Bavorov (german: Barau) is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It has about 1,600 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Villages of Blanice, Čichtice, Svinětice, Tourov and Útěšov are administrative parts of Bavorov.

Geography

Bavorov is located about southeast of

Strakonice Strakonice (; german: Strakonitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Strakonice is made up of town parts of Strakonice I and Strakonice II, and villages of Dražejov, ...

and northwest of České Budějovice. It lies in the

Bohemian Forest Foothills Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, ori ...

. The highest point is the hill Svobodná hora at , on the eastern border of the municipality. The river Blanice flows through the municipality. There are several ponds in the municipality, the largest are Rozboud, Bašta and Hluboký.

History

The first written mention of Bavorov is from 1228. The town was named after its founders, noble family of

Bavors of Strakonice Bavorové ze Strakonic (Bavors of Strakonice) were a Bohemian noble family, rulers of Strakonice town and surrounding area. Members of the family include: *Bavor I * Bavor II, Bavor the Great *Bavor III *Vilém of Strakonice *Mikuláš of Strako ...

. The most important for the town was John Bavor III, who settled in Bavorov in 1315 and who had the square and surrounding streets built. In 1351, the Rosenberg family acquired Bavorov. Bavorov was the seat of the estate until 1355, when the Helfenburk Castle was built. The Rosenberg family owned the town until 1593, when Peter Vok of Rosenberg sold all the Helfenburk estate to Prachatice. After the Battle of White Mountain, properties of Prachatice were confiscated, and in 1621 the royal chamber donated Bavorov to the Eggenberg family. In 1719, the

House of Schwarzenberg The House of Schwarzenberg is a German ( Franconian) and Czech ( Bohemian) aristocratic family, and it was one of the most prominent European noble houses. The Schwarzenbergs are members of the German nobility and Czech nobility and they held the ...

inherited the town.

Demographics

Economy

The town is mainly known for its

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

production, which began here in 1991.

Transport

The regional railway Volary–

Číčenice Číčenice is a municipality and village in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Číčenice lies approximately south-east of Strakonice, north-west of České Budějovice, and s ...

goes through the municipality. There are two rail stations: Bavorov and Svinětice. The third station which serves the territory, Blanice, lies beyond the borders of the municipality.

Sights

The most valuable building in Bavorov is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is one of the most important South Bohemian

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

buildings. The church replaced an older church, which stood here from 1296, and was built from 1360 to 1384. The historic centre of Bavorov is Míru Square, which is in the shape of a regular square typical for South Bohemian Region. The former manor house, locally called "The Castle", is a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

building that dominates the square. In the centre of the square there is a fountain built in 1742. Small Worlds is a museum of dollshouses, models and other tiny toys. It is open during the summer months and for special events. The most valuable technical monument is a water mill with unique hydroelectric power plant. The mill was built in the first half of the 19th century and the power plant in the 1930s.

Notable people

Jindřich Veselý Jindřich Veselý (15 June 1885 in Bavorov – 19 September 1939 in České Budějovice) was a Czech pedagogue, publicist, historian on the field of puppetry and author of puppet theatre plays. Early life and education Veselý was born in Bavo ...

(1885–1939), historian of puppetry and founder of

UNIMA UNIMA (''Union Internationale de la Marionnette'' - ''International Puppetry Association'') was founded in Prague in 1929 (the then Czechoslovak magazine Loutkář was UNIMA's first official journal in years 1929–1930). In 1981, the French pup ...

Gallery

Bavorov, náměstí.jpg, Town square with the manor house and fountain Bavorov, vodní elektrárna čp.294.jpg, Water mill and power plant SvJiljiBlanice4.JPG, Church of Saint Giles in Blanice SviněticeNáves.JPG, Chapel on the common in Svinětice Tourov12.JPG, A pond in the centre of Tourov Útěsov6.JPG, Útěšov

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Strakonice District Prácheňsko