Křižanov is a market town in

Žďár nad Sázavou District Žďár nad Sázavou District () is a Okres, district in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Žďár nad Sázavou. Administrative division Žďár nad Sázavou District is divided into four Districts of the Czech ...

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 1,800 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Křižanov consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Křižanov (1,744) *Bojanov (29) Bojanov forms an

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of the municipal territory.

Geography

Křižanov is located about southeast of

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 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 the

Křižanov Highlands The Křižanov Highlands (, ) is a highland and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Vysočina Region. Geomorphology The Křižanov Highlands is a mesoregion of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands within ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. The Libochovka River flows through the market town. The municipal territory is rich in fishponds.

History

The first written mention of Křižanov is from 1239. From 1297, Křižanov was 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 ...

. The most notable owners of the estate was the

Pernštejn family The House of Pernštejn () was one of the oldest and most important (uradel) families originating from Moravian nobility, along with the House of Rosenberg, that played an important role in the medieval history of Bohemian nobility from the 13th ...

(1486–1560). They established fishponds here and helped the economic prosperity of Křižanov.

Demographics

Transport

The I/37 road, which connects the D1 motorway with Žďár nad Sázavou and continues to

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 ...

, runs through Křižanov. Křižanov is served by the train station named ''Křižanov'' on the lines Prague–Brno,

Hustopeče Hustopeče (; ) is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,400 inhabitants. It is known for fruit and wine growing. Etymology The name of the town is derived from the name of the nobleman and ...

–Křižanov and

Velké Meziříčí Velké Meziříčí (; ) is a town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an urban ...

–Křižanov, which is located in neighbouring Kozlov.

Sights

The Church of Saint Wenceslaus on the town square is an architecturally valuable Gothic building from the second half of the 14th century, when it replaced an old Romanesque church. Originally, the church was fortified. The second landmark of the town square is the town hall. It is a massive free-standing building with a turret. It has undergone a complicated construction development. The Křižanov Castle has a Renaissance core, but its current appearance dates from the 1860s. Today, the institute of social welfare is located there.

Notable people

Zdislava Berka Zdislava Berka, TOSD (also known as Zdislava of Lemberk; 1220–1252) was a Czech Dominican tertiary and philanthropist. She was a wife, mother, and one of the earliest lay Dominicans. She was canonized in 1995. Life Zdislava was from the tow ...

(–1252), saint

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Krizanov Populated places in Žďár nad Sázavou District Market towns in the Czech Republic