Sedlec is a municipality and village in

České Budějovice District České Budějovice District ( cs, okres České Budějovice) is a district (''okres'') within the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is České Budějovice. Complete list of municipalities Adamov - Bečice - Borek - Boro ...

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 500 inhabitants. The centres of the villages of Malé Chrášťany and Plástovice within the municipality are protected as two village monument reservations.

Administrative parts

The villages of Lékařova Lhota, Malé Chrášťany, Plástovice and Vlhlavy are administrative parts of Sedlec.

Etymology

The name is common in the Czech Republic. It is derived from the Czech word ''sedlo'', which means 'saddle' in modern Czech, but also 'village' in old

West Slavic languages The West Slavic languages are a subdivision of the Slavic language group. They include Polish, Czech, Slovak, Kashubian, Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian. The languages have traditionally been spoken across a mostly continuous region encom ...

Geography

Sedlec is located about northwest of

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is t ...

. It lies in a flat landscape in the

České Budějovice Basin The České Budějovice Basin ( cs, Českobudějovická pánev) is a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the South Bohemian Region and it is named after the city of České Budějovice. It is known as a cultural lan ...

. There are several fish ponds in the municipal territory; the largest of them are Volešek with an area of and Vlhlavský with an area of .

History

The first written mention of Sedlec is from 1394. Until the 16th century, the village was owned by various lower noblemen. In the 1563, it was bought by

William of Rosenberg William of Rosenberg ( cz, Vilém z Rožmberka; 10 March 1535 – 31 August 1592), was a Bohemian nobleman. He served as High Treasurer and High Burgrave of Bohemia. Life William of Rosenberg was a member of the influential noble House of ...

and joined to the

Libějovice Libějovice is a municipality and village in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Černěves and Nestanice are administrative parts of Libějovice. ...

estate. The local fortress ceased to serve as the seat of the nobility and was demolished in 1564. 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 ...

in 1620, the estate was donated to Charles Bonaventure, Count of Bucquoy. Then the estate was acquired by the

Schwarzenberg family 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 ...

, which owned Sedlec until the establishment of an independent municipality in 1848.

Demographics

Transport

The I/20 road (part of the

European route E49 European route E49 forms part of the International E-road network. It begins in Magdeburg, Germany, and ends in Vienna, Austria. The road follows the route: * Germany ** : - Magdeburg, Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, ** : ** : - Plauen * Czech Republic ...

) from České Budějovice to Plzeň and Karlovy Vary passes through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Sedlec is the Church of Saint John of Nepomuk. It was built in the neo-Gothic style and was finished in 1868. It replaced a small wooden church from the 18th century. In Sedlec is a unique cemetery surrounded by a moat. It was founded on the site of a former fortress. The centres of the villages of Malé Chrášťany and Plástovice are uniquely preserved sets of folk baroque buildings with a preserved layout. They are protected as two village monument reservations.