Suchdol is a market town in

Kutná Hora District Kutná Hora District () is a Okres, district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Kutná Hora. Administrative division Kutná Hora District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalit ...

in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

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 1,100 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Suchdol consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Suchdol (672) *Dobřeň (199) *Malenovice (51) *Solopysky (78) *Vysoká (72)

Etymology

The name is derived from ''suchý důl'', i.e. 'dry valley' in Czech.

Geography

Suchdol is located about west of

Kutná Hora Kutná Hora (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The history of Kutná Hora is linked to silver mining, which made it a rich and rapidly developing town. The centre of Kutná Hora, i ...

and east 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

Upper Sázava Hills Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

. The highest point is the hill Vysoká at above sea level. The Polepka Stream originates here and flows across the municipal territory.

History

The first written mention of Suchdol is from 1257. The village was promoted to 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 ...

in 1562. In 1666, it was bought by the Sporck family and merged with the Lysá estate. Before it became separate municipality in 1848, it was part of the

Malešov Malešov () is a market town in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division M ...

estate.

Demographics

Transport

The I/2 road (the section from Prague to Kutná Hora) passes through the market town.

Sights

An architectural landmark of Suchdol is the Suchdol Castle. The original Gothic fortress from the 14th century was rebuilt to the current form of a Renaissance castle in the 16th century. Baroque modifications were made in the mid-18th century. It is decorated with sgraffiti. In the second half of the 20th century, the building served as a school and library. Today it houses the municipal office. The Church of Saint Margaret is located next to the castle. It was probably built around 1280. Baroque reconstruction took place in 1746–1747. There are three other churches in the villages within the municipal territory: Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Vysoká, Church of Saint Wenceslaus in Dobřeň, and Church of Saint Bartholomew in Solopysky. On Vysoká Hill is a ruin of the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist, now called "Belveder". It was founded by

Franz Anton von Sporck Franz Anton von Sporck, Count (, ) (9 March 1662 in Lysá nad Labem or Heřmanův Městec – 30 March 1738 in Lysá nad Labem) was a German-speaking literatus and patron of the arts who lived in the province of Bohemia in what is now the Czech ...

and built in 1695–1697, but it was destroyed by fire after being struck by lightning in 1834. Next to the chapel is a high steel observation tower, which also serves as a telecommunications tower.

Notable people

František Kmoch František Kmoch (1 August 1848 – 30 April 1912) was a Czech composer and conductor. Life and career František Kmoch was born in Zásmuky near Kolín, Bohemia. His father was a tailor and a clarinetist who performed folk music. As a child, Fran ...

(1848–1912), composer and conductor; lived and worked here as a teacher in 1869–1873

In popular culture

A recreation of Suchdol and its castle as it existed in is depicted in the 2025 Czech role-playing game '' Kingdom Come: Deliverance II''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suchdol (Kutna Hora District) Market towns in the Czech Republic