Vilémov is a market 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 1,000 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Vilémov consists of nine municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Vilémov (552) *Dálčice (32) *Hostovlice (48) *Jakubovice (15) *Klášter (195) *Košťany (5) *Spytice (60) *Ždánice (22) *Zhoř (2)

Etymology

The name is derived from Abbot Vilém, who was one of the founders of Vilémov.

Geography

Vilémov is located about north 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 north 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 a hill at above sea level. The market town is situated on the Hostačovka stream. The Doubravka brook, a tributary of the Hostačovka, forms the eastern municipal border.

History

Vilémov was founded by the

Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

in 1119 and consisted of a monastery complex and a fortified settlement. The monastery was burned down by the troops of King

Rudolf I of Germany Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany of the Habsburg dynasty from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's imperial election of 1273, election marked the end of the Interregnum (Holy Roman Empire), Great Interregnum whic ...

in 1278, and conquered by the

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

in 1421. The monks then fled to Uherčice and the convent was never restored here. In 1469, armies of

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and ...

and

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad (; ), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the Hussites, but moderate and tolerant toward the ...

clashed near Vilémov in the Battle of Vilémov during the Bohemian–Hungarian War. In 1578, a fortress was built on the foundations of the monastery buildings. A hundred years later, it was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle. In 1684, Vilémov was bought by Count Caretto de Millessimo. He and his family had rebuilt the castle in the Baroque style. They owned the castle until 1852. From 1852 until the confiscation during the World War II, it was owned by the Rajský of Dubnice family. In 1747,

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...

promoted Vilémov 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 2006, Vilémov has restored the market town status.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

Klášter Castle was returned to the Rajský of Dubnice family in 1991 and is in private ownership since then. The dilapidated building has been renovated by the family and now serves as a hotel and restaurant. The Church of Saint Wenceslaus dates was built in the Baroque style in 1726. Its predecessor was a Gothic church consecrated to the Virgin Mary, which served as a parish church of the monastery.

Notable people

* Stanislav Vydra (1741–1804), priest, writer and mathematician; worked here *

Karel Styblo Karel Styblo (26 November 1921, Vilémov – 13 March 1998, The Hague) was a Czech-Dutch physician. Internationally recognized for his work with tuberculosis (TB), he was a medical advisor to the Royal Netherlands Tuberculosis Association, and wa ...

(1921–1998), Czech-Dutch physician

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vilemov Populated places in Havlíčkův Brod District Market towns in the Czech Republic