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Chrast () is a town in
Chrudim District Chrudim District () is a Okres, district in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Chrudim. Administrative division Chrudim District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with extended c ...
in the
Pardubice Region Pardubice Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It is named after its capital Pardubice. As an administrat ...
of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. It has about 3,200 inhabitants. The historic centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.


Administrative division

Chrast consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Chrast (2,460) *Chacholice (241) *Podlažice (319) *Skála (74)


Etymology

The name Chrást is a common Czech
place name Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper nam ...
, meaning 'brushwood' or 'shrubs'. In this region, the word was written as ''chrast'', therefore, the form of the town's name differs.


Geography

Chrast is located about southeast of
Chrudim Chrudim () is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest town of the region. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#M ...
and southeast of
Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...
. It lies in the
Svitavy Uplands The Svitavy Uplands or Svitavy Hills () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Pardubice Region and it belongs to the largest mesoregions in the country. Geomorphology The Svitavy Uplands is a ...
. The highest point is the elevated plain of Kostecká hůra at above sea level. The town is situated on the right bank of the Žejbro Stream. The fishpond Horecký rybník is located south of the town. The slope on the right bank of the stream is protected as the Chrašická stráň Nature Monument.


History

The oldest part of Chrast is Podlažice. The Benedictine monastery in Podlažice was founded in 1159. The monastery is where the ''
Codex Gigas The ''Codex Gigas'' ("Giant Book"; ) is the largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript in the world, at a length of . It is a Romanesque Latin Bible, with other texts, some secular, added in the second half of the book. Very large illumin ...
'' (or "Devil's Bible") was produced. It remains the largest extant medieval manuscript. However, it is unlikely that the book was written at the monastery due to its small size and meagre funds. The first written mention of Chrast is from 1318. It was founded in the second half of the 13th century by monks from the Podlažice Monastery. The monastery was destroyed by the
Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...
in 1421. In 1539, Chrast was acquired by the noble Slavata of Chlum and the Košumberk family. In the early 17th century, Albrecht Slavata had built a castle here. In 1664, Chrast was bought by Hradec Králové Bishopric. The castle served as the summer residence of several bishops. In the 18th century, it was rebuilt and extended. In 1853, Chrast was promoted to a town.


Demographics


Transport

Chrast is located on the railway line Pardubice–
Havlíčkův Brod Havlíčkův Brod (, until 1945 Německý Brod; ) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban mon ...
.


Sights

The Baroque castle currently houses the Town Museum, which was founded in 1893. The former castle chapel is today a concert hall. The adjacent castle garden was created in 1903. The main landmark of the town square is the Church of the Holy Trinity. It was built in 1612–1618 by renewal of an old church and reconstructed to its current form in 1774. The oldest church in the town is the cemetery Church of Saint Martin. It comes from 1350. Church of Saint Margaret the Virgin in Podlažice and Church of Saint John the Baptist in Skála were both founded in 1696.


Notable people

*
Johann Leopold Hay Johann Leopold Hay (22 April 1735, Fulnek – 1 June 1794, Chrast) was Bishop of Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The ...
(1735–1794),
Bishop of Hradec Králové A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
; died here *
Antonín Machek Antonín Machek (31 October 1775, Podlažice – 18 November 1844, Prague) was a Czech painter in the Classical and Biedermeier styles. He was best known for his portraits. Biography He was born into a family of tenant farmers. His father als ...
(1775–1844), painter *
Ludwig August von Frankl Ludwig August Ritter von Frankl-Hochwart (3 February 1810 – 12 March 1894) was a Jewish Bohemian-Austrian writer and poet. Biography Frankl was born on 3 February 1810, in Chrast, Bohemia. His brothers were David Bernhard Frankl (1820-1859), ...
(1810–1894), Bohemian-Austrian writer and poet *
Martin Dejdar Martin Dejdar (born 11 March 1965) is a Czech actor, writer, comedian, director, television presenter, producer and entertainer. Biography Dejdar was born on 11 March 1965. He was born in the hospital in Vysoké Mýto, but never lived there, grew ...
(born 1965), actor


References


External links

*
Virtual show
{{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Chrudim District