Žďár Nad Sázavou
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Žďár nad Sázavou (; ) is a town in the
Vysočina Region The Vysočina Region (; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Jihlava. The region is located in the central part of the country. It is one of just three in the country (the others being Prague and the Central Boh ...
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 20,000 inhabitants. The town is an industrial and tourist centre. It is known for the Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk, which is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
.


Administrative division

Žďár nad Sázavou consists of 12 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Žďár nad Sázavou 1 (3,909) *Žďár nad Sázavou 2 (2,139) *Žďár nad Sázavou 3 (4,764) *Žďár nad Sázavou 4 (2,608) *Žďár nad Sázavou 5 (1,598) *Žďár nad Sázavou 6 (3,069) *Žďár nad Sázavou 7 (1,342) *Žďár nad Sázavou 8 (76) *Mělkovice (127) *Radonín (63) *Stržanov (266) *Veselíčko (163)


Etymology

Žďár is a common Czech toponymy. In the Middle Ages, the Old Czech word ''žďár'' denoted a place where the forest had been cleared and burned to make way for meadows and fields.


Geography

Žďár nad Sázavou is located about northeast of
Jihlava Jihlava (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. Jihlava is the capital of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava (river), Jihlava River on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia. Historically, Jihla ...
and northwest of
Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
. It lies in a hilly landscape of the Křižanov Highlands and is one of the highest municipalities in the country with a population of over 10,000. The highest point is the hill Holý kopec at above sea level. Žďár nad Sázavou is situated on the Sázava River. The municipal territory is rich in fishponds. The largest body of water is Pilská Reservoir, which was built in 1959–1962 and today it serves as a recreational area, for fishing and as protection against floods.


History

Žďár was founded as a settlement of nearby
Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
monastery, which was established in 1252. The original settlement was soon moved on the left bank of the Sázava, in the site of today's historic centre. In 1293, Žďár was first referred to as a
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
. From 1588, Žďár came under administration of Olomouc Bishopric, but remained loyal to the Cistercian monastery, which resulted in a long-running dispute. In 1606, the monastery was abolished and the dispute settled down. In 1607, Žďár was promoted to a town. The monastery was rebuilt into a castle in 1614. In 1638, the monastery was restored, but was attacked by
Swedish army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...
during the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. The town was ransacked in 1645. After it was destroyed by a great fire, the monastery was abolished in 1784. In the second half of the 19th century, Žďár developed both culturally and economically. In 1898 and 1905, railways were constructed. The first factories were established and part of the old town was rebuilt. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, a large engineering and foundry company ŽĎAS was founded and the population significantly increased. New suburbs were created and in the 1970s the entire historic centre was rebuilt.


Demographics


Economy

The engineering and foundry company ŽĎAS was founded in 1951 and to this day is still one of the most important employers in the region. Other large industrial employers based in the town include Cooper-Standard Automotive ČR (manufacturer of car parts), Hettich ČR (manufacturer of furniture fittings) and Tokoz (Czech manufacturer of keys and fittings).


Transport

The town lies on the crossroads of two first class roads: I/19 (from
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 ...
to with the
Kunštát Kunštát (; ) is a town in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Kunštát consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 cens ...
) and I/37 (connecting
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 ...
with the D1 motorway in
Velká Bíteš Velká Bíteš (until 1924 Velká Byteš) is a town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument ...
) Žďár nad Sázavou is situated on a major railway link from
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
to
Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
, further continuing to Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. It is also the starting point of the lines to
Kolín Kolín (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monume ...
, Velké Meziříčí,
Nové Město na Moravě Nové Město na Moravě (; ) is a town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,800 inhabitants. It is known as a winter sports resort. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protecte ...
and
Tišnov Tišnov (; ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,200 inhabitants. Administrative division Tišnov consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 cens ...
. In addition to the main station, there is a stop in Veselíčko.


Sights

Žďár nad Sázavou is best known for the Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk on the hill Zelená hora, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
. It was designed by
Jan Santini Aichel Jan Blažej Santini Aichel, also spelled Aichl (, ; 3 February 1677 – 7 December 1723) was a Czechs, Czech architect of Italians, Italian descent, whose major works are representative of the unique Czech Baroque architecture#Baroque G ...
. It was built in the Baroque style in 1719–1722. Žďár nad Sázavou Castle houses today serves cultural purposes and houses the New Generation Museum, an audiovisual museum presenting the history of the castle complex and other important buildings in the region. Part of the complex is the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Nicholas of the former monastery. In the centre of the town there is the parish Church of Saint Procopius, which was first mentioned in 1391 and rebuilt in the late Gothic style in 1560. The church tower is open to the public. Next to the church is the Baroque Chapel of Saint Barbara from 1729. The main sight of the town square is the Old Town Hall, a Renaissance building from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries with Neoclassical façade from the 18th century. Post-secondary Vocational School Žďár nad Sázavou exhibits its collection in the Museum of Computer Technology.


Notable people

*
František Drdla František Alois Drdla ( Germanized as Franz Drdla; 28 November 1868 – 3 September 1944) was a prominent Czech concert violinist and composer of light music. Biography Drdla was born in 1868 in Žďár nad Sázavou, in what is now the Czech ...
(1868–1944), violinist and composer * Tomáš Rolinek (born 1980), ice hockey player * Petr Koukal (born 1982), ice hockey player * Eva Vítečková (born 1982), basketball player


Twin towns – sister cities

Žďár nad Sázavou is twinned with: * Cairanne, France *
Flobecq Flobecq (; ; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. It borders to the municipalities of Ellezelles (to the west) and Lessines (to the east) in the same province an ...
, Belgium * Khust, Ukraine *
Leszno Leszno (, , ) is a historic city in western Poland, seat of Leszno County within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Leszno is a former residential cit ...
, Poland * Schmölln, Germany


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zdar Nad Sazavou Populated places in Žďár nad Sázavou District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic