Vysoké Mýto
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Vysoké Mýto (; , also ''Hohenmauth'') is a town in
Ústí nad Orlicí District Ústí nad Orlicí District () is a Okres, district in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Ústí nad Orlicí, but the most populated town is Česká Třebová. Administrative division Ústí nad Orlicí District ...
in the
Pardubice Region Pardubice Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It is named after its capital Pardubice. As an administrat ...
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 13,000 inhabitants. Its town square is the largest example of its type in the country. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.


Administrative division

Vysoké Mýto consists of ten municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Vysoké Mýto-Město (807) *Choceňské Předměstí (1,677) *Litomyšlské Předměstí (6,275) *Pražské Předměstí (2,706) *Brteč (98) *Domoradice (166) *Knířov (46) *Lhůta (102) *Svařeň (85) *Vanice (107)


Etymology

The predecessor of the town was a small settlement by a trade route called ''Mýto'' (literally ' toll' in Czech). After a new town was founded, it adopted the privilege of collecting the toll. The old settlement was renamed to ''Staré Mýto'' ('old toll') and the new town was called ''Vysoké Mýto'' ('high toll'), probably referring to its location above the old settlement.


Geography

Vysoké Mýto is located about southeast of
Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...
. It lies in the
Svitavy Uplands The Svitavy Uplands or Svitavy Hills () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Pardubice Region and it belongs to the largest mesoregions in the country. Geomorphology The Svitavy Uplands is a ...
. The highest point is at above sea level. The Loučná River flows through the town.


History

The first written mention of Vysoké Mýto is from 1265. It was founded shortly before this year by King Ottokar II as one of the trading centres on the trade route from
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 ...
to
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 ...
, and was inhabited by German settlers. The town square and the network of streets were built in a regular shape, which is preserved to this day. Stone walls with three gates were gradually built around the whole town. In the early 14th century, Vysoké Mýto became a dowry town administered by
Elizabeth Richeza of Poland Elizabeth Richeza of Poland (; ; 1 September 1288 – 19 October 1335), was a Polish princess member of the House of Piast and by her two marriages Queen consort of Bohemia and Poland and Duchess consort of Austria and Styria. She was the on ...
. Thanks to its location on a busy mercantile road it soon became rich. During 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 ...
, the town was occupied several times. Most of the German population left the town and Czech citizens became the majority. After the wars, it became royal town of King
Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...
, who donated it to his wife
Barbara of Cilli Barbara of Cilli or Barbara of Celje ( Hungarian: ''Cillei Borbála'', German: ''Barbara von Cilli,'' Slovenian and Croatian'': Barbara Celjska,'' 1392 – 11 July 1451), was the Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia by marriage ...
and it became again a dowry town. Vysoké Mýto was devastated by fires between 1461 and 1517. Thanks to its wealth, the town recovered and new buildings were building, including stone houses on the square, the new town hall, and the Church of the Holy Trinity. In the 16th century, the town prospered and crafts developed. Cloth and knives were exported abroad. The prosperity ended with the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
and several fires in the 18th century. During the 19th century, new development occurred, and the town became a cultural centre. A Czech-language theatre was established in 1825, the first public library in the region was established in 1839, and the town museum was founded in 1871. At the end of the 19th century, Vysoké Mýto was industrialized and two big engineering and machine-building companies were founded. Until 1918, Vysoké Mýto was part of
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, head of the district of the same name, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in
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 ...
.


Demographics


Economy

The most important employer in the town is Iveco Czech Republic and its
Iveco Bus Iveco Bus, formerly Irisbus, is a bus manufacturer with headquarters in Turin. Iveco Bus is now only a brand division of Iveco which is a company incorporated under Dutch law and listed on Borsa Italiana. History Iveco (1975–1999) In 1975 F ...
factory (previously
Karosa Karosa (, ) was a bus manufacturer in Vysoké Mýto in the Czech Republic. It was the biggest manufacturer of buses in Czechoslovakia. In 2007, its name was changed to Iveco, Iveco Czech Republic, and now the company produces buses under the name ...
), which produces buses under the brands
Irisbus Crossway The Iveco Bus Crossway is an urban and intercity bus produced by Iveco Bus since 2006. Features Body is semi-self-supporting with Vehicle frame, frame and engine with manual gearbox and automatic gearbox placed to the rear ('pusher bus'). Only ...
,
Irisbus Arway The Irisbus Arway (SFR160) is a class of single-decker intercity buses produced by Irisbus in Vysoké Mýto, Czech Republic. The Arway was a single-decker coach for suburban routes. The bus was designed to replace the MyWay (original Ive ...
and Iveco Urbanway. With more than 3,000 employees, Iveco Czech Republic is the largest industrial company in the Pardubice Region.


Transport

The I/35 road (part of the
European route E442 European route E 442 is part of the international E-road network. Route * ** E48, E49 Karlovy Vary ** E55 Teplice ** E65 Turnov ** E67 Hradec Králové ** E462 Olomouc * ** E50, E75 Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of Eur ...
), which replaces the unfinished section of the D35 motorway from
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 ...
to the
Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...
, passes through the town. Vysoké Mýto lies on a railway line heading from
Litomyšl Litomyšl (; ) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. It is a former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see. Litomyšl is known for the château-type castle complex of the Lit ...
to
Choceň Choceň (; ) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,600 inhabitants. Administrative division Choceň consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 c ...
.


Sport

The town's football club is SK Vysoké Mýto. It plays in lower amateur tiers.


Sights

The quadrangle square named Přemysla Otakara II. Square is the largest square of its type in the Czech Republic. The Old Town Hall from 1433 is one of the oldest stone buildings in the town. It was rebuilt several times, last in 1828 in the
Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 duri ...
. Today it houses the tourist information centre, the Town Gallery and an exposition on the manufacture of car bodies. In the middle of the square is a Baroque Marian column from 1714. The Church of Saint Lawrence is a large cathedral from the second half of the 13th century. It was reconstructed after the fire in the 16th century, and the near Renaissance belfry was erected in 1585. The current appearance of the church is result of purist restoration from the late 19th century. Nowadays the premises of the belfry are used by the Town Gallery. The Church of the Holy Trinity was built in the Renaissance style with Gothic elements in 1543. Most of the town fortifications from the 14th century were demolished in the 18th century. Some fragments are preserved to this day, including the Prague Gate and Litomyšl Gate. The tower of the Prague Gate is open to the public as a lookout tower. The Vysoké Mýto Regional Museum, which was founded in 1871, is the oldest town museum in the country.


Notable people

* Bedřich Bridel (1619–1680), writer, poet and missionary * Dismas Hataš (1724–1777), violinist and composer * Alois Vojtěch Šembera (1807–1882), linguist and historian of literature * Josef Jireček (1825–1888), scholar * Hermenegild Jireček (1827–1909), jurisconsult * Hermann Škorpil (1858–1923), Czech-Bulgarian archaeologist and museum worker * Karel Škorpil (1859–1944), Czech-Bulgarian archaeologist and museum worker * František Ventura (1894–1969), equestrian, Olympic winner * Maria Tauberová (1911–2003), opera singer * Ladislav Trpkoš (1915–2004), basketball player * Zdeněk Mlynář (1930–1997), politologist and politician * Marie Málková (born 1941), actress * Josef Krečmer (born 1958), violoncellist * Luboš Kubík (born 1964), football player and coach * Jan Jiraský (born 1973), pianist and pedagogue * Lukáš Horníček (born 2002), footballer


Twin towns – sister cities

Vysoké Mýto is twinned with: * Dolni Chiflik, Bulgaria *
Korbach Korbach (), officially the Hanseatic City of Korbach (German language, German: Hansestadt Korbach), is the district seat of Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany. It is over a thousand years old and is located on the German Timber-Frame Ro ...
, Germany * Odessos District (Varna), Bulgaria *
Ozorków Ozorków () is a town on the Bzura River in central Poland, with 19,128 inhabitants (2020). It has been situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (Lodz Province) since 1919. History The city's history dates back to the fifteenth century. In 1415 a sma ...
, Poland * Pyrzyce, Poland * Spišská Belá, Slovakia


References


External links

*
Museum in Vysoké Mýto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vysoke Myto Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Ústí nad Orlicí District