Opařany () is a municipality and village in

Tábor District Tábor District () is a district in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Tábor. Administrative division Tábor District is divided into two administrative districts of municipalities with extended competenc ...

in the

South Bohemian Region The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''Regions of the Czech Republic, kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western ...

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 1,400 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Opařany consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Opařany (851) *Hodušín (20) *Nové Dvory (62) *Olší (81) *Oltyně (72) *Podboří (111) *Skrýchov u Opařan (119)

Geography

Opařany is located about west of

Tábor Tábor (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populated town in the region. The town was founded by the Hussites in 1420. The historic town centre is well pres ...

and south of

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 ...

. It lies in the

Tábor Uplands Tábor (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populated town in the region. The town was founded by the Hussites in 1420. The historic town centre is well pres ...

. The highest point is the hill Velká hora at above sea level. The

Smutná The Smutná is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Lužnice River. It flows through the South Bohemian Region. It is long. Etymology The name Smutná (literally 'sad' in Czech) refers to the calm character of the river flow. ...

River flows along the western municipal border. There are several fishponds in the municipal territory; the largest of them is Oltyňský rybník, built on the stream Oltyňský potok.

History

The first written mention of Opařany is from 1268, when King

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II (; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Austria, Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his death in 1278 ...

bought Opařany together with the brewery. From 1437 to 1547, it was property of the town of Tábor. 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 ...

affected the village, the population declined and the buildings fell into disrepair. In the early 18th century, the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

acquired Opařany. After canceling the Jesuit Order in 1773, their properties were acquired by a study fund, and in 1825 the estate was gained by the Paar noble family.

Demographics

Transport

The I/19 road (the section from

Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...

passes through the municipal territory. The I/29 road splits from it in Oltyně and continues to

Písek Písek (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 31,000 inhabitants. The town is known for the oldest bridge in the country. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument z ...

via the village of Opařany.

Sport

In Opařany is annually held motorcycle cross country race called ''Enduro''.

Sights

In 1727, the Jesuits built a Baroque residence with the Church of Saint Francis Xavier as a resemblance to the church in Prague

Clementinum The Clementinum () is a historic complex of buildings in Prague which houses the National Library of the Czech Republic. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries; the City Library was also nearby on M ...

. Its interior belongs to one of the most interesting work of art in central Europe. As an author of the project of the church was authorized

Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer (; 1 September 1689 – 18 December 1751) was a German Bohemians, German Bohemian architect of the Baroque architecture, Baroque era. He is among the most prolific and renowned architects of his era in Bohemia. He was bo ...

. Since 1923, the building of Opařany Castle has served as a children psychiatric hospital. In Oltyně part of Opařany there is the Oltyně Castle. It was built in the Neo-Renaissance style in 1859 on the site of an old fortress. Its part is a large

English park English Park is a football (soccer), football stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is the home stadium of Canterbury United, which competes in the ASB Premiership, as well as Western AFC which currently compete in the Mainland Premier League. ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oparany Villages in Tábor District