Milevsko (; german: Mühlhausen) is a town in
Písek District
Písek District ( cs, okres Písek) is a district in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Písek. It has around 70,000 inhabitants and area of 1,138.13 km².
The neighbouring districts are: České Budějovice Dis ...
in the
South Bohemian Region
The South Bohemian Region ( cs, Jihočeský kraj; , ) is an administrative unit (''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western part ...
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 8,000 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Dmýštice, Klisín, Něžovice, Rukáveč and Velká are administrative parts of Milevsko. Velká forms an
exclave of the municipal territory.
Geography
Milevsko is located about northeast of
Písek
Písek (; german: Pisek) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Písek is colloquially called "''South ...
and south of
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
. Most of the municipal territory lies in the
Tábor Uplands
Tábor (; german: Tabor) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Administrative parts
The followi ...
, but the northern part extends into the
Vlašim Uplands
Vlašim (; german: Wlaschim) is a town in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. Vlašim is known for its castle and English style park.
Administrative parts
Villages of Bolina, D ...
and includes the highest point of Milevsko, the hill Zběžnice at . The town is surrounded by several ponds.
History
Archeological excavations have shown that the people lived in the area in the
Paleolithic times. Other discoveries show occupation in the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
and the
Hallstatt Culture period. During the
Migration Period the area was slowly settled by
Slavs in the 8th century.
The first written mention of Milevsko is from 1184 and three years later a
Premonstratensian monastery was built. At the end of the 12th century, Milevsko was an important intersection of two trade routes. The following years were the time of prosperity and the monastery became one of the richest monasteries in the
Bohemia. In 1327, Milevsko was first referred to as a
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
, and in the 15th century, it became a town. The end of prosperity was caused by an attack of the
Hussite
The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation.
The Huss ...
s, who burned the monastery down in 1420. After 1581 during the rule of Hodějovský of Hodějov, the monastery was rebuilt to a manor house. In 1622 after the
Battle of White Mountain
The Battle of White Mountain ( cz, Bitva na Bílé hoře; german: Schlacht am Weißen Berg) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the n ...
, the monastery was returned to Premonstrates of
Strahov Monastery
Strahov Monastery ( cs, Strahovský klášter) is a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1143 by Jindřich Zdík, Bishop John of Prague, and Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia. It is located in Strahov, Prague, Czech Republic.
History
The founding of ...
.
[
In the 17th and 18th centuries the town was struck by the bubonic plague. The town with its surroundings became one of the poorest regions in the kingdom, which lasted until the beginning of the 20th century. Traditional crafts developed here, especially ]pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...
.[
Until 1918, ''Mühlhausen bei Tabor – Milevsko'' (previously ''Mühlhausen'') was a part of the lands of ]Austrian monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
(Austria side after the compromise of 1867
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...
), The town was principal settlement in the eponymous district which was one of 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' of Bohemia.
Economy
In Milevsko is a big machine factory ZVVZ (''Závody na výrobu vzduchotechnických zařízení'' – the factory for the production of HVAC equipment).
Demographics
Sights
The monastery complex consisting of several buildings is the main landmark. The Milevsko Monastery is the oldest in the South Bohemian Region. The Romanesque core is preserved to this day. The western part was rebuilt to the Baroque style and today it houses the regional Milevsko Museum.
The Church of Saint Giles is as old as the town. The massive bell tower and the north wall with a staircase have been preserved from the original Romanesque church. The church was rebuilt in Gothic style in the 14th century.[
The historic town centre is made up of Dr. E. Beneše Square. Its landmarks are Old Town Hall, New Town Hall, and a church. The Church of Saint Bartholomew is a Neo-Romanesque building from 1844. The Old Town Hall was built in the Baroque style in the 17th century and today serves as a library, tourist information centre, gallery, and bank. The New Town Hall is a Neo-Renaissance building from 1901–1902 with ]sgraffito
''Sgraffito'' (; plural: ''sgraffiti'') is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive laye ...
decoration of the facade from 1936.[
]
Twin towns – sister cities
Milevsko is twinned with:
* Münchenbuchsee
Münchenbuchsee is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is famous as the birthplace of the painter Paul Klee.
On 1 January 2023 the former municipality of Diemerswil merged to f ...
, Switzerland
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Písek District