Světlá nad Sázavou (; ) is a town in

Havlíčkův Brod District Havlíčkův Brod District () is a district in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Havlíčkův Brod. Administrative division Havlíčkův Brod District is divided into three administrative districts of municip ...

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 6,400 inhabitants. It is known for a large women's prison.

Administrative division

Světlá nad Sázavou consists of 15 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Světlá nad Sázavou (6,051) *Benetice (30) *Dolní Březinka (197) *Dolní Dlužiny (14) *Horní Březinka (77) *Horní Dlužiny (38) *Josefodol (125) *Kochánov (59) *Leštinka (38) *Lipnička (106) *Mrzkovice (159) *Opatovice (49) *Radostovice (64) *Závidkovice (99) *Žebrákov (31)

Geography

Světlá nad Sázavou is located about northwest of

Havlíčkův Brod Havlíčkův Brod (, until 1945 Německý Brod; ) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban mon ...

and northwest 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 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 Žebrákovský kopec at above sea level. The Sázava River flows through the town. The Sázavka Stream flows into the Sázava on the eastern outskirts of the town, and several other smaller streams also flow into the Sázava within the municipal territory. There are several fishponds in the municipal territory.

History

The first written mention of Světlá is from 1207. It was founded during the colonization in the second half of the 12th century. Světlá experienced the greatest development during the rule of the Trčka of Lípa family, which acquired it after the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

and owned it until 1607. In the 17th century, the glassmaking tradition was founded in Světlá.

Demographics

Economy

The glassmaking tradition continues to this day. Crystal Bohemia, the largest Czech glass company, has owned a local production plant since 2020. The Světlá nad Sázavou Prison is the main employer in Světlá nad Sázavou. It is a large prison for women with all levels of security, employing more than 300 people. In 2022, its capacity was expanded to 955 convicts.

Transport

Světlá nad Sázavou is located on the railway lines

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 ...

–

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 ...

and

–

Ledeč nad Sázavou Ledeč nad Sázavou (; until 1921 Ledeč) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Cz ...

. The train station dates from the 1870s and is protected as a cultural monument.

Sights

The main sight of the town is the Světlá nad Sázavou Castle. It was probably originally a fortress, rebuilt into a castle by Burian Trčka of Lípa in 1567. Today the castle is open to the public and houses several expositions, and a part of the castle is used as a hotel. Next to the castle is an English park with an area of , founded in 1871. A significant building is the Church of Saint Wenceslaus. It was originally a Gothic church, rebuilt in the Renaissance and Baroque styles. It has an atypical tower. The second landmark of the town square is the town hall, built at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Notable people

Jaroslav Panuška Jaroslav Panuška (3 March 1872 – 1 August 1958) was a Czech painter and illustrator. Biography Born in 1872 in Hořovice, Jaroslav Panuška was the son of a land surveyor. He studied art in Prague under Julius Mařák, becoming one of t ...

(1872–1958), painter and illustrator; lived here in 1923–1958 *

Oskar Morawetz Oskar Morawetz, (January 17, 1917 – June 13, 2007) was a Canadian composer. Biography Morawetz was born in Světlá nad Sázavou, Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic), into a Jewish family. He studied piano and theory in Prague and, follow ...

(1917–2007), Canadian composer *

Martina Krupičková Martina Krupičková () (born 15 September 1975) is a Czech oil on canvas artist. Early life Martina Krupičková was born in the Czech town of ''Světlá nad Sázavou'', which is approximately 100 km from Prague, Czech Republic. In 199 ...

(born 1975), painter

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Svetla nad Sazavou Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Havlíčkův Brod District