most beautiful Renaissance houses in the square

is the Burgrave House called the Broumovský House; it was

built after the 1561 fi re, by Squire Jan Brouma of Chomutovice.

The façade is decorated with envelope sgraffi to. The building

houses the M Gallery and a Museum of Monsters on its ground

fl oor.

House called the Fárův House is a good example of a cubist

renovation of a Baroque house, according to the design of

architect Pavel Janák.

Two prism-shaped gates have survived from the medieval

fortifi cations: the three-level Rynárec (Upper) Gate was built

in the 16th century. The access to the gate was well-developed

and features complex facilities. The gate is 17 metres tall and

has a tent roof with a tower in which a Gothic bell hangs. The

wooden balcony is carried by stone beams. The clock was

installed on the gate tower at the end of the 17th century.

The fi ve-storey Jihlava (Lower) Gate, which has a pitched roof,

also comes from the 16th century and is 36 meters tall. The

roof terminates with a tower from the mid 1700s. The Jihlava

Gate houses the Museum of Records and Curiosities.

The Decanal Garden was established in 1603 and offers a

pleasant environment for rest. In the garden house, there is a

memorial to the Deacon of Pelhřimov, Frančišek Bernard Vaněk

(1872 – 1944), a patriotic priest who died in 1944 in the Dachau

concentration camp. He liked to spend his time in the garden

house, writing his articles and sermons.

The fountain in the square is

fi rst mentioned in 1546; its

contemporary form comes

from 1828. In the middle

of the fountain is a column

with four lions’ heads spitting

water. At the top is a sculpture

of St. James, the patron saint

of pilgrims, in pilgrim clothing,

with a hat on his back and a

pilgrim’s cane in his hand.

The Municipal Theatre was

built by the local builder

Stanislav Rokos between 1895

and 1896 in the neo-Classicist style, on the site of the original

1707 salt storage building.

Drechsel’s Villa was built in the Cubist style between 1912 and

1913, based on a design of architect Pavel Janák. The one-

storey corner villa has a pronounced main ledge; on the ground

fl oor, the street front of the house is divided by four windows

with Cubist trimmings.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Vysočina Museum

The museum exhibits are located in three historical buildings

– in the chateau of the Lords of Říčany, in the so-called

Šrejnarovský House, and in the former prison.

The chateau has housed the museum collections since 1908,

featuring folk art, porcelain, glass, furniture, and clocks. The

artistic collection includes an exhibit devoted to Josef and

Zdeňěk Šejnosta, placed in the museum’s fresco hall. The

ethnographical exhibition in Šrejnarovský House includes folk

costumes, guild-related items, weapons, pewter, sculptures,

and objects documenting rural and urban culture and the

beginning of industry. The cellars host short-term exhibitions.

The former municipal prison houses an exhibition of prisons,

featuring a torture chamber, a cell, and a prison chapel.

Contact Information: Masarykovo náměstí 12, 393 01 Pelhřimov,

tel. +420 565 323 456, +420 565 323 184, e-mail: muzeum.

[email protected], www.muzeumpe.cz

The museum exhibits are located in three historical buildings

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The Lookout Tower of St. Bartholomew’s Church

The lookout tower of the

church, built at the end of

the 13th century, constitutes

a landmark of the town. The

observation deck is 30 meters

above ground, can be reached

by 148 steps, and offers a

splendid view of the town and

the surrounding countryside.

In the upper part of the tower,

a room of the tower watch is

open to the public, featuring

historical photographs of the

town. On the way to the deck,

visitors pass by the church bells.

Contact Information: Tourist Information Centre, Masarykovo

náměstí 10, 393 01 Pelhřimov, tel.: +420 565 326 924, e-mail:

[email protected], www.pelhrimovsko.cz

The M Gallery

The gallery regularly host exhibitions of various artists. It

is located in a historical burgher’s house, built under the

infl uence of Italian Renaissance architecture, and decorated

with envelope sgraffi to. In the past, the Royal Burgrave had

his seat in the house; coats of arms of two aristocratic owners

from the 16th century have survived in the entrance lobby.

Contact Information: Masarykovo náměstí 17, 393 01 Pelhřimov,

tel. +420 565 324 927, +420 565 321 548, e-mail: kultura@kzpe.

cz, www.pelhrimovsko.cz

Museum of Monsters

The exhibition is located in the cellar of the historical burgher’s

house that is the seat of the M Gallery. Exhibits of supra-natural

beings from Czech fairy-tales – the loud forest monster hejkal,

the Melusine, water sprite, house gnome, and others – made

mostly out of wax and featured in life size.

Contact Information: Masarykovo náměstí 17, 393 01

Pelhřimov, tel. +420 565 321 548, e-mail: [email protected],

www.pelhrimovsko.cz/strasidla

The Hall of the Lipský Family, a.k.a. the First Czech MUSEum

By developing the Hall of the Lipskýs, Pelhřimov paid homage

to its famous natives. The members of the Lipský family who

are most known to the public are the director Oldřich Lipský

and his brother, Lubomír, an actor, but other members of this

famous artistic family have done much work in theatre, fi lm,

and television. The exhibition is divided into three parts.

The fi rst comprises documents about the life and work of the

Lipský’s. The second one, devoted to fi lm, comprises a cinema

featuring the most famous fi lm scenes of both brothers. The

third part is named after Oldřich Lipský’s fi lm “The Great Film

Robbery”.

Contact Information: Tourist Information Centre, Masarykovo

náměstí 10, 393 01 Pelhřimov, tel.: +420 565 326 924, e-mail:

[email protected], www.pelhrimovsko.cz

Museum of Records and Curiosities

The museum occupies the 36-meter fi ve-story prismatic gate,

built in the 16th century as a part of the town’s fortifi cations.

The clock on the tower comes from the end of the 17th

century. The museum is run by the Dobrý den Agency, which

is the author of Czech supplements to the Guinness Book

of Records. The museum houses over one hundred curious

exhibits: the result of the art, perseverance, and original ideas

of Czech and foreign record holders – for example, the smallest

functional motorcycle in the Czech Republic, the largest carved

wooden spoon, a school bag for 35 people, a 12-kg lollypop,

a coat hanger 451 cm long, miniature carving in the head of a

pin, a ceramic jug only 2.5 mm tall, etc. The photo exhibition

depicts unique moments from the annual International Festival

of Curiosities and Records and other untraditional projects

organised by the Agency.

Contact Information: Jihlavská brána, Palackého 29, 393 01

Pelhřimov, tel. +420 565 321 327, +420 777 601 304, e-mail:

[email protected], www.dobryden.cz

The House of Good Days

The Golden Czech Hands Exhibition shows visitors primarily

unique objects made of matches – guitars, violins, mandolins,

paintings, Corinthian vases, mirror frames, etc. They are the

work of one author, Mr. Tomáš Korda, who put over 63,000

hours of work into them over 40 years, consuming more than

half a million matches and quarter of a million match heads.

The musical instruments are functional.

Contact Information: Nábřeží rekordů a kuriozit 811, 393 01

Pehřimov, tel. +420 777 601 304, +420 565 321 228, e-mail:

[email protected], www.dobryden.cz

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POINT OF INTEREST

Trail Presenting Architectural Styles

The trail introduces the walker to the historical architectural

sights in town. It offers two circuits: one through the inner

town and one through the suburbs. You will get to know

a total of 43 historical buildings as well as the architectural

styles in which they were built. The trail starts at the Tourist

Information Centre in Masaryk Square, where a map of the

trail is available as well as accompanying materials. All

houses are marked with a blue sign with a description.

The “Municipal Gardens” Nature Trail

The Pelhřimov Municipal Gardens are a natural place for walks,

and visitors can also get to know the diversity and value of

the well-preserved landscape in Vysočina. The trail comprises

twelve information signs on a 2.5 kilometre circuit. The trail

includes the Czech and Latin names of 30 of the most widely

known and most precious species of trees and shrubs planted

in the gardens.

The Walk through the Czech Book of Records Nature Trail

The nearly two-kilometre trail connects both of the above-

mentioned exhibition sites of the Dobrý den Agency. Along the

way, visitors can see a gigantic mailbox, a nearly seven-meter

safety pin, and the largest stainless-steel funnel. Information

panels present a number of record-holders and three sound

boards give information about more than 300 records from the

Czech Book of Records. www.dobryden.cz

TIP:With the so-called Pelhřimov Pass, tourists can visit eight

sights. It is valid for one year and with it each facility can

be visited once.

TIP FOR TRIP

Křemešník

The establishment of a pilgrimage site at the top of Křemešník

Hill (765 meters above sea level) is associated with a miraculous

spring of slightly radioactive water, which passes through silver-

bearing ores. The Baroque Pilgrimage Church of the Holy Trinity,

from the early 17th century, has been supplemented with ambits

with chapels adorned with sculptures by František Bílek. The path

to the top of Křemešník is lined by fourteen stations on the Way

of the Cross. Of interest is the so-called Wind Chateau near the

pilgrimage church. It was built in 1932 by the Czech medal-maker

Jiří Šejnost. Seven stone ravens on the tower and the carved

inscription “Love frees from the condemnation of wrath” refer to

a children’s tale. For more information see www.pelhrimovsko.cz.

A three-kilometre nature trail with ten stops leads to the nature

reserve and the pilgrimage

grounds.

Pípalka Lookout Tower is at the

top of Křemešník Hill. It can be

reached by many foot and bike

paths. The tower is 52 meters tall

and its strong telescope affords

distant views; orientation in

the surrounding landscape is

facilitated by descriptions in the

fl oor of the observation deck;

tel: +420 721 853 071

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Počátky

www.pocatky.czThe Počátky Tourist Information CentreHorní ulice 87394 64 PočátkyTel.: +420 561 034 921E-mail: [email protected]@pocatky.cz

HISTORY

The town of Počátky lies in romantic countryside to the west

of the highest point in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands,

Javořice Hill. Its name, meaning “Beginnings” in Czech, is

derived from the beginnings, the springs, of local creeks and

rivers. The name Počátky fi rst appears in a registry of Bishop

Tobiáš of Bechyně, from 1285 – 1290. In 1389, it was purchased

by Jindřich of Hradec and it was held by his descendants until

the family died out at the beginning of the 17th century.

During the Hussite revolution, burghers remained faithful

to Menhart of Hradec, who defended his estate against the

Taborite bands. In 1423, he marched to the nearby Horní

Dubenky against a Taborite troop headed for Počátky. There

was a battle, to which is connected the folk name of Bor Lake:

“Krvavec” (the Bloody Lake). For their faithfulness, the people

of Počátky received the right to build a wall around the town.

After the Hussite wars, Počátky was an important regional

production and trade centre, but fi res and wars often hindered

its development. Right at the outset of the Thirty Years War,

the Počátky area was pillaged and plundered. In the 17th

century, the estate went to the Šternberk family, and their coat

of arms became a part of the town’s new coat of arms. After a

fi re in 1821, the character of the buildings changed and nearly

all of the fortifi cations disappeared. In the 1920s, the town

was known as a charming summer destination, with several

resorts nearby. The St. Catherine Spa was the most popular.

SIGHTS

The originally gothic Church of St. John the Baptist was later

rebuilt in the Baroque style.

A commemorative plaque can be seen at the old post offi ce,

where Karel Havlíček Borovský made a stop on his involuntary

trip to Brixen. Another plaque is placed on the spa building,

to commemorate the stay of the poet Julius Zeyer, the Čapek

brothers, the singer Karel Burian, and other important fi gures.

Počátky is also the home of the paternal house of the 17th-

century Moravian historian Tomáš Pešina of Čechorod, in which

the composer Vítězslav Novák spent 10 of his childhood years,

and fi nally the birth house of the poet Otokar Březina, which

commemorates the poet.

There is a Baroque sculptural group featuring John Nepomuck,

with a fountain.

In the municipal cemetery are the tombs of the parents of Otokar

Březina and Vítězslav Novák, and the fi rst wife of the poet Josef

Václav Slédek – Emilie – is also buried there.

The Baroque St Anne Chapel is from 1694, rebuilt 1821 - 1824.

The nearby spa boasts a Baroque St. Catherine’s Chapel, attributed

to the famous Dienzehofers.

