Sedlčany (; german: Seltschan) is a town in
Příbram District in the
Central Bohemian Region of the
Czech Republic. It has about 6,800 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Doubravice, Hradišťko, Libíň, Oříkov, Sestrouň, Solopysky, Třebnice, Vítěž and Zberaz are administrative parts of Sedlčany.
Geography
Dobříš is located about east of
Příbram and south of
Prague. It lies in the
Benešov Uplands. The town is situated on the Mastník river, a tributary of the
Vltava. On the river there is the Sedlčany Retention Reservoir.
History
The first written mention of Selčany is from 1294, when Sedlčany already held
market rights. Then held by the
Vítkovci
The Vítkovci ( la, Witikonides) were a Czech noble clan from southern Bohemia descended from Witiko of Prčice. The clan includes the House of Rosenberg
The House of Rosenberg ( cs, Rožmberkové, sg. ''z Rožmberka'') was a prominent Bo ...
Neuhaus (Hradec) family, the estates were given in pawn to the
House of Rosenberg by King
John of Bohemia
John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...
in 1337. The citizens joined the
Hussite movement as vassals of
Oldřich II of Rosenberg and during the
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...
the town temporarily was controlled by radical
Taborites. Thanks to Oldřich II of Rosenberg, Sedlčany gained
town privileges in 1418.
In 1475 the noble
House of Lobkowicz took over Sedlčany in exchange for
Rožmberk Castle, given in pawn by the Bohemian chamberlain
John II of Rosenberg in 1464. The Rosenbergs regained the town, however, in 1580
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 ...
relinquished it to his custodian
Jakub Krčín. Upon his death in 1604 the last Rosenberg scion
Peter Vok sold Sedlčany to the Bohemian chancellor Zdeněk Vojtěch Popel of Lobkowicz, who administered stern
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
measures to its citizens. The town was devastated by
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
troops during the
Thirty Years' War and did not recover until the mid 18th century.
From 1804 Sedlčany/Selčan was part of the
Austrian Empire and after the
Compromise of 1867 belonged to the
Cisleithania
Cisleithania, also ''Zisleithanien'' sl, Cislajtanija hu, Ciszlajtánia cs, Předlitavsko sk, Predlitavsko pl, Przedlitawia sh-Cyrl-Latn, Цислајтанија, Cislajtanija ro, Cisleithania uk, Цислейтанія, Tsysleitaniia it, Cislei ...
n half of
Austria-Hungary. The town was the administrative seat of a district of the same name, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in the
crown land
Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...
of
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
. Sedlčany developed to a centre of
textile industry, the local economy was further promoted when the town received access to the railway line to
Olbramovice in 1894. Under the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia the nearby ''
SS-Truppenübungsplatz Böhmen
SS-Truppenübungsplatz Böhmen was one of Waffen-SS training area in the territory of Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in time of World War II. Originally was called SS-Truppenübungsplatz Beneschau, because it was situated near city of Bene� ...
'' was laid out from 1941, whereby numerous villages were cleared and the inhabitants expelled.
Demographics
Economy
For many decades, Sedlčany was famous for its production of
Hermelín
Hermelín (from Czech for stoat, a small weasel relative whose fur turns white in the winter, due to its white color) is a type of Czech cheese that imitates camembert, with a coating of white mold. It originates from the town of Sedlčany in Ce ...
cheese. However, the production was moved by the dairy's owner from Sedlčany to
Přibyslav
Přibyslav (german: Primislau) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,000 people. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Admin ...
in 2019.
Sights
The landmark of Sedlčany and its oldest building is the Church of Saint Martin. The original Romanesque church, which was as old as the town, was completely rebuilt in the Gothic style in 1374. A tower with Romanesque-Gothic windows has been preserved from the original church. The building was originally fortified. A free-standing Renaissance belfry belongs to the church. The interior decoration includes an extensive fresco of the Adoration of the Three Kings
Notable people

*
Joseph Radetzky von Radetz (1766–1858), field marshal
*
Karel Baxa
Karel Baxa (24 June 1863 – 5 January 1938) was a Czech politician in Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and then in Czechoslovakia. He is most known for his long term position as mayor of Prague (''Primátor hlavního města Prahy'').
Advocacy
Baxa, ne ...
(1863–1938), mayor of Prague
*
Jindřiška Flajšhansová
Jindřiška Flajšhansová (4 September 1868 – 30 May 1931) was a Czech teacher, editor, and women's rights activist. Trained as a teacher, when she married, Flajšhansová was forced to give up the profession. She turned her attention to th ...
(1868–1931), writer and women's rights activist
Twin towns – sister cities
Sedlčany is
twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
*
Taverny, France
*
Wągrowiec County, Poland
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedlcany
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Příbram District