Kunštát (; ) is a town in

Blansko District Blansko District () is a Okres, district in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Blansko. Administrative division Blansko District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with exten ...

in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region (; , ; ), or just South Moravia, is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, th ...

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 2,900 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Kunštát consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Kunštát (1,903) *Hluboké u Kunštátu (61) *Rudka (215) *Sychotín (242) *Touboř (25) *Újezd (288)

Geography

Kunštát is located about northwest of

Blansko Blansko (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Svitava River on the border of the Moravian Karst. It is mainly an industrial town. Administrative division Blansko consi ...

and north 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 the

Upper Svratka Highlands The Upper Svratka Highlands (, ) is a mountain range in Moravia, Czech Republic. The Highlands, together with the Křižanov Highlands threshold, form the Western-Moravian part of Moldanubian Zone – east south part of Bohemian Massif. Geogra ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. The Petrůvka stream flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Kunštát is from 1279, when the owner of the estate and the builder of the castle was Kuna and the settlement was named after him. Lords of Kunštát held the estate until 1521. The most famous of the family was King

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad (; ), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the Hussites, but moderate and tolerant toward the ...

, who was the owner of Kunštát manor from 1427 to 1464. In 1678, the manor was bought by the Counts of Lamberg. The Lambergs had the

Kunštát Castle Kunštát Castle () is a castle in Kunštát in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. History The castle is located on the site of a former Romanesque castle, first mentioned in 1279. The castle was founded not later than in the mid-13t ...

rebuilt into an early Baroque representative family residence. The free lords of Honrichs of Wolfswarffen owned the estate from 1783 to 1901 and made a Neoclassical modification of the castle. The last noble holders of the town were the Counts Coudenhove-Honrichs in 1901–1945. In 1994, Kunštát became a town.

Demographics

Economy

Kunštát has a long tradition of

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

which began soon after establishment of the town. A potters guild was set up in 1620, joining together ten local potters. The craft reached its peak in the 19th century. Pottery fairs are held in the town since 1993. Today, private workshops hold the tradition.

Transport

The I/19 road connects Kunštát with

Žďár nad Sázavou Žďár nad Sázavou (; ) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. 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 Wor ...

and with a road to Brno.

Sights

The

is the main sight of the town. The original Romanesque-Gothic castle from the mid-13th century was rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries into the current form. It has preserved parts of all construction periods and is one of the oldest aristocratic castles in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. The castle complex is surrounded by a park and garden. Unique is the dog cemetery located next to the castle. The Church of Saint Stanislaus Church is the main landmark of the town centre. It was originally built in the 15th century and was rebuilt in 1687. Other sights on the square are a statue of

from 1885, a Baroque house from 1756, and the rectory from the late 18th century. The second church in the town is the cemetery Church of the Holy Spirit, which was built before 1670 and rebuilt in 1738. In the local part of Rudka on the slope of Milenka hill is a complex with Burian observation tower and Blaník Knights Cave. It is a sandstone cave and underground gallery. Statues of the Knights of Blaník, including the statue of St. Wenceslaus, were created in the cave. The landmark of the complex was a high statue of

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech name, Czech and Slovak name, Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas (name), Thomas. Tomáš is also a surname (feminine: Tomášová). Notable people with the name include: Given name Sport *Tomáš Berdych (born 198 ...

, but was destroyed during the World War II and only shoes are preserved.

Notable people

František Halas František Halas (3 October 1901 – 27 October 1949) was a Czechs, Czech poet, translator and politician. He was one of the most significant Czech lyric poets of the 20th century. His poor background influenced his work as well as his communist v ...

(1901–1949), poet; lived here and is buried here *

Ludvík Kundera Ludvík Kundera (22 March 1920 – 17 August 2010) was a Czech writer, translator, poet, playwright, editor and literary historian. He was a notable exponent of Czech avant-garde literature and a prolific translator of German authors. In 2007, h ...

(1920–2010), poet, dramatist and translator

Gallery

Zámek Kunštát, okres Blansko (14).jpg, View of the town Městský úřad, Kunštát, okres Blansko.jpg, Town hall Kunštát - náměstí.jpg, Fountains on Krále Jiřího Square

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunstat Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Blansko District