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The Baroque St Anne Chapel is fT rom 1694, rebuilt 1821 - 1824.rom

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DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Počátky Municipal Museum and Otokar Březina’s Birth House

The municipal museum with

ethnographic collections

founded in 1892 is among

the oldest in the region; it

offers an interesting view of

the interior design of a 16th-

century burgher’s house,

which is apparent especially

in the cellar. The permanent

exhibition documents the

oldest history of the Počátky

area, and crafts and social life in the 19th century. The museum

includes the birth house of the poet Otokar Březina (Březinova

224).

Contact Information: Palackého 27, 394 64 Počátky, tel. +420

561 034 927, e-mail: [email protected], www.pocatky.cz

POINT OF INTEREST

A Nature Trail in the Footsteps of Old Drapery Masters of

Počátky

The four-kilometre trail, which has four stops, focuses on

local geographic and historical points of interest. Drapery

reached its peak in the 18th century; the former washing

facility was planted with an alley of linden trees. St.

Ludmila’s source has been a pilgrimage site since time

immemorial. In May, the Day of Nature is held on the trail,

drawing thousands of visitors every year. A printed guide

is available for the trail.

TIP FOR TRIP

The Otokar Březina Trail

The 55-kilometre long trail passes through locations connected

with the poet Otokar Březina. The poet, Václav Jebavý, by

his real name, spent his entire life in the Highlands. The trail

begins in Březina’s birthplace, Počátky; passes through Telč,

where the poet spent his student years; then Nová Říše, where

he taught for 13 years and wrote practically all his collections

of poems; and heads via Želetava to Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou,

where he spent the last 30 years of his life.

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Polná

www.mesto-polna.czInformation CentreHusovo náměstí 39588 13 PolnáTel.: +420 567 559 211E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The original settlement was probably established in the

mid 1100s, as a rest stop on one of the older branches of

the Haberská Trail. The oldest written record of Polná is in

the property deed of Jan I. of Polmna from 1242, which was

confi rmed by the King of Bohemia Wenceslas I. It was probably

granted the status of a town at the end of the 13th century.

Extensive town rights were granted to Polná by Viktorin of

Kunštát in 1479. J. A. Comenius placed Houfnagli’s engraving

of Polná from 1617 at the head of his map of Moravia, together

with the engravings of Brno, Olomouc, and Znojmo.

Due to its strategic value, the Polná estate was always held by

important aristocratic families. At the end of the 16th century,

Polná was held by the fi nancially skilled Žejdlics of Schenfeld.

The estate was confi scated from them for their involvement in

resistance against the emperor, and after the Battle of White

Mountain, the confi scated estate was purchased by Cardinal

František of Ditrichštejn in 1623. The estate was held by the

Ditrichštejns and their ancestors for nearly 300 years.

In the 19th century, especially during National Revival, Polná

was the cultural and social centre of the general area. In this

era, the town prospered primarily due to drapery. The revival

life in Polná made an impression on author Božena Němcová

during her stay in 1840-1842. The town boasts the fact that, at

the beginning of the 1840s, it was here that Božena Němcová

fi rst held a book written in Czech, as an adult.

There was a signifi cant Jewish community in Polná, which

had constituted an organic part of the town since at least the

seventeenth century.

August 1863 was tragic for Polná. A huge fi re destroyed nearly

the entire town: beautiful Renaissance and Baroque burghers’

houses disappeared for good, and many families moved away.

After the fi re, the appearance and the economic nature of the

town changed completely. Today, Polná is a pleasant little town

with pretty surroundings, its famous „Mrkvancová Festival”,

rich cultural life, and sights that are certainly worth seeing.

SIGHTS

The historical centre of town, which has three squares, a

Baroque church, and valuable burghers’ houses, was declared

an urban heritage zone in 1990.

The castle palace was converted into a chateau in 1584 by the

Lords of Hradec. In the second half of the 17th century, the

Dietrichstein family adapted it, but when it burned down in

1794, they lost interest in it. They only had a temporary roof

put on and even tore down a part of it. Since 1922, the chateau

has been owned by the Town of Polná, and the most extensive

renovations took place between 1995 and 2004. The chateau

complex comprises a set of buildings of various architectural

styles – we can see a Gothic castle palace, with a three-storey

tower under the castle, a Renaissance chateau wing, and

Baroque farm buildings. The chateau houses a museum, and

the right wing of the chateau hosts museum exhibitions. There

is a fountain from 1693 in the courtyard. The chateau grounds

are the home of a Primary School for the Arts, the Cultural

Centre, and the Chateau Restaurant with accommodation.

The decanal Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, built

in 1700 - 1707 according to the design of the Italian architect

Dominic de Angeli, is comparable to episcopal churches, in

terms of its furnishings and decorations. The interior is richly

decorated with stucco by Florentine artists, and Sieber’s organ

is the largest surviving domestically made Baroque instrument

in the country. Underneath the church are the crypts of the old

church. The church tower it 64 meters tall.

St. Catherine’s Church was founded in the 14th century

by the Lords of Pirkštejn. There are remnants of early 15th

century frescoes in the church. Around the church is a forest

cemetery with the Art Nouveau tomb of the local patron, Karel

Varhánek.

St. Barbara’s Church stands in the main cemetery. It was built

between 1720 and 1725 on the ground plan of a Greek cross.

It is decorated with ceiling frescoes.

Dominic de Angeli, is comparable to episcopal churches, in

The original settlement was probably established in the

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The Sculpture of the Holy

Trinity in Huss’ Square is the

work of the Polná master

Václav Morávek – a student

of the Prague sculptor F. M.

Brokoff.

St. Anne’s Church and Hospital

were founded by Jan Sezima of

Rochov and his wife, Catherine

of Močovice, in 1447. The neo-

Gothic rebuilding was done at

the end of the 19th century.

A memorial plaque on house No. 47 in Huss’ Square notes that

Božena Němcová lived there from 1840 to 1842. The writer

Bohumil Hrabal lived with his parents in the burghers’ brewery

building in 1917-1919.

The Old Polná School, with a baroque gable, is a part of a unique

museum exhibition documenting the history of schooling from

the mid 1700s to the end of the 19th century.

The Jewish Settlement Memorial is commemorated in the

ghetto established in 1681. There are 32 mostly one-level

houses, a synagogue, the rabbi’s offi ce, and the rabbi’s house with

arcades. In 2000, a Jewish museum was opened there. The

Jewish cemetery is 700 meters northwest of Huss’ Square and

features noteworthy Baroque, Classicist, as well as modern

tombstones.

The Gothic Lower Gate is a remnant of the town’s fortifi cations,

decorated by stonemasons.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Municipal Museum

Established in 1895, it occupies one of the wings of the chateau

complex, which was originally a 13th century castle. The so-

called Kunštát Hall, with preserved remnants of Renaissance

painting, houses an exhibition introducing the history of the

castle and town; a general shop is installed on the ground

fl oor and old crafts are introduced; and in the lapidarium is

an exhibition showing the uses of stone. The exhibition of

historical clocks features over 140 unique products, and the

historical pharmacy from the last century “At the Black Eagle”

features furnishings used as recently as thirty-fi ve years ago.

The courtyard is a popular venue for concerts.

Contact Information: Zámek 485, 588 13 Polná, tel. +420 567

212 336, www.mesto-polna.cz

The Old Polná School Exhibit

An exhibit of the Vysočina Museum of Jihlava, documenting

the history of schooling from the mid 1700s to the end of

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the 19th century, is housed by a heritage protected building

with a Baroque gable. The complete furnishings of the

school classroom come from 1866; in addition to the historical

furnishings, there are writing supplies and school aides on

display. Visitors can also see the biological study and the

teacher’s apartment.

Address: Poděbradova 77, 588 13 Polná, tel. +420 567 212 336,

www.mesto-polna.cz

Regional Jewish Museum

This museum is in the 1684 synagogue, whose demanding

renovation was completed in September 2000. Through

photographs and documents, it commemorates the rich history

of the local Jewish community. One of the expositions presents

the Hilsner Affair – the persecution of the Jews provoked at

the end of the 19th century by a contrived accusation against

the Jewish youth Leopold Hilsner, of having ritually murdered

a local girl.

Contact Information: Karlovo náměstí 540, 588 13 Polná,

tel. +420 567 559 211, Tourist Information Centre, e-mail:

[email protected], www.mesto-polna.cz, guide

services tel.: +420 567 212 373, +420 721 296 086.

The Jewish Cemetery

The cemetery is located about 700 northwest of Huss’ Square,

past Pod Kalvárií Street. From the 16th century onwards, the

cemetery was expanded several times. There are noteworthy

Baroque, Classicist, as well as new tombstones. The oldest ones

come from the end of the 17th century. The cemetery is being

continuously repaired.

POINT OF INTEREST

The Carrot Bun Festival is celebrated in Polná on the

occasion of feast day of St. Liguori, the town’s patron, and

its tradition reaches back to 1652. Prince Ferdinand Josef of

Ditrichštejn brought the saint’s remains from Rome, donated

them to the city, and stored them in the Polná church, where

they are still housed in a glass coffi n. How carrots became a

part of the pilgrimage is not precisely known. According to

one of the interpretations, the increased growing and use

of carrots was introduced by the Žejdlics of Schenfeld, as a

nutritional supplement for the people on their estate.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Pojman’s Trail

A fi ve-kilometre nature trail leads from Huss’ Square in Polná

through the Bor Valley, featuring three stops. It is named after

the mayor and factory owner Václav Pojman, the town’s patron

between 1909 and 1912. Tourists especially appreciate the

marvellous natural scenery.

Josef Klement’s Nature Trail

The six-kilometre circuit trail with eight stops bears the name

of J. Klement, who was active for a long time in Polna’s

associations. He is also commemorated in one of the houses in

the former Jewish quarter. In the historical core of the town,

the trail leads past the decanal Church of the Assumption of

Virgin Mary, dating from the beginning of the 18th century,

the deacon’s offi ce, and the chaplain’s house from the same

era; in one of the burgher’s houses, the several years’ stay

of Božena Němcová is commemorated. In addition to major

architectural sights, the trail provides information about Peklo

Lake, the largest water body in Polná, and the state-protected

sight Kleštěr, where a toll was collected on an ancient overland

route. The contrived trial referred to as “The Hilsner Affair”,

which evoked extensive anti-Jewish feeling, is commemorated

in the Březina forest.

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PřibyslavHISTORY

The fi rst trustworthy records of Přibyslav come from the middle

of the 13th century. The town was established at the same

time as the castle, whose task was to guard the overland

trails that passed not far from town. The town’s early history

is connected with silver extraction. During the Hussite wars

(1420 – 1434) it was reduced, and it was later interrupted

altogether for long decades. Attempts at its renewal in the

16th to the 18th centuries did not yield the desired results. The

main sources of livelihood for the locals were agriculture, the

cottage production of linen fabric and crafts, and trade.

In October 1424, Jan Žižka of Trocnov died near Přibyslav, near

the village of Schönfeld (today Žižkovo Pole), while leading his

troops on their campaign against Catholic nobles in Moravia.

After their leader’s death, his warriors conquered Přibyslav

Castle and converted the town into a military base for their

raids. In the centuries to follow, Přibyslav was struck by war

several more times, and many of its historical buildings were

also destroyed by large fi res. The worst fi re was noted by the

local chroniclers in 1767, when nearly the entire town burned

down and only a few burghers’ houses were left untouched.

The most famous natives of Přibyslav include the widely-known

Czech publisher Jan Otto (1841 – 1916) and Ing. Stanislav

Bechyně, Drsc. (1887 – 1973). Ing. Bechyně was the author of

designs for many unique buildings made of reinforced steel,

primarily arched bridges. The Přibyslav square now bears his

name.

SIGHTS

www.pribyslav.czThe Přibyslav Information CentreBechyňovo náměstí 45588 22 PřibyslavTel.: +420 569 484 361E-mail: [email protected]

The historical centre of town is an urban heritage zone. The

oldest building, which forms an essential landmark of the town,

is the Gothic tower from 1497. Adjacent to the tower is the

Baroque Church of St. John the Baptist, built between 1750

and 1753, on the site of the original church burned during the

Hussite wars. Near the town tower is also the former women’s

hospital, from 1692. It was built by Ferdinand of Dietrichstein

for poor and elderly women and it served its purpose for 250

years.

