Rájec-Jestřebí () 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 3,700 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Rájec-Jestřebí consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Rájec (2,349) *Jestřebí (958) *Holešín (210) *Karolín (88)

Geography

Rájec-Jestřebí is located about north 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

Drahany Highlands Drahany is a market town in Prostějov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Etymology According to one theory, the name is derived from the personal name Drahan. According to other theory, it is deriv ...

. The highest point is the hill Spálená hora at above sea level. The town is situated at the confluence of the Svitava River and the Býkovka Stream.

History

The first written mention of Rájec is in a deed of

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

bishop

Jindřich Zdík Jindřich Zdík (also anglicized as ''Henry Zdík''; – 1150 in Prague) was a Czech bishop and diplomat. He served as bishop of Olomouc from 1126 to 1150. He was a promoter of church reforms and is considered one of the most educated Czechs of ...

from 1141. There were two 13th-century castles that were probably destroyed in the struggles between Margrave

Jobst of Moravia Jobst of Moravia ( or ''Jošt Lucemburský''; or ''Jodokus von Mähren''; – 18 January 1411), a member of the House of Luxembourg, was Margrave of Moravia from 1375, Duke of Luxembourg and Elector of Brandenburg from 1388 as well as elected K ...

and his brother

Prokop Prokop may mean either of two Hussite generals, both of whom died in the 1434 battle of Lipan: * Prokop the Great * Prokop the Lesser Other people who bore the name Prokop: * Procopius Procopius of Caesarea (; ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; ...

. It the 14th century, they were referred to as ruins. The first written mention of Jestřebí is from 1371, when it was owned by the Lords of Bořitov. In 1570, one of the castle ruins was completely rebuilt by Bernard Drnovský to a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

residence. After the male followers of the Drnovský family became extinct in 1618, it was owned by Johanna Drnovská, who married

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

n count Georg Ehrenreich of Roggendorf. After her death in 1667, Rájec was acquired by the Roggendorf family. In 1757, Rájec Castle was completely destroyed by fire. In 1763, Antonín Karel of Salm-Reifferscheid bought Rájec and had the Neoclassical castle built in 1763–1769. The English park was founded in 1767 and extended to its current form is 1830. 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 ...

, the Salm-Reifferscheid family was disseized and expelled. In 1960, the municipalities of Rájec and Jestřebí merged. In 1973, Rájec-Jestřebí obtained the town status.

Demographics

Transport

Rájec-Jestřebí is located on the railway line

–

Letovice Letovice () is a town in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. Administrative division Letovice consists of 17 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): * ...

Sights

The main landmark is the

Rájec nad Svitavou Castle Rájec nad Svitavou Castle (, ) is an early Neoclassical aristocratic residence in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic. Geography The castle is located in the village of Rájec (part of Rájec-Jestřebí), about north of Blansko and nort ...

. It was built in the Neoclassical style in 1763–1769. Today it is owned by the state and open to the public. It contains various collections and one of the largest castle libraries with over 60,000 volumes. For its value, it is protected as a national cultural monument. The Church of All Saints in Rájec was first mentioned in 1350. The tower was added in 1574. During the rule of the Roggendorfs, the Gothic structure was rebuilt in the Baroque style.

Notable people

Milan Horálek Milan Horálek (27 November 1931 in Rájec-Jestřebí – 13 November 2012) was a Czech economist and politician. He served as the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the former Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and ...

(1931–2012), economist and politician

References

External links

*
Rájec Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajec-Jestrebi Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Blansko District