Svratka () is a 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 1,400 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Svratka consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Svratka (1,102) *Česká Cikánka (60) *Moravská Cikánka (16) *Moravská Svratka (151)

Etymology

The town was named after the Svratka river. The river's name was derived from the old Czech verb ''sworti'', which meant 'to meander'.

Geography

Svratka is located about northeast 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 northeast of

Jihlava Jihlava (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. Jihlava is the capital of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava (river), Jihlava River on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia. Historically, Jihla ...

. It lies on the border between 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 ...

and the

Iron Mountains The Iron Mountains are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These mountains are located around the common meeting point of Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. A portion of the Appalachian Trail runs the crest of the Iron Mountains ab ...

. The highest point is above sea level. The Svratka River flows through the town, forming the historical border between

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

and

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 town lies within the Žďárské vrchy Protected Landscape Area.

History

The first written mention of Svratka is from 1350. Important noble families took turns in ownership of Svratka: Lords of Pardubice,

Poděbrady family The Bohemian Poděbrady family () was a noble family in Bohemia, arising from the Lords of Kunštát. After Boček I of Poděbrady, Boček of Kunštát (d. 1373) had acquired the Lordship of Poděbrady by marriage, he called himself "Boček of ...

Berka of Dubá Berka of Dubá () was a cadet branch of a Bohemian noble family of Lords of Dubá established by Hynek Berka of Dubá (1249–1306). It held estates in what is today the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany throughout the Middle Ages. Ancestors ...

family,

Kinsky The House of Kinsky (formerly Vchynští, sg. ''Vchynský'' in Czech; later (in modern Czech) Kinští, sg. ''Kinský''; ) is a prominent Bohemian noble family originating in the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the Thirty Years' War, the Kinsky fam ...

family and

Thurn und Taxis The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (, ) is a family of German nobility that is part of the ''Briefadel''. It was a key player in the mail, postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and ...

family. The 19th century saw industry development, culminating in 1867 with the promotion of Svratka to a town. There was a paper mill and a match factory.

Demographics

Transport

No railways or major roads are passing through the municipality.

Sights

The most valuable monument is the Church of Saint John the Baptist. It has an early Gothic core. The separate bell tower dates from around 1600.

Notable people

Josef Věromír Pleva Josef Věromír Pleva (12 August 1899 – 7 September 1985) was a Czechs, Czech writer of books for children. He is best known for ''Malý Bobeš'', a book that belongs to the most important books of Czech children's literature. Biography Pleva w ...

(1899–1985), writer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Svratka Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Žďár nad Sázavou District