Přibyslav Chateau was built by Zachariáš of Hradec in 1560, on

the site of the former farmyard that used to belong to Přibyslav

Castle and was burned down in the conquest of the town in

1424. The original four-wing layout with a small rectangular

square, opened with Renaissance arcades was expanded in the

second half of the 18th century, and a second courtyard was

added. The repair after the 1847 fi re gave the building’s façade

a late Classicist form. Renaissance envelope sgraffi to has been

renewed on the walls of the chateau, and the building houses

a Museum of Fire Fighting.

A 90-meter mining adit has

survived at the foot of rocky

slopes, sloping down to the

River Sázava, below the local

parish house. It comes from

the time when silver and later

also gold ores were extracted

near the town.

The legendary military leader

Jan Žižka is commemorated

by an equestrian sculpture by

Bohumil Kafka in the Přibyslav

Park, and a by cairn close to the

nearby village of Žižkovo Pole.

The fi rst trustworthy records of Přibyslav come from the middle

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the site of the former farmyard that used to belong to Přibyslav

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Page 50: Historical Towns

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

Municipal Museum

The museum exhibits are housed in the building known

as Kurfürst’s House, in the square. The museum features

memorabilia of signifi cant natives of the town, an ethnographic

exhibition, a presentation of the history of medieval mining,

and underground, a collection of minerals found in the area.

Upon agreement with the museum management, a visit to

the nearby Church of St. John the Baptist is possible, and for

experts, a visit to the 90-meter-long medieval adit can be

arranged.

Contact information: Bechyňovo náměstí 45, 588 22 Přibyslav,

tel. +420 569 484 361, e-mail: [email protected], www.pribyslav.cz

The Fire Fighters’ Movement Centre

The museum is housed in the chateau, rebuilt from a Gothic

castle under the influence of Italian Renaissance architecture.

In the 18th century, the chateau was expanded and later

received Classicist adaptations. In the square, a renaissance

arcaded walkway has survived, comprised of a Tuscan-type

peristyle. The idea of setting up a museum of fire fighting

came about in 1975. The exhibition stretching over 3,000

sq m presents fire-fighting equipment and modern fire

protection and safety systems. In addition to the collection

and the specialised library, the chateau offers a ceremonial

and lecture hall and several classrooms. The museum is

owned by the Association of

Firemen of Bohemia, Moravia,

and Silesia.

Contact information: Husova

300, 582 22 Přibyslav, tel. +420

569 430 050, e-mail: jpatek@

chh.cz, www.dh.cz, www.chh.cz

The Roman Podrázský Nature Trail

This eight-kilometre trail with twelve stops presents the natural,

cultural, and historical riches of the town and its surroundings.

Within the town limits, it features architectural sights (Kurfüst’s

House, Old Hospital, and Chateau), the sculptural work of the

academic sculptor Roman Podrázský, a local native; in the

municipal park, it presents the bird species that live there. The

oldest surviving sight is the old adit where attempts at silver

extraction were probably made, and the adit may have served

as an escape route from the medieval town.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Žižka’s Cairn

The memorial near the village

of Žižkovo Pole, near Přibyslav

(3 km north of town) was built

in 1874. The nearly fi fteen-

meter monument marks the

place where, according to

legend, the Hussite military

leader Jan Žižka of Trocnov

died on 11 October 1424. The

cairn is surrounded by a park.

The chalice at its top is 190

centimetres tall.

The Ruins of Ronov Castle

The remains of a medieval castle (4 km east of Přibyslav) stand on a

rocky promontory washed by the Losenický Creek. The castle was

fi rst noted in 1329. It was built in order to protect the trails passing

through the valley of the River Sázava, from Žďár nad Sázavou to

Německý Brod (now Havlíčkův Brod). The castle’s name is derived

from the coat of arms of its founders – crossed branch ladders

(called Rone in German). Ronov was plundered during the Hussite

wars in 1424, with only the torso of the tower and remnants of

walls surviving.

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Page 51: Historical Towns

Světlá nad SázavouHISTORY

According to legend, Světlá was founded and named by King

Charles IV. He got lost in the local deep forests during a hunt,

and only after a long ramble, a lighter forest led him to a valley

where his company found him. To commemorate the event, he

had a portion of the forest cut and a settlement established,

which he called Světlá. The actual establishment of Světlá is

connected with colonisation in the second half of the 12th

century.

The town is known for its glass industry, and garnets and

precious stones were cut there for nearly 200 years. This

tradition was started by the Kolowrat family in the mid 1700s.

Their predecessors, the Trčka family, rebuilt the medieval

fortress on the left bank of the River Sázava into a chateau.

A hundred years later, in 1855, Světlá obtained the status of a

town. Another major industry is the extraction and processing

of granite. The largest quarry in the area is Horka. Granite

from this quarry has been used for tiles in major buildings,

which is why Světlá nad Sázavou is referred to as the city of

glass and stone. The symbol of these industries is depicted in a

monument that has stood in the town square since 1992.

SIGHTS

One of the most beautiful buildings in town is the chateau on

the left bank of the River Sázava. Originally, a fortress stood

there, which was converted to a chateau in 1567 by Burian Trčka

of Lípa. Further expansion was commenced after the Thirty

Years War by the Vernier family, and completed by the Černíns.

Count František of Zicha had the western Empire wing added to

the chateau, closing off the rectangular courtyard. The beautiful

stucco ceiling with multicoloured coat-of-arms decorations in the

Knights’ Hall dates to the same era. The last, Neo-Renaissance

rebuilding of the chateau took place in the middle of the 19th

century. The chateau is a single-level building with four wings,

forming a courtyard with a fountain. The chateau houses an

integrated secondary school. The main entrance to the chateau

is in the middle of the Western Wing, and the second, vaulted,

entrance in the Eastern wing is for accessing the chateau park,

which was established in 1871, stretching over 16 hectares and

featuring an attractive cascade of ponds and a brook valley,

which make it one of the most beautiful parks in the area. In

the spirit of romanticism, it was enriched with small structures

and features, which have survived to-date: gazebos, stone vases

and fountains, stone steps leading to a lake, and stone benches

and bridges. At its southern

end is a stone memorial from

1947, dedicated to the founder

of the scouting

www.svetlans.czTourist Information CentreNám. Trčků z Lípy 16582 91 Světlá nad SázavouTel.: +420 569 496 676E- mail: [email protected]

movement, A. B. Svojsík, and the young poet J. Wolker, who

camped there in 1916. The lakes above the park can be used

for swimming in summer.

The original single-nave decanal St. Wenceslas’ Church was

expanded in 1722 by Countess Černín, who added the side naves

and the choir loft. The church tower features a characteristic

wooden level with hoarding. The valuable components of

the interior decorations include Brandl’s paintings, which

were purchased and donated to the church by Count Leopold

Kolovrat-Krakovský. At Christmas time, visitors can view a

Baroque nativity scene.

The Town Hall dates to the late 1700s/early 1800s; it was rebuilt

to its present form in 1926. It is among the most beautiful

buildings in Světlá.

The original building of the municipal hospital by the bridge

over the River Sázava was built in 1578 by Burian Trčka of Lípa.

In the 19th century, it also housed a part of the school. In

1881, the dilapidated building was torn down and re-built.

The commemorative plaque placed on the building notes that

the composer Alois Jelen was born there in 1801.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

Medieval Underground System

A system of nearly 200 meters of passages. No records have

survived attesting to their purpose, but they are thought to

have been created by a gradual expansion of cellars. By the

nature of the driving work, experts date the underground

system to the 15th century. Research has not confi rmed the

folk tales about the interconnection of the passages with other

cellars of medieval houses and the chateau.

have been created by a gradual expansion of cellars By the

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Page 52: Historical Towns

Ticket sales and tour organisation: Tourist Information Centre,

Náměstí Trčků z Lípy 16, tel. +420 569 496 676, e-mail: info@

svetlans.cz, www.svetlans.cz

Na Půdě Gallery

Na Půdě Gallery was opened in April 2004 in Světlá. It focuses

primarily on exhibitions of the visual arts.

Contact information: Tourist Information Centre, nám. Trčků

z Lípy 16, 582 91 Světlá nad Sázavou, tel. +420 569 496 676,

e-mail: [email protected], www.svetlans.cz

The “Museum of the Světlá Region” Memorial Hall

The Museum has been opened on the historical premises

of Světlá Chateau. The permanent exhibition gives an

overview of the history of the town, the local estate, and the

greater area. It also houses items commemorating the most

signifi cant fi gures from the region. The tour also includes a

visit to interesting short-term exhibitions supplementing the

permanent exhibition.

Contact Information: The Geographical Society of the Světlá

Region, nám. Trčků z Lípy 18, 582 91 Světlá nad Sázavou, tel.

+420 737 500 551

Chateau Park

Following the 1990s renovation, the park serves as a recreational

area for the town. The island in one of the chateau lakes is the

site of the Pink Gazebo; the arched Devil’s Bridge (Čertův most)

from 1884 was renovated, and the park’s romantic atmosphere

is underscored by footbridges, ponds with water lilies, and

an alpine garden. Also of note is the old orangery with an

artifi cial sandstone cave (grotto) featuring a waterfall, which

can be found in the northern part of the chateau complex.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Michal’s Farmstead Open-Air Museum

Michal’s Farmstead in Pohleď was declared a cultural monument in

2003. The open-air museum introduces to its visitors the life, work,

and customs of a farmer on a medium-sized farm, from the end of

the Thirty Years War until the abolition of forced labour in 1848. The

Michal family held the farmstead from 1591 until 1997. Visitors can

see a residential room with a stove and simple furnishings, a pantry,

scullery, a silo, wagon and tool sheds, barn with a threshing fl oor,

and a granny cottage. The atmosphere of the open-air museum is

made complete by the presence of domestic animals – several sheep,

goats, and a cow.

Contact information: Pohleď 16, 582 91 Světlá nad Sázavou, tel.:

+420 569 452 532, +420 776 771 203

Melechov Fortress

The remains of a medieval fortress can be found among trees at the

foot of the western slopes of Melechov Hill (709 m above sea level),

above the municipality of Kouty. The small castle had a rectangular

residential building and a small moat. In the 15th century, Hussite

assemblies took place there; in 1420, the Hussites encountered a

strong troop from Sigismund’s army there.

A military cemetery from the Napoleonic wars is situated on the

edge of the municipality of Dolní Březinky. Buried there are soldiers

who died of typhoid fever in the military hospital set up in Světlá

Chateau in 1809-1814. Since 1841, a granite obelisk has stood there,

with inscriptions in Czech and German; the cemetery was declared a

cultural monument in 1995.

area for the town The island in one of the chateau lakes is the A

greater area It also houses items commemorating the most

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and customs of a farmer on a medium sized farm from the end ofa

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Page 53: Historical Towns

SvratkaHISTORY

The entire region was settled in the 13th century, when an estate was

established around Rychmburk Castle. The name of the medieval

settlement is derived from the winding river. The oldest written

reports date to around 1350; by the end of the 15th century, Svratka

had held all of the rights of a town. In the early 17th century, the

town transferred to the property of King Ferdinand I and lost its

privileges for a long two hundred years. During the Thirty Years

War, the entire region suffered from invasions of foreign armies and

then from forced re-Catholicisation. In 1706, the estate passed to the

Kinsky family – Filip Kinsky started to grow fl ax in the Highlands and

established several industrial companies. In the same era, several iron

and glassworks were established in the area. A hundred years later,

industry began to develop in Svratka, building on traditional trades:

pottery-making, tinsmithing, match-stick making, and weaving.

In 1867, Svratka gained the status of a town. New houses, shops,

and workshops were being built, and the theatre company began

its activities. The early 20th century was an era of especially rapid

development. In the 1920s, many artists came to the region: the

painters Antonín Slavíček, Otakar Nejedlý, Rudolf Kremlička,

František Kavan, Antonín Kalvoda, and others. This artistic tradition

carried on without interruption, not even by the diffi cult war era.

On its premises, the municipal authority carefully cares for a valuable

collection of paintings by painters who had close relations with the

town.

SIGHTS

The spacious rectangular square is the town’s centre. Since time

immemorial, St. Procopius’ Chapel and a wooden fountain stood in

its centre. All cultural events were held in the so-called Lords’ House.

In 1843, the wooden fountain was replaced with a stone fountain,

and the chapel was torn down in 1867. In its place was erected a

statue of St. Wenceslas, in honour of the elevation of Svratka’s

status to that of a town. The sculpture’s author is the Prague sculptor

Ludvík Wurzl. Until 1905, cattle markets were held in the square;

today, it is a quiet zone. Near the fountain grows the last of the

chestnut trees planted in 1867, when Svratka obtained the status of

a town. In 1934, a memorial to war victims was set up.

The Church of St. John the Baptist was probably established in

the 13th century. It was burnt during the Hussite wars and later

renovated in the Gothic style. The church obtained its present

appearance during the 1789 rebuild. The church belfry comes from

around 1600, housing the “Mary” bell, cast in 1480.

www.svratka.czSvratka Town HallPalackého 30592 02 SvratkaTel.: +420 566 662 330E-mail: [email protected]

The single-level parish house dates back to 1790.

Račana is the oldest part of town, on Řivnáč Brook, with well-

preserved original architecture.

The Fountain with a Mushroom Picker is the work of a local native,

the academic sculptor Antonín Odehnal, from 1938.

Restaurant U Šillerů used to be a popular gathering spot for the

artists seeking inspiration in the region. A list of their names can be

seen in the restaurant.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Town Museum

The museum focuses on presenting the way of life in the town in the

era of the First Republic and is located in the renovated premises of

the former fi rehouse. Individual “houses” represent, for example,

the workshops of a tinsmith, potter, shoemaker, ski-maker, and

furrier, a school, savings bank, general shop, and tobacco shop.

Some exhibits come from the collections of the original museum,

from the middle of the last century; however, most of the items in

the collection were amassed from 2000 to 2004.

Contact information: U zbrojnice 347, 592 02 Svratka, tel. +420 777

224 205, e-mail: [email protected], www.svratka.cz

TIP FOR TRIP

The Žákova hora –Tisůvka Nature Trail

A circuit route passing over the central ridge of the Žďárské vrchy

range starts in the municipality of Cikháj. It informs visitors about

natural points of interest, the historical development of the

landscape, and places of partisan resistance during the Second

World War, and visitors can also test their physical fi tness. The trail

is approximately 10 km long, there are 12 stations on it, and one of

two circuits may be chosen. Approximately 700 meters from the top

of the hill known as Žákova hora (810 m above sea level) is one of

the sources of the River Svratka, called the “Silver Source”.

renovated in the Gothic style The church obtained its present

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The Fountain with a Mushroom Picker is the work of a local native

53

Page 54: Historical Towns

Telč

www.telc.eu, www.telc-etc.cz ,www.telcsko.czInformation Centre of the Town Hall of TelčMěstského úřadu TelčNáměstí Zachariáše z Hradce 10588 56 Telč Tel.: +420 567 112 407Fax: +420 567 112 403E-mail: [email protected]

HISTORY

The town of Telč is one of the most picturesque in the country.

The precise date of the town’s establishment is not known. The

oldest reliable information about Telč dates to 1333 – 1335,

when the entire region belonged to the King of Bohemia. A

royal intendant had his seat at the farmstead of the local lords,

which included a tower and a little church. After 1339, Telč was

held by the aristocratic family of the Lords of Hradec, who had

a signifi cant impact on the town’s appearance. The original

water fortress with a Gothic castle was gradually converted to a

charming Renaissance town. Zachariáš of Hradec (1526 – 1589)

had the old castle rebuilt into a grandiose Renaissance residence,

with the assistance of Italian craftsmen. At the same time as the

chateau underwent this, the Gothic houses in the square were

also rebuilt to the form that has survived to date. The fi rst half

of the 17th century was marked by the Thirty Years War, and in

1645, the town was briefl y seized and looted. In 1655, the Jesuit

order arrived in town, whose building activities signifi cantly

contributed to the town’s present appearance. At the end of

the 19th century, the town grew rapidly; but, within its historical

gates, it retained the charming feel of the Renaissance era. That

was why, in 1992, its historical core was put on the UNESCO World

Cultural Heritage List.

SIGHTS

The triangular square, lined with arcaded burghers’ houses, is

unique in its integrity. The arcades were added to the houses in

the 15th century, based on a uniform plan. The facades of several

houses were adorned with Renaissance sgraffi to, and the gables

of most of the houses underwent Baroque adaptations.

The square is made complete by a Marian column and two

fountains. The 1620 Marian column is adorned with sculptures

of saints, the lower fountain with the statue of St. Margaret, and

the fountain in the upper part of the square with a sculpture of

Silenus.

Both of the medieval town gates have survived – the Lower, or

Small Gate, was rebuilt into its present day form in 1579. The

Upper, or Great Gate, originally comprised two towers; the

outer tower was retained during the 1629 rebuilding.

One of the parts of the historical centre of the town is the

Renaissance chateau, rebuilt from the original Gothic castle in

the mid 1500s. The chateau grounds were given their fi nal form

by the Italian architect Baldassare Maggi. It is one of the best-

preserved Renaissance architectural complexes in the country.

The Town Hall was created by merging two Gothic houses. Its

Renaissance rebuilding dates to 1574. Formerly, the Town Hall

also housed the town prison.

The Gothic Church of the Holy Spirit, originally Romanesque,

was rebuilt in the 15th century. Until 1579, it served as the

chapel of the municipal hospital, in the mid 1800s it housed the

municipal theatre, and presently it belongs to the Evangelical

Church of Czech Brethren.

The Tower of the Holy Spirit is the oldest Romanesque sight to

have survived in the town. It once served as a guard tower.

St. James’ Parish Church was

established at the same time

as the town. Its present two-

nave form dates to the mid

1400s. Two precious bells have

survived in its 60-meter tower:

James and Mary. The original

Baroque organ from 1725 has

also survived. At the end of the

cross hall are plaques dedicated

to the victims of the First and

Second World Wars.

The originally Jesuit Church

of the Name of Jesus was

completed in 1667. It was built in the Baroque style, and its

decorations are the work of important sculptors, carvers, and

painters.

After the arrival of the Jesuits, the former malt house was rebuilt

to the Residence of Holy Angels where boys were educated

in choir music and singing. After the abolition of the order, the

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completed in 1667. It was built i

Both of the medieval town gates have survived – the Lower, or

The triangular square lined with arcaded burghers’ houses is

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Page 55: Historical Towns

dormitory became a residence for clerks employed by the lords

of the town. Presently, it is the seat of a Ministry of Education

Educational and Conference Centre.

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the Old Town

is one of the oldest buildings in town. Legend has it that it was

founded in 1099. In the past, it was the destination of numerous

pilgrimages from the general area. The church interior features

high-quality carvings from the second half of the 17th century. A

bell from 1515 hangs in the tower.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Chateau

The Renaissance chateau came into existence through the 16th-

century rebuilding of a defensive Gothic castle. Of especial value

are its interiors. The basic tour features a visit to the original

Gothic part and magnifi cent halls (Blue, Golden, Knights’) with

well-preserved wooden cassette ceilings, valuable furnishings,

and rich collections of weapons and paintings. The second tour

passes through the residential grounds used by the last owners of

the chateau, the Podstatsky-Lichtenstein family, until 1945. Their

furnishings provide important testimony about the appearance

of the aristocratic interiors of the time.

The chateau premises also house a branch of the Vysočina Museum

and the Chateau Gallery with the„ Story of Veselíčko Chateau“

Exposition – a collection of original furnishings and paintings that

were hidden in the Telč depository for over 50 years.

The chateau courtyards and historical halls are popular venues for

musical concerts. The chateau is surrounded with a natural park

boasting a Classicist hothouse.

Contact information: náměstí Zachariáše z Hradce, 588 56 Telč,

tel./fax +420 567 243 821, tour reservation: +420 567 243 943,

e-mail: [email protected], www.zamek-telc.cz

The Vysočina Museum of Jihlava, Telč Branch

The Telč Museum, established in 1897, is located in the south-

western wing of the chateau. Its permanent exhibition features

documents from the history of the town and its surroundings

from the early medieval era up to the present. On display are

festive regional costumes and embroidery, and an interior of a

farmhouse room features examples of painted folk furniture and

painting on glass. One of the most precious exhibits is a model

of the town from 1895 and an extensive, mechanically moving

nativity scene, made by Mr. and Mrs. Vostrý in the mid 1800s.

Contact information: Náměstí Zachariáše z Hradce 1, 588 56 Telč,

tel. +420 567 243 918, e-mail: [email protected], http://

muzeum.ji.cz

Lookout Tower of the Holy Spirit

The prismatic late-Romanesque tower is 49 meters tall and

houses a permanent exhibition of paintings by Jan Křen and an

archaeological exhibition of fi nds discovered during the tower’s

renovation.

Contact information: Information Centre, Náměstí Zachariáše z

Hradce 10, 588 56 Telč, tel. +420 567 112 407 – 8, e-mail: info@

telc-etc.cz, www.telc.eu

Lookout Tower of St. James’ Church

The original medieval church was adapted to its present form

in the 15th century. Its 60 meter tower houses two precious

bells: James and Mary. Information about visits is available by

telephone at +420 604 985 398.

The prismatic late Romanesque tower is 49 meters tall and

The Chateau

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Firehouse Town Gallery

The building was restored to its original condition, from 1870,

when it was built on the site of former butcher shops, for the

newly founded volunteer fi re corps. Occasional exhibitions are

held in the gallery.

Contact information: Náměstí Zachariáše z Hradce, 588 56 Telč,

tel.: +420 567 112 410 (gallery), 567 112 407-8 (Information

Centre), e-mail: [email protected], www.telc.eu

Telč House

The cellar of a historical house features ceramic fi gurines from

historical stories and gnomes depicted in their particular styles

by the artists Anna Hanzlová Sr., her daughter Anna, and Julek

Žembera. Some parts of the house date back to the Romanesque

era, and a small door affords a view to the Telč underground

system. Also on display are items found in the house during

renovations.

Contact information: Náměstí Zachariáše z Hradce 31, 588 56 Telč,

tel.: +420 567 213 379, +420 777 333 274, e-mail: info@telcsky-

dum.cz, www.telcsky-dum.cz

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Oslednice Lookout Tower

The steel structure on Oslednice Hill (557 m above sea level), not far

from Telč, stands on the site of the original wooden lookout tower that

was erected at the end of the 19th century. The lookout deck 31 m

above ground level can be reached by a spiral staircase with 175 steps.

The tower can be reached from town via the yellow tourist trail. It is

operated by the Czech Tourists’ Club, tel. +420 776 753 889.

The Nová Říše Premonstratensian Monastery

The female convent originally here was established in 1211. The

monastery buildings acquired their present form during renovations

in the mid 16th century and early 19th century. The most important

parts include the monastery library, which has ceiling frescoes and

houses over 15,000 volumes. St. Peter’s and Paul’s Monastery Church

is decorated with frescoes by Jan Lukáš Kracker and features artistically

valuable furnishings – the choir benches and the carved pulpit date to

the late 1600s and early 1700s.

Contact information: Premonstratensian Cannonry in Nová Říše, U

Kláštera 1, 588 65 Nová Říše, tel./ fax: +420 567 318 110, e-mail:

[email protected], www.klaster.novarise.cz.

Roštejn Castle

The originally Gothic defensive castle was converted into a Renaissance

hunting lodge in the 16th century. The castle houses exhibits of the

Vysočina Museum of Jihlava (porcelain, pottery, pewter, period furniture,

and a folk nativity scene), and presents the history of hunting weapons,

the tradition of stone masonry in Vysočina, and natural features of the

Jihlava Hills. Its landmark is the 45-meter heptagonal tower. The castle

is surrounded by an enclosure – the home of a herd of 100 moufl on and

some forty wild boars.

Contact informatoin: Doupě 1, 588 56 Telč, tel. +420 567 243 738,

e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], http://rostejn.wz.cz

For a selection of further tips for trips see: www.telc.eu/page.

