Chrast () is a town in Chrudim District in the

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region ( cs, Pardubický kraj; , ; pl, Kraj pardubicki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It ...

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 3,100 inhabitants. The historic centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Villages of Chacholice, Podlažice and Skála are administrative parts of Chrast.

Geography

Chrast is located about southeast of

Chrudim Chrudim () is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest town of the region. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Admi ...

and southeast of Pardubice. It lies in the

Svitavy Uplands The Svitavy Uplands or Svitavy Hills ( cs, Svitavská pahorkatina) are highland, uplands and a Geomorphological division of the Czech Republic, geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Pardubice Region and it belongs ...

. The highest point is the elevated plain Kostecká hůra at above sea level. The town is situated on the right bank of the small river Žejbro. Horecký Pond is located south of the town.

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"; cs, Obří kniha) is the largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript in the world, at a length of . Very large illuminated bibles were a typical feature of Romanesque monastic book production, but even w ...

'' (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 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 ...

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.

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 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 (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Krá ...

(1735–1794), Bishop of Hradec Králové; 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 al ...

(1775–1844), painter *

Ludwig August von Frankl Ludwig may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ludwig (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Ludwig (surname), including a list of people * Ludwig Ahgren, or simply Ludwig, American YouTube live streamer and co ...

(1810–1894), Bohemian-Austrian writer and poet

References

External links

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