Humpolec (; german: Humpoletz) is a town in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina 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 11,000 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Brunka, Hněvkovice, Kletečná, Krasoňov, Lhotka, Petrovice, Plačkov, Rozkoš, Světlice, Světlický Dvůr and Vilémov are administrative parts of Humpolec.

Geography

Humpolec is located about northwest of

Jindřichův Hradec Jindřichův Hradec (; german: Neuhaus) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument rese ...

, roughly halfway between

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

and

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

. It lies in the

Křemešník Highlands Křemešník is a mountain in the municipality of Nový Rychnov in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. The mountain lies near the town of Pelhřimov and is part of Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. With an elevation of above sea level, it is ...

. The hill Krásná vyhlídka with an altitude of is the highest point of the municipal territory. There is a significant amount of small ponds, some of them are in the urban area.

History

The first written mention of Humpolec is from 1178. In the 13th–15th centuries it was a silver mining town. Humpolec became known for drapery production from the 17th century, which reached its peak in the 19th century.

Demographics

Economy

Humpolec is traditionally an industrial town. The largest employer is Valeo Compressor Europe, a manufacturer of compressors for cars. Since 1597, the

Bernard Brewery Bernard Brewery (officially in Czech ''Rodinný pivovar Bernard'') is a brewery in Humpolec, Czech Republic, founded in 1597. The brewery produces Pasteurization, non-pasteurised beers. It is the biggest brewery in the Vysočina Region. In 20 ...

is established in the town.

Transport

The D1 motorway passes through Humpolec. The railroad of local importance Humpolec –

Havlíčkův Brod Havlíčkův Brod (, until 1945 Německý Brod; german: Deutschbrod) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law ...

begins here.

Notable people

Jan Želivský Jan Želivský (1380 in Humpolec – 9 March 1422 in Prague) was a prominent Czech priest during the Hussite Reformation. Life Želivský preached at Church of Saint Mary Major. He was one of a few Utraquist Utraquism (from the Latin ''sub u ...

(1380–1422), priest *

Aleš Hrdlička Alois Ferdinand Hrdlička, after 1918 changed to Aleš Hrdlička (; March 30,HRDLICKA, ALES ...

(1869–1943), Czech-American anthropologist * Josef Stránský (1872–1936), composer and conductor of the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

* Anna Sychravová (1873–1925), politician * Jaroslav Augusta (1878–1970), painter * Jan Zábrana (1931–1984), writer and translator; lived here as a child *

Ivan Martin Jirous Ivan Martin Jirous (23 September 1944 – 9 November 2011) was a Czech poet and dissident, best known as the artistic director of the Czech psychedelic rock group The Plastic People of the Universe, and later one of the key figures of the Czech u ...

(1944–2011), poet, underground writer and dissident * Joseph Drapell (born 1940), Czech-Canadian painter * Dusan Kadlec (1942–2018), Czech-Canadian painter * Miluše Horská (born 1959), politician *

David Holoubek David Holoubek (born 8 June 1980) is a Czech football manager who is currently the manager of Czech Republic U19. Career Early career In his player career he played in 3rd Czech league. His manager career started in Humpolec. He moved to Pragu ...

(born 1980), football manager * Jan Kopic (born 1990), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Humpolec is twinned with: *

Námestovo Námestovo ( hu, Námesztó; pl, Namiestów) is a town in northern Slovakia. It is the capital and largest town of Námestovo District in the Žilina Region. its population was 7,827. Etymology The name is derived from a word ''námesta'' (a r ...

, Slovakia

References

External links

*
Brewery in Humpolec
{{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Pelhřimov District