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www.trebic.cz, www.mkstrebic.cz,www.visittrebic.euInformation and Tourist Centre in the Painted HouseKarlovo náměstí 53674 01 TřebíčTel.: +420 568 847 070, +420 568 610 021,

+420 775 707 503E-mail: [email protected]

Information and Tourist Centre in the Back SynagogueSubakova 1/44674 01 TřebíčTel.: +420 568 823 005, +420 568 610 023,

+420 777 746 986E-mail: [email protected]

Information and Tourist Centre in the BasilicaZámek 1674 01 TřebíčTel.: +420 568 610 022, +420 777 746 982E-mail: [email protected]

TřebíčHISTORY

Over the long centuries of its existence, the city has become a

major centre of Vysočina. It grew out of the foundations of the

medieval settlement connected with the establishment of the

Benedictine monastery in 1101, by princes from the Moravian

branch of the ruling Přemyslid dynasty. The monastery was

among the richest in the entire kingdom, and was a centre of

learning. The advantageous position of the monastery amidst

the royal towns of Brno, Jihlava, and Znojmo, served as an

impetus for founding a town on both banks of the River Jihlava.

The oldest written document comes from 1277; in 1335, Třebíč

was granted the status of a town. Evidence to the signifi cance

of the town at the time of its establishment is the sizeable

square, in which a number of valuable burghers’ houses have

survived. In the fi rst half of the 13th century, the world-famous

Romanesque-Gothic St. Procopius’ Basilica was built. In 2003, the

Basilica and the Jewish Quarter were inscribed on the UNESCO

World Cultural Heritage List.

Over the centuries, years of fl ourishing alternated with years of

stagnation and decline. The town lost it Gothic form in 1468,

when it was nearly completely destroyed during the Czech-

Hungarian war. Renaissance Třebíč has not survived, either,

due to fi res: the gables of burgher’s houses were replaced with

Baroque and historicising façades. In the mid 1600s, the estate

passed to the Lords of Wallenstein. With them, long disputes

were conducted in the 18th century, to protect at least some of

the old town rights. Many signifi cant changes were brought

to the life of Třebíč in the 19th century. The town expanded,

the infl uence of its inhabitants grew, the railway connected it

with other parts of the region, and industry and cultural life

developed. The picturesque surroundings of the town and its

noteworthy sights give the town a unique attractiveness.

SIGHTS

The size of Charles’ Square (22,000 square meters) is testament

to the signifi cance of the town at the time of its founding. Of

the greatest value are two Renaissance houses decorated with

sgraffi to – Františkovský (Painted) and Rábl’s (Black) houses.

Františkovský was built at the end of the 16th century by the

Venetian trader Francesco Calligardi. Its sgraffi to decorations

were renewed in 1903 – under the ledge is a number of scenes

with a hunter and a lion, the space between windows is fi lled

with Biblical fi gures, the bay depicts men in 16th century folk

costumes, and the sides at the front of the house depict fi gures

with hunting gear. The house is the venue of a number of

cultural activities and the home of the information centre. The

fi gural sgraffi to on Rábl’s House depicts human virtues, hunting

scenes, and Roman military leaders. The portal carved out of fi ne

sandstone is also superior. The statues of Cyril and Methodius,

in the middle of the square, are the work of the sculptor B.

Seeling, from 1885.

St. Martin’s Church was probably established in the second

half of the 13th century. The original wooden church was rebuilt

several times, most recently in 1716. The massive town tower,

today connected to it, originally constituted a part of the town’s

fortifi cations. It is a major landmark of the town and its massive

clock is also of interest.

Wallenstein Chateau, today the seat of the Vysočina Museum

of Třebíč, was developed from the 16th century onwards, on the

Over the long centuries of its existence, the city has become a

d R ilit l d Th t l d t f fi

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remnants of an extensive Benedictine monastery. The Romanesque

St. Procopius’ Basilica, built alongside the monastery in 1250,

is one of the most signifi cant architectural monuments of its kind

in Central Europe. Every part of the basilica, the extensive crypt

as well as the precious entrance portal, magnify the monumental

beauty of the whole. Together with the Jewish Quarter, it was

inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in July

2003.

The uniquely preserved Jewish Quarter is the largest complex

of Jewish monuments in the Czech Republic. The fi rst Jews were

documented in Třebíč in 1338 and 1410. By the 18th century,

the Jewish Quarter had acquired a purely urban character; over

time, two synagogues, a rabbinical offi ce, school, hospital, and

an extensive cemetery outside of the town were built. Today,

the former Jewish Quarter features 123 houses – only fi ve houses

of the original historical Jewish ghetto have been torn down.

Both synagogues have been renovated, and gradually, the entire

quarter is coming to life with small shops, cafés, and stylish

restaurants. Even today, the atmosphere of the era of their fame

is still being evoked by the narrow streets, houses growing as if on

top of each other, steps carved in rock, small squares, and all sorts

of small details. The Front Synagogue, built in the mid 1600s,

is used for sacral purposes by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church.

The Back Synagogue, with valuable wall paintings, serves as an

exhibition and concert venue. An interpretive trail leads through

the Jewish Quarter, and guide services are provided. Evidence of

the centuries of the existence of a Jewish community here is the

Jewish Cemetery, with nearly 3,000 stone tombstones.

The Capuchin monastery with the Church of the Transfi guration

of the Lord was built between 1686 and 1693 on the site of the

original Brethren community and school

The Orthodox Church of St. Wenceslas and Ludmila was built

in 1939 – 1940. Its dome is plated with sheets of genuine gold.

The Evangelical Church was built in the Art Nouveau style in

1910.

The Chapel of the Elevation of the Holy Cross was built by

the Třebíč builder Jan Fulík in 1644 and 1645. The chapel is built

with a cross ground-plan and a curved portal.

The dominant building of the

south-western part of town is

the brick windmill built in

1836. The mill crushed oak bark

for producing tan for the local

tanners.

Elements of the Rondo-cubist

style were applied in the 1920s

by the famous Czech architect

Josef Gočár, in building the

Tuscullum Factory.

The Savings Bank Building was built in the functionalist style in

1932 and 1933. The author of the design is the architect Bohuslav

Fuchs. The Municipal River Spa was built at the same time and

also on the basis of his design. The wooden one-level structure

with dressing rooms is still used, and admired by experts.

In 1924, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death

of Jan Žižka, a cairn was built of granite boulders at Hrádek. It

stands near the remains of a medieval bastion, on the site where

– as legend has it – the military leader had pitched his tent.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

St. Procopius’ Basilica

The Romanesque – Gothic basilica, originally consecrated to the

Virgin Mary, was built for the Benedictine monastery in 1250 and

is a marvel of medieval architecture. In the middle of the 15th

century, it suffered signifi cantly when Třebíč was surrounded

by the armies of Matthias Corvinus; and for the two centuries

that followed, it was used for secular purposes, as a horse stable,

silo, and brewery. After an overall renovation between 1725

and 1731, it was consecrated to St. Procopius and again used

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for sacral purposes. The most

valuable parts include the

extensive three-nave crypt with

pillars, the choir vaulted with a

double eight-piece stone vault,

the round rosette window in

the eastern part of the apse, and the northern entrance portal.

The present appearance of the basilica’s interior is the work of

Kamil Hilbert from 1924 – 1935. The basilica can be visited with

a professional guide.

Contact Information: Information and Tourist Centre in the

Basilica, Zámek 1, 674 01 Třebíč, tel.: +420 568 610 022, +420

777 746 982, e-mail: [email protected], www.mkstrebic.

cz, www.visittrebic.cz

Interpretive Trail through the Jewish Quarter

The Jewish Quarter has been inscribed on the UNESCO World

Cultural Heritage List, and is the only Jewish monument outside

of Israel to have been so. Individual houses feature noteworthy

architectural details – vaults, stone jambs of portals, iron-clad

doors, shaped wrought bars, etc. Typical of Jewish development

are the narrow winding streets with arches separating blocks of

densely grouped two-storey houses, and arched public passages

on the ground fl oors of houses

that connect one street to

another. Its 16 stops feature,

in addition to both synagogues

and the Jewish Cemetery, the

most important sights: the

rabbinical offi ce is characterised

by a massive buttress at the

front; the Jewish school where

boys learned about the basics of

Judaism until the 1920s; and the

former Jewish municipal house

with valuable vaults, presently

used as an exhibition hall. The

late 19th century Jewish Town

Hall with a Renaissance core

was the seat of the administration of the independent Jewish

community. From the late medieval era, a hospital was a part of

the Jewish community – the two-level hospital building was built

in 1851. The former house for the poor documents the charitable

sense of the Jewish community. Subak’s tannery at the eastern

end of the Jewish Quarter was in operation until 1931.

Contact Information: Information and Tourist Centre in the Back

Synagogue, Subakova 1/44, 674 01 Třebíč, tel. +420 568 610 023,

e-mail: [email protected].

Back Synagogue

The synagogue was built in 1669, and in 1705-7, it was rebuilt in the

Baroque style. Its interiors boast stucco and painted decorations,

using ornamental and plant motifs and Hebrew liturgical texts.

The synagogue is used as an exhibition and concert hall. The

female gallery features an extensive exhibition of the history of

the Jewish Quarter. The exhibits on display here document the

day-to-day lives of the locals as well as their religious habits and

ceremonies. A 1:100 model of the Jewish ghetto depicts its form

in 1850.

Contact Information: Information and Tourist Centre in the Back

Synagogue, Subakova 1/44, 674 01 Třebíč, tel: +420 568 823 005,

+420 568 610 023, e-mail: [email protected], www.

visittrebic.cz

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Front Synagogue

The synagogue was built in 1639 – 1642. After several fi res and

subsequent renovations, it acquired its present neo-Gothic form

in 1856 – 1857. During the Second World War, it was used as a

warehouse and seriously damaged. In 1952, it was adapted for

the sacral purposes of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. It is a

simple rectangular building with a hipped roof and Gothicising

windows with pointed arches.

The Jewish Cemetery

The cemetery was founded on a slope above Týnský Brook in

the 1620s. The extensive cemetery, with nearly three thousand

stone tombstones, the oldest one of which dates to 1631, is one

of the most valuable and best-maintained Jewish cemeteries in

Moravia. The cemetery includes a ceremonial hall from 1903 with

a uniquely preserved interior, where burial ceremonies in line

with ancient Jewish traditions can be performed. The cemetery

is freely accessible, and a tour with a guide can be arranged with

Mr. Zdeněk Malášek, Hrádek 14, tel. +420 568 827 111.

For further information and guide services, please contact:

Information and Tourist Centre in the Back Synagogue, Subakova

1/44, 674 01 Třebíč, tel: +420 568 823 005, +420 568 610 023,

e-mail: [email protected], www.visittrebic.cz

The Vysočina Museum of Třebíč

The museum’s history is related to the organisation of an

ethnographic exhibition in Prague in 1895, for which items were

collected throughout the country, including in the Třebíč area.

The museum occupies the former Wallenstein Chateau, rebuilt

in the 16th century from a medieval Benedictine monastery. The

museum exhibits document the natural beauties of the city’s

surroundings, the historical development of settlement and

trades in the Třebíč region, the development of pipe-making,

and the tradition of crèche-making. On part of the mineralogical

exhibition is devoted to Třebíč modlavites. Permanent exhibitions

are supplemented throughout the year with temporary exhibitions

in the former chateau stables, saddle-room, and chapel and Small

Gallery. The stone hall with rich decorations featuring coats of

arms is used for concerts of classical music, lectures, and cultural

events.

Contact Information: Zámek 1, 674 01 Třebíč, tel., fax: +420 568

840 518, e-mail: [email protected], www.zamek-trebic.

cz

The Town Tower

The massive tower of the St. Martin’s Church, 72 meters tall,

comes from the middle of the 13th century. The deck, 35 meters

above ground, offers a view of the entire town. According to

the information available, the dimensions of the tower clock (the

face is 550 cm in diameter, and the fi gures are 60 cm tall) make it

the largest on the European continent.

Contact Information: Information and Tourist Centre, Karlovo

náměstí 53, 674 01 Třebíč, tel. +420 568 847 070, e-mail: info@

mkstrebic.cz, www.visittrebic.cz

The massive tower of the St. Martin’s Church, 72 meters tall,

The cemetery was founded on a slope above Týnský Brook in

The synagogue was built in 1639 – 1642. After several fi res and

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www.trest.czInformation CentreRooseweltova 462/6589 01 TřešťTel.: +420 567 234 567E-mail: [email protected]

TřešťHISTORY

The establishment of Třešť was probably connected with the

discovery of silver in the Jihlava area and its extraction by the

king. The little town with a triangular square in the centre was

founded on the left bank of Třeštice Brook. Two trading routes

intersected by the brook, and on its right bank was the original

village with St. Martin’s Parish Church, established in the 13th

century. The fi rst written mention of Třešť comes from 1349. At

that time, it constituted a small estate with a church and a fortress

and belonged to Záviš of Třešť. In the 16th century, a chateau was

built on the site of the former fortress, and a Lutheran church

was founded in the square – today’s St. Catherine’s Church. At

the same time, the town acquired its coat of arms with a unicorn,

symbolising good luck.

From the middle ages, the existence of a Jewish community was

documented in Třešť. An Empire-style synagogue built in 1825

has survived. As a student, Franz Kafka went to Třešť to spend

his vacations; the origins of his story “The Village Doctor” are

attributed to this environment.

At the beginning of the 19th century, industry developed in Třešť.

A fabric-making factory and a match factory were established,

and in 1868 a small-series production of clock boxes and carved

furniture was started.

In the museum, visitors can see evidence of the folk tradition of

crèche-making, which developed in Třešť from the 18th century

on. Originally, the fi gures were only painted and coloured, and

in the 19th century, the more demanding carving technique was

adopted.

SIGHTS

St. Martin’s Parish Church is the oldest sight in town. It was

established in the 13th century, completed in the 15th century,

and then adapted in the Baroque style. The local master

mason Jakub Lysý was signifi cantly involved in the 18th century

renovation. Of the church’s interiors, the Gothic and Renaissance

tombstones and stone pulpit are noteworthy. A Way of the Cross

leads from the church to the so-called Gallows Hill. It was built by

Franz Kilian and consecrated in 1878.

The chateau underwent complicated building developments. It

stands on the site of a medieval fortress that was entirely

obliterated by subsequent rebuilding. In the 16th century, a

four-wing building with corner towers and arcades was built.

Following building adaptations in the middle of the 17th century,

the chateau was adapted for residential purposes in 1860. It used

to house the municipal museum, but today, the building is owned

by the Czech Academy of Sciences and serves as a hotel and a

venue for conferences and symposia. The chateau is surrounded

by a fi fteen-hectare English garden.

The Church of St. Catherine of Sienna was founded as a

German Lutheran church in the 16th century. In the 18th century,

a choir was added. The interior comes from the 19th century.

There are two late Renaissance tombstones on the exterior wall.

The town boasts the Birth House of J. A. Schumpeter (1883

– 1950), a signifi cant 20th

century lawyer and economist.

He worked at a number

of universities throughout

the world, became the fi rst

Austrian Minister of Finance,

and a number of his economic

theories are recognised to date.

One of the exhibitions of the museum that occupies the building

is devoted to his life and work. On display are also furnishings

from Třešť Chateau, and another exhibition presents the local

history of crèche-making. The building also houses the Tourist

Information Centre.

The neo-Renaissance Chapel of the Schumpeter-Kilián Family,

from 1888, is the dominant feature of the municipal cemetery

and refl ects the signifi cance

and wealth of both families.

The Empire-style Synagogue

was built after the 1824 fi re

that destroyed the entire Jewish

ghetto. The synagogue was

St. Martin’s Parish Church is the oldest sight in town. It was

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rebuilt thanks to a collection and consecrated a year later. It faces

the street with a front with fi ve arcades – a unique architectural

feature in the lands of the Bohemian crown. The synagogue serves

as an exhibition and concert hall. The exhibition “Tracks Erased

by Wind” is devoted to the history of the local Jewish community

and Franz Kafka (1883 – 1924). Guided tours through the

synagogue are arranged by the

Information Centre. Also the

Jewish Cemetery documents

the Jewish settlement, with

its stone tombstones from the

early 18th century; it is situated

on the slopes of the hill called

Korečník, on the south-western

edge of town.

The former prison yard features a memorial to the victims of 1945 and a

memorial to Jewish citizens tortured to death in concentration camps.

In 2003, an extensive renovation of

the square was completed, during

which an original sundial was

installed. It is the largest sundial

in the country, with 663 square

meters and the hand is 8.21 m

long. The fi gures are placed in the

pavement and can be moved around to adjust to winter and summer

time.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Crèches of Třešť

Crèche-making has a tradition of more than two hundred years

in town. A permanent museum exhibition in the house of J. A.

Schumpeter gives a comprehensive overview. A paper crèche

shows the work of authors from the second half of the 19th

century; in the large wooden crèche, the visitor can see fi gures

by authors from the last century. Some fi fty wooden crèches

were put up in the town’s

households, from smaller ones

to crèches six meters long. The

fi gures, 10-12 cm tall, were

carved from linen or alder

wood and either painted or

varnished. Presently, some ten

amateur artists carve fi gures. Every Christmas, sixteen crèches are

open for viewing directly in people’s homes – from Christmas Day

until 2 February. The houses of the families where crèches are

on display are marked with a green mark. A new tradition is the

so-called Woodcutting – a gathering of cutters from all over the

country and abroad, during which a new crèche is created; new

fi gures are added every year.

Contact Information: Society of Friends of Crèches, Rooseveltova

462/6, 589 01 Třešť, tel. +420 567 224 537 or the Tourist Information

Centre, tel. +420 567 234 567, e-mail: [email protected], www.trest.cz

Roštejn Castle

The originally Gothic defensive

castle was converted to a

Renaissance hunting retreat

in the 16th century. The castle

burned down in 1915 after

it was struck by fi re; in the

1960s, it was gradually restored

and opened to the public in

1969. The castle presents the

collections of the Vysočina

Museum of Jihlava: on display

are porcelain, pottery, pewter,

and period furniture; and the

history of hunting weapons and

the tradition of stone-masonry in Vysočina are presented. The

unique botanical hall, whose walls are covered with pictures

of herbs and farm plants, features a herbarium collection from

the Jihlavské vrchy area. The castle’s landmark is its 45 meter

heptagonal tower. The castle courtyard annually hosts a number

of cultural events (Historical Festival, Fencing Festival, Jazz at

the Castle), in July and August night-time viewings are available

upon request, and weddings and social events are organised in

the historical halls. The castle is surrounded with an enclosure

which was fi rst mentioned by historical materials in 1592. It is the

home of a herd of some hundred moufl on and forty wild boar.

Contact Information: Doupě 1, 588 56 Telč, tel. +420 567 243 738,

e-mail: [email protected], http://rostejn.wz.cz, http://muzeum.

ji.cz

TIPS FOR TRIPS

The surrounding countryside boasts excellent destinations for

walks and hikes:

Špičák (4 km) – a nature reserve stretches around the hill (734

m above sea level) featuring 45 hectares of virgin forest, with

remnants of a mixed forest comprised of ash, beech, elm, and fi r.

The source of the river Moravská Dyje is found near the village of

Stájiště (6 km), below Hřeben Hill (671 m).

Three smaller Bukovské Ponds (5 km) are signifi cant in terms of

their contribution to the landscape and as a biological locale.

Near the village of Čenkov (4 km), the birthplace of a colonel of

the Czechoslovak Legions, Josef Jiří Švec, is a fl ooded quarry –

one of the cleanest recreational swimming facilities in the Jihlava

area.

A tourist trail leads from the chateau park to the Kroutil forest

manager’s lodge. It leads through a hundred-year-old chestnut

alley and a quiet zone with fi sh-rearing ponds called Březíčko.

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www.vbites.czInformation Centre and Cultural Club of the Town of Velká BítešMasarykovo náměstí 5595 01 Velká BítešTel.: +420 566 532 025Fax: +420 566 534 001E-mail: [email protected]

[email protected]

Velká BítešHISTORY

The original settlement was established in a shallow basin

at the crossroads of trading routes, before 1200. The fi rst

trustworthy document attesting to its existence is a parchment

of King Wenceslas written in Latin and dated 1240, which is

among the oldest written documents preserved in Moravia.

The settlement developed into a town in the 14th century,

and this position was confi rmed in 1408 by Lord Lacko of

Kravaře, the Margrave and Burgrave of King Wenceslas IV. In

the middle ages, Bíteš earned several privileges and became

the fi nancial and administrative centre of a large estate. In

maps, it is shown as a fortifi ed town with a church fortress.

Sources from the era placed it among the fi rst ten towns in

South-Western Moravia.

The centre of town is the historical core, which has been

declared an urban protected zone with a uniquely preserved

urban concept. Since the middle ages, the centre of town has

been the spacious square lined with burghers’ houses; two

streets generate from it, leading to the church that dominates

this grouping. The entire space is surrounded with walls, with

a separate fortifi cation for the church. The square is situated

in the East-West direction on the old Brno – Jihlava road. It

served as a marketplace. The tradition of large markets was

upheld here until 1938.

The houses have not survived in their original form due to

frequent fi res in the past and war. New houses have been

erected on the multi-story foundations of the destroyed houses

that held the right to brew beer.

SIGHTS

The town fortifi cations probably developed in the 15th

century. They comprised perimeter walls and three gates, with

protective moats and drawbridges. Two gates were situated

on opposite sides of the square and one by the church. Only

small remnants of the walls have survived, but street names

like “Under the Walls” and “On the Ramparts” remind us of

their former existence.

A landmark of the town is the Church of St. John the Baptist

situated in the northern, elevated part of Velká Bíteš. The

building has not survived in its original, late Romanesque form:

only some of its exterior walls have been integrated in the

Gothic rebuild that took

place at the end of the 15th

century, creating a two-

nave space with three pillars,

ribbed ceiling terminating

with a choir loft, and towers

made of quarried stone. The

massive fortifi cations of the

church come from the same

era, reinforced with a two-

level entrance tower and fi ve

bastions with gun-holes. The

entire church fortress complex

is indeed a unique architectural monument. Also unique are

its four original bells; the “large” one is the subject of legend.

A cemetery from 1771 adjoins the church.

In the square are two stone fountains from 1826, a statue

of St. John Nepomuck from 1714, and a bronze bust of T.

G. Masaryk from 1991 – it is after him that the square was

named.

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The Town Hall has been documented since the 15th century.

In its underground premises, the space that formerly served for

the exercise of the execution and torture rights has survived:

it was once used as a prison and torture chamber. In 1886,

the Renaissance building was torn down and a new, modern

building was erected on top of the original foundations.

Across the way from the Town Hall is house No. 5, the home

of the Municipal Museum. The house boasts a rich history

and is one of the most signifi cant in Velká Bíteš. Four hundred

years ago, there used to be a church of Bohemian Brethren on

the site, built by the Žerotín gentry. The building transferred

to the ownership of the town not quite a hundred years later,

which is documented by a parchment of majestic dimensions,

stored in the local archive. In part, the late 16th century

appearance of the house has survived.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

Municipal Museum

The museum is located in the back tract of the historical house,

on the site of a former church of the Union of Brethren, built in

the 16th century by the Žerotín gentry. A part of the regional

historical and geographical exhibition is replaced every year.

Contact Information: Masarykovo nám. 5, 595 01 Velká Bíteš,

tel./fax: +420 566 532 383, +420 739 181 345, e-mail: muzeum.

[email protected], www.vbites.cz/muzeum

Church of St. John the Baptist – lookout tower, Kostelní 71,

595 01 Velká Bíteš, visit upon arrangement with the parish

authority, tel. +420 565 555 128, +420 604 676 196.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

Holy Mountain (Svatá hora)

A hilltop with a small memorial and sculpture, 8 km to the

north of Velká Bíteš. It can be reached from several sides:

from Ořechov, Skřinářov, and Kadolec. A legend says that, as a

child, St. Zdislava (1215-1252), a daughter from an aristocratic

family inhabiting the nearby Křižanov Castle, was miraculously

saved on Holy Mountain. The hilltop affords a marvellous view

of the system of lakes below Ronov, where the source of the

Bítýška lies; other ponds around Osové, where the White Brook

(Bílý potok) has its source; and the extensive panorama of the

eastern edge of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands.

Letná

A former Sokol exercise facility and popular destination for

outings. A walk through an alley of ashes and maples leads

to the Front Mill, near which is an abandoned quarry where

crystal slate was extracted. The valley of the Bítýška to the

Middle Mill, with a view of the quiet valley of the Klečanský

Brook, will take you back to town.

Jinošov Springs

A walk along forests springs in the Jinošov area, 6 km south of

town, will take you to 8 to 10 springs with poetic names, on

the 12 to 15 km of the trail.

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Velké MeziříčíHISTORY

The town lies at the confl uence of the Rivers Oslava and Balinka,

in the place where two major trade routes intersected. The town

experienced the era of its greatest fl ourishing in the 16th century:

trades developed, burghers built majestic houses, the town hall

was rebuilt, and the Gothic St.

Nicholas’ Church was rebuilt.

The historical centre of town has

been declared an urban heritage

zone. The town’s landmark is the

chateau, rebuilt from the original

castle. It houses the museum,

which has historical and natural

collections. The Jewish quarter

with its synagogue bears witness

to the local Jewish community.

An interesting modern technical

feature is the motorway bridge

that spans the valley, 72 meters

above ground.

SIGHTS

The most signifi cant buildings include the chateau. The

originally gothic castle, rebuilt

as a Renaissance chateau, was

expanded in the Baroque era,

and then adapted in the neo-

Gothic style. Of the various

architectural styles, the Gothic

and Renaissance loggia and the Renaissance entry gate have

survived. The chateau interiors are decorated with stucco and

paintings and appointed with period furnishings. Today, the

chateau houses the museum.

The historical centre of town has been declared an urban

heritage zone.

In the centre of the square, you can fi nd St. Nicholas’ Church.

Originally a one-nave parish church, it was rebuilt from 1410

to 1412 into a spacious Gothic two-nave church; later, the

arrangement was changed to an asymmetrical three-nave

confi guration, in order to facilitate its vaulting.

A signifi cant building is the Town Hall, originally Gothic, but

rebuilt in 1528 – 29 in the Renaissance style, which has survived

to date.

Other jewels in town include Obecník – the former municipal

brewery, decorated with sgraffi to from the 16th century, and

the former Lutheran gymnasium, built in 1578. This three-wing,

one-level building in the style of the Italian Renaissance is a

likeness of the Verona Palazzo Pompei, by the architect Michel

san Michelei. Today, it houses the Municipal Library.

An independent Jewish community was fi rst noted in the town

in 1518. In that era, the so-called Old Synagogue was built.

The Jewish community developed rapidly, especially after the

www.mestovm.cz Town Hall Information CentreRadnická 29/1594 13 Velké MeziříčíTel.: +420 566 501 107Fax: +420 566 521 657E-mail: [email protected]

The town lies at the confl uence of the Rivers Oslava and Balinka,

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Page 66: Historical Towns

Thirty Years War. Between 1867 and 1870, the New Synagogue

was built. Also standing as a reminder of the Jewish settlement

is a cemetery with Baroque tombstones.

An interesting point is the Vysočina Motorway Bridge, built

in 1972 – 79. The tallest bridge on the D1 Motorway spans the

valley 72 meters above ground and is 426 meters long.

Also worth a visit is the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Moráň

Cemetery with tombs of important fi gures (Vladimír Čech, Titus

Krška) and the Church of the Holy Cross built by the Lords of

Lomnice and rebuilt by Zikmund Heldt of Kement, who is buried

there. The Renaissance tombstone of his tomb is one of the

most beautiful there. Not far away is the lower wall gate, the

only one surviving from the original fortifi cations.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Chateau and Museum

The chateau has housed the museum since 1948. In addition to

historical and natural collections, visitors can see a collection pertaining

to the military operations of the Austro-Hungarian army in 1909, and

also a batiste handkerchief of František Harrach, the adjutant of the

heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, with the archduke’s

blood. The exhibition specialising on roads gives an introduction

to road and bridge construction, through photographs and design

documentation.

Contact Information: the Velké Meziříčí Museum, Zámecké schody

1200/4, 594 01 Velké Meziříčí, tel. +420 566 522 773, e-mail:

[email protected], www.muzeumvm.cz

The Synagogue Gallery

The former Gothic-Renaissance Old Synagogue serves as the museum’s

exhibition space. Permanent exhibition: Magen David – The history of

Jews in Velké Meziříčí

Contact Information: Novosady 1146, 594 01 Velké Meziříčí, tel.

+420 566 524 621

The Lookout Tower of St. Nicholas’ Church

St. Nicholas’ Church and its 64 meter tower are the landmarks of the

square. The tower clock is

the largest illuminated clock

in the Czech Republic. A visit

to the observation deck, 40

meters above ground, to take

a look at the town is possible

upon arrangement with the

parish authority, tel. +420

566 522 101.

NATURE

A natural area that is interesting for trips is the Balinské Valley,

which has been declared a peaceful area and a nature trail.

Similarly interesting is the Nesměřské Valley of the River Oslava.

There are many tourist trails around the town that can be used

for cross-country skiing. They all start in the town square.

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Žďár nad SázavouHISTORY

The town lies in the middle of the protected landscape area

Žďárské vrchy (Žďár Hills). Its history is tied to the development

of the Cistercian monastery established in 1252.

Cardinal Frantisek of Ditrichstein promoted the small village

of Žďár to a town in 1607. The former monastery developed

the present form during large reconstructions in the time of

Abbot Vaclav Vejmluva in the fi rst half of the 18th century. The

reconstructions were designed by architect Jan Blažej Santini

Aichl. The monastery was dissolved by the Emperor Joseph II

in 1784.

The town’s life markedly boomed during the second half on

the 19th century. First larger, mainly shoes factories were

founded and the town was provided with a railway service.

First signifi cant changes of urban development took place.

After the World War II number of inhabitants rapidly increased

in connection with the engineering company’s establishment.

New housing estates were built and the historic centre of the

town was nearly totally rebuilt in the seventies.

SIGHTS

The most signifi cant sight is the Pilgrimage Church of St. John

Nepomuck on Zelená Hora (the Green Hill) designated as a

UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994.

The chateau is an extensive complex of the numerous buildings

of the former Cistercian monastery. Leading to it, across the

River Sázava, is a triple-arched Baroque bridge built around

1760, and adorned with eight statues of saints.

A landmark of the town’s centre is St. Procopius’ Church and

the former Renaissance town hall. The originally Renaissance

town hall underwent an Empire-style rebuilding in the

mid 1700s; it has been recently restored and converted into

ceremonial premises for the city.

The St. Procopius’ Parish Church was originally a Gothic building.

The most valuable item there is the Madonna and Child from

the mid 1400s. New Stations of the Cross were placed in the

church during the complete reconstructions in the 1970‘s.

The plague column by the Tyrolean sculptor Jakub Steinhübl is

from 1706. It culminates with the symbol of the Holy Trinity.

St. Barbara’s Chapel is located a few metres to the east of the

parish church. It is a simple baroque chapel built in 1729

The late-Gothic fortress is situated near to the parish church

above the Sázava River and is one of the oldest buildings in the

town. Referred to as early as 1300, it has been renovated in a

Late Gothic style, with a Baroque roof and houses the Regional

Museum.

The abandoned Baroque Lower Cemetery, also built by Santini,

has a monumental feel. In its centre stands a statue of an

Angel of the Last Judgement.

www.zdarns.czTourist Information Centre The Santini Tour Travel Agencynám. Republiky 24591 01 Žďár nad SázavouTel.: +420 566 628 539Fax: +420 566 625 808E-mail: [email protected]

The Information and Tourist Centre at the Žďár nad Sázvou ChateauZámek 11591 02 Žďár nad Sázavou 2Tel.: +420 566 629 152Fax: +420 566 629 331E-mail: [email protected]

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The town lies in the middle of the protected landscape area

67

Page 68: Historical Towns

The works of the participants of international sculpting

symposia are dispersed throughout the city, forming a gallery

of over 80 wooden sculptures.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Pilgrimage Church of St. John Nepomuck on Zelená Hora

(the Green Hill)

The church was built between 1719 and 1722 on the basis of a

design by the architect Jan Blažej Santini, in the “Baroque-Gothic”

style. For the original nature of Bohemian Baroque-Gothic, and the

masterful composition of the building, based on the symbolism of St.

John’s fi ve-point star, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural

Heritage List in 1994. Inside the church, the symbolism of the magic

number fi ve is apparent, primarily in the fi ve altars and fi ve halls, and

fi ve stars and fi ve angels on the main altar. The courtyard of the

pilgrimage sight is lined by ambits with fi ve gates and chapels. The

gates placed in the middle of each arm have dome-like roves and are

adorned with sculptures.

Contact information: Zelená Hora – Historical Area, 591 02 Žďár nad

Sázavou 2, tel.: +420 566 622 855, 724 663 716, e-mail: zel.hora@

telc.npu.cz, www.zelena-hora.eu

The chateau

The chateau complex is composed of an extensive array of buildings

that were part of the former Cistercian Monastery. The chateau

acquired its present form after 1784, when the monastery burned

down and Emperor Joseph II decided to abolish it and convert it to a

chateau. In the historical parts of the chateau, visitors can tour the

Convent Church of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary and admire its

richly decorated interiors. There are exhibits dedicated to the region‘s

Baroque architectural landmarks, the work of the architect Santini.

The Prelature houses the Museum of Books

Contact information: The Information and Tourist Centre at the Žďár

nad Sázavou Chateau,

Zámek 11, 591 02 Žďár nad Sázavou 2, tel. +420 566 629 152, fax:

+420 566 629 331, e-mail: [email protected], www.zamekzdar.cz

Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (former Convent

church)

From 1710 to 1722 the original Gothic church from the second half

of the 13th century was rebuilt in the spirit of Baroque Gothic by J.

B. Santini. This incorporation of a Baroque formation into a Gothic

space is another example of Santini´s mastery. It offers visitors an

exceptionally rich decorated interior. There are fragments of Late

gothic mural paintings in the presbytery in the northern chapel.

The Well Chapel

The ten-sided well chapel located

in the former heavenly garden of

the monastery was also adapted

by Santini. Since the end of the

13th century, it has sheltered a

35-meter deep well. There is a

forged iron construction which

extends from the curb where

used to be a stone statue of the

Virgin Mary of the Well at the

top.

Santini´s exposition

The exposition in the stalls of

convent building represents

the most famous period of the

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The church was built between 1719 and 1722 on the basis of a

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Žďár monastery history through the personalities who created it. The

Czech baroque period is the most famous era of the monastery. At

that time, the monastery property was administered by the Abbot

Václav Vejmluva who invited a brilliant architect of the Czech

baroque Gothic Jan Blažej Santini Aichl to Žďár in 1706. Beside the

above mentioned names of Vaclav Vejmluva and the architect Jan

Blažej Stantini Aichl, you can acquaint yourself also with the work of

the sculptor Řehoř Thény.

Museum of Books

The museum’s collections depict the development of the European

book culture and printing press (it constitutes a part of the Library of

the National Museum in Prague). They are housed in the prelature of

the former Cistercian monastery. There is a mural named „Heavenly

blessedness of the Benedictines and Cistercians“ over the whole

vaulting. It was painted by K. F. Töpper in 1734.

Contact information : Muzeum knihy, Zámek, 591 01 Žďár nad

Sázavou, tel. +420 566 625 370, e-mail: muzeumknihyzdar@seznam.

cz, www.zamekzdar.cz

Baroque stables

These stables (in fact, a riding-

hall) belonged to the academy

of science and horsemanship

founded for the aristocratic

youth. There were stables for

nearly 80 horses. The vaulting

decoration resembles a star

net. At present, it houses ceremonial hall.

Gallery of the Kinsky´s Noble family

This gallery has been part of the area since 2003 and is located in

former stables. Exhibition called God, Honour and Country dealing

with history of the Kinsky´s Noble family.

The Regional Museum

The museum resides in a historical building – a converted early 14th

century medieval fortress. Exhibitions are held there throughout the

year.

Contact Information: Regionální muzeum, Tvrz 8, 591 01 Žďár nad

Sázavou, tel. +420 566 625 645, e-mail: [email protected],

www.zdarns.cz

TIPS FOR TRIPS

The Rosička Lookout Tower

The lookout tower is not far from the municipality of Sázava, near

Žďár nad Sázavou, at the top of Rosička Hill (645 m above sea level).

The tower, which is open to the public, is 42 meters high, and the

observation deck is 24 meters above ground. A long-distance bike

trail passes by the observation tower, and the route to the tower is

also marked for hikers.

Contact information: tel. +420 566 666 213, www.obecsazava.cz

The Jaroslav Svoboda AGS Glassworks

The glassworks produce hand-moulded glassworks glass. It was

established in 1990 by the glass designer Jaroslav Svoboda, who has

won a number of international awards and is known from many

independent exhibitions at home and abroad. The glassworks

has its own sales gallery and excursions are possible upon prior

arrangement.

Contact information: Sklářská huť Jaroslav Svoboda AGS, Karlov 31,

tel. +420 566 659 152, e-mail: [email protected], www.ags-

svoboda.cz

In the Footsteps of Santini

Santini’s architecture had a profound impact on the appearance of

the Žďár region in the 18th century. The buildings listed here are the

theme of Bike Trail No. 5061, which is 75 km long:

The Romanesque Church of St. Peter and Paul in Horní Bobrová was

expanded by Santini between 1714 and 1722 by adding a new nave,

whose front, based on convex and concave curves, is the landmark

of the square.

St. Wenceslas’ Church in Zvole was built between 1712 and 1717 on

the basis of Santini’s plan. Its ground plan is in the shape of a Greek

cross, its dome is in the shape of St. Wenceslas’ crown, and it boasts

two towers. The hexagonal mortuary at the cemetery adjoining the

church is also Santini’s work.

The Obyčtov Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary was only built

after the architect’s death. The complex granded composition of the

mass of the nave, presbytery, sacristy, and corner chapel symbolise

the shape of a turtle, as an expression of Marian virtues. Of especial

value are the decorations by Řehoř Thény.

Together with sacral buildings, Santini also designed secular buildings

for the Žďár Abbey, for example he rebuilt the Renaissance fortress

in Ostrov nad Oslavou into a farmyard. At its front used to stand an

interesting building of the gentry’s inn, whose one-level wing was

adjoined by two smaller ones on either side, with square layouts, and

turned on an angle.

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Ždírec nad Doubravou

www.zdirec.cz, www.podoubravi.czThe Ždírec nad Doubravou Information Centre Ždírec nad DoubravouBrodská 120582 63 Ždírec nad DoubravouTel.: +420 569 694 620E-mail: [email protected]@zdirec.cz

HISTORY

The town lies at the foot of the Žďárské vrchy and Železné hory

ranges. This region was only colonised in the late 14th century,

when the local dense forests were gradually cut down and the

fi rst settlement was established at the crossroads of overland

routes.

The method of cutting back forest with fi re, in Czech žďáření,

probably gave the settlement its name. Over the centuries, the

estate was held by local knights as well as major houses of the

nobility. Until the end of the Second World War, the municipality

was a small, insignifi cant seat. Its inhabitants found a livelihood

in small agriculture and weaving.

At the very end of the Second World War, Ždírec was struck by

the greatest tragedy in its history: on 9 May 1945, the village was

bombed by Red Army aircraft. Some twenty inhabitants died,

and most houses in the village were either destroyed or damaged.

Many inhabitants saw no future in the destroyed village, and

many families moved away.

In spite of that, the original weaving shops in Ždírec were

signifi cantly expanded after the war, the sawmill was enlarged

and upgraded (the sawmill of the Forest Cooperative of

Municipalities is the largest sawmill in the country), and machine-

works were founded. New job prospects contributed to an infl ux

of inhabitants from the formerly poor highland cottages in

neighbouring villages, who started to build new family houses in

Ždírec. Gradually, a new Ždírec was thus built from the ground

up.

Ždírec has developed rapidly in the last decade. The increasing

importance of the settlement in the region was crowned when

the status of a town was bestowed on it on 19 January 2000.

SIGHTS

The former gentry´s Inn – from the beginning of the 18th century

The bell tower in the village green in Stružinec, dating back to 1858,

is surrounded with protected linden trees.

The single-nave Gothic St. Wenceslas’ Church in Nový Studenec was

built around 1350.

The wooden timber bell tower in Horní Studenec houses a bell from

1583.

The Renaissance chateau in Nový Studenec, from 1612, stands on the

site of a fortress mentioned in 1314.

TIPS FOR TRIPS

A Set of Folk Buildings and Crafts in Veselý Kopec

An extensive exhibition of folk architecture – the individual buildings are

dispersed over several settlements in

Vysočina (Veselý Kopec, Svobodné

Hamry, Možděnice) and in the town

of Hlinsko. Visitors can get to know

the way of life, accommodation,

and work of folk craftsmen in their

original environment.

Contact Information: Příčná 350,

593 01 Hlinsko – Betlém, tel.: +420

469 333 175, +420 469 326 415, e-mail: [email protected], www.

vesely-kopec.eu

The “Řeka” (River) Lake – a recreational lake three kilometres away, ideal

for water-sport enthusiasts

Podoubravská Bike Trail No. 5127 Hluboká - Ždírec nad Doubravou -

Studenec - Maleč - Jeřišno - Běstvina - Pařížov - Vilémov - Golčův Jeníkov,

52 km, 15 stops, medium level of diffi culty

NATURE

Ždírec nad Doubravou is the gateway to the protected landscape

areas of Žďárské vrchy and Železné hory. The articulated landscape

with natural and historical points of interest offers excellent

conditions for pleasant hiking, or bike or ski trips.

The source of the River Doubrava is above Doubravník Lake, in the

Ranský Massif. In the village of Bílek, 5 km away, the river formed

a canyon-like valley. The steep rock formations make for romantic

nooks, with a number of steep hillsides, caves, and waterfalls.

The highest hill of the Železné hory range, Vestec, can be accessed

from the village of Slavíkov,

which is about 9 km away.

The Ranský Massif is interwoven

by a number of paths and

forest roads, and it is also a

mushroom-picker’s paradise.

The picturesque corners of

the southern slope of Ranský

Babylon hide the Ranská Ponds –

a system of fl ooded depressions

on the site of long-abandoned

ore mines.

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www.zirovnice.czInformation Centre – Žirovnice ChateauBranka 1394 68 Žirovnice Tel.: +420 565 494 095E-mail: [email protected]

ŽirovniceHISTORY

The town of Žirovnice is a sought-after recreational destination.

The fi rst written reference to Žirovnice comes from 1358, but

archaeological fi nds of graphite pottery show that the region

had been settled by the mid 13th century.

The history of the town is tied to the history of the chateau,

which stands on the site of the original stone castle. Over the

centuries, it was held by a number of aristocratic families. The

Vencelíks of Vrchoviště had the entire castle rebuilt at the end

of the 15th century, and decorated it with frescoes that today

constitute unique historical cultural assets. The town’s coat of

arms – a silver unicorn on a blue background – has been taken

over from the coat of arms of the Vencelík family.

In the mid 1500s, the Žirovnice estate was obtained by the Lords

of Hradec. They invited experts who endeavoured to fi nd lime

deposits on their properties. Their efforts were, however, in

vain, as were all attempts at silver mining. The main source of

livelihood for the locals was agriculture, and trades developed,

especially pottery, brewery, and brick-making, as well as various

kinds of textile production.

During the Thirty Years War, the entire region was oppressed by

the imperial as well as Swedish armies, the town was plundered,

and the chateau, too, sustained signifi cant damage.

From the end of the 17th century, the Žirovnice estate was

held by the Šternberk family, who decided to renovate the

dilapidated chateau. They tore down the remnants of the

damaged second level, built a new western wing, and the

chateau lost the nature of a fortress. The Šternberk’s also

had the originally Gothic church rebuilt in the Baroque style,

and they contributed to the renovation of rural churches and

chapels, witness to which is their symbol – an eight-point star

– on those buildings.

In 1854, Žirovnice was elevated to the status of a town, and

ten years later it became famous, due to button production.

The manufacture of mother-of-pearl buttons was introduced

by Josef Žampach, and the contemporary industrial production

continues in the tradition. In 1910, the entire estate was

purchased by the town from the Šternberks. In 1964, however,

the chateau burned out. The overall renovation of the building

was completed in 1992. Presently, a regional exhibition is

housed by the chateau, as

well as a museum of button-

making and a gallery. The

chateau courtyard, as well

as its interiors, is used as the

venue for various cultural

events.

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DON’T FORGET TO VISIT

The Chateau

An early Gothic castle, expanded in the late Gothic era and

rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau, with subsequent Baroque

adaptations. Its interiors and former chapel boast a set of

late-Gothic frescoes. The chateau houses the collections

of the municipal museum and gallery. Newly accessible is

also the chateau tower, offering a view of the town and its

surroundings.

Permanent exhibition: button-making and use of mother-of-

pearl, historical sewing machines, the Jan Havlík Gallery.

Contact Information: Branka 1, 394 68 Žirovnice, tel. +420 565

494 095, e-mail: [email protected]

Exhibition of Rural Traditions and Crafts

The chateau grange – a silo – was built in the early 18th

century. It has undergone a number of building adaptations,

but its purpose did not change for a great, long time, although

the storage of grain was replaced by the storage of various

unneeded items until its 2007 renovation. The original Baroque

pillars have been preserved in the three renovated levels, which

today house an exhibition of rural traditions and crafts.

Contact Information: The Chateau Grange - Branka 1, 394 68

Žirovnice, tel. +420 565 494 095, e-mail: [email protected]

Jan Havlík’s Gallery

One wing of the chateau is devoted to contemporary modern

art. Four halls house an exhibition of fi ne art: oils by the

academic painter Jan Havlík; objects made of soft linden

tree wood, by the academic sculptor Karel Hlava; prints and

paintings by Pavel Roučka; and book illustrations by the

academic painter František Severa.

TIP FOR TRIP

Memorial to a Czech Thinker

The Czech Christian philosopher and writer Tomáš Štítný of Štítné

was born in the village of Štítné, probably in 1333. Through his

work, written in Czech, he strove to make the Bible available to

people of all social levels. The memorial is located on the site of

what was once a squire’s fortress.

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pillars have been preserved in the three renovated levels, which p

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© Kartografi e PRAHA, a.s.

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www.region-vysocina.cz

A large variety of accommodation facilities in the towns and villages of Vysočina Region, from hotels, guesthouses, hostels to lodges and campsites are in special catalogues “Accommodation” and Holiday in the country”.For further tips for trips in Vysočina Region, see our website at www.region-vysocina.cz. For sightseeing in Vysočina, the “Castles, chateaus and monasteries” catalogue is available to you. Materials in printed form can be requested from Vysočina Tourism, Žižkova 16, P.O. BOX 85, 586 01 Jihlava or by e-mail at [email protected].

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Photo:Daniel Balogh, Jitka Mattyašovská, Jan Adam, František Pleva, Jan Jež, Jaroslav Horák, Milan Slavinger, Hana Palečková, Lucie Oháňková, Zdeněk Hoskovec, Radim Brancovský, Zdeněk Hopian, Tomáš Hoskovec, Jarmila Wimmerová, Jan Sucharda, Marta Vomelová, Anna Bocká, Jaroslav Vála, Eva Blechová, Silva Smutná, Stanislav Mattyašovský, Radek Lán, Renata Šimánková, Pavel Janíček, Tamara Tošnerová, J. KamínekTowns archives: Brtnice, Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, Černovice, Humpolec, Chotěboř, Jihlava, Kamenice nad Lipou, Nové Město na Moravě, Svratka, Telč, Třebíč, Třešť, Velká Bíteš, Žďár nad SázavouArchives: Oblastní galerie Vysočiny Jihlava, Georgii Agricola Jihlava, Agentura Dobrý den Pelhřimov

Published by: Kraj Vysočinae-mail: [email protected]

Design, print: Yashica s.r.o.www.yashica.cz

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This project is co-financed by the European Union.

Krajský úřad kraje VysočinaŽižkova 57, 587 33 Jihlava, Česká republika

Tel.: 564 602 533, Fax: 564 602 423E-mail: [email protected]: www.region-vysocina.cz