Points of interest around Křižanov
Website for the region in English: www.mikroregionvmb.cz/home.html
Křižanov
According to folk-tale Křižanov was founded around the year 686. However, the first
written record about the village is from 1240. The owner of the village then was
Přibyslav from Křižanov, important nobleman and colonizer. At that time, there was
already a castle in the village. In the year 1293 the village became a market-town. The
old castle had been destroyed during the Hussite Wars and lay in ruins until 1560 when
it was bought by Zdeněk Lhotský from Ptení. He contrived a reconstruction into a Renaissance
chateau. Later after a fire in 1710, it was modified into a Baroque style. Other historical buildings in
the town include the church of St. Wenceslas (Kostel sv. Václava) with some preserved Romanesque
parts from 1230-1240; today’s appearance is from the reconstruction around the year 1450. The townhall was build in the middle of the 14th century, and it was reconstructed in the 16th century.
Brno
Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the southeast of the country. It was
founded in 1243, although the area had been settled since the 5th century. As of December 2009 the
population is 405,337. Brno is the capital of the South Moravian Region as well as the seat of the
Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court,
the Supreme Prosecutor's Office and the Ombudsman. Traditionally, it has served as the capital of the
historical land Moravia.
Places to see:
Špilberk Castle is one of the dominating features of the Brno skyline. It began to be built as early as
the first half of the 13th century by the Přemyslid kings and complete by King Přemyslid Otakar of
Bohemia. From a major royal castle established around the mid-13th century, and the seat of the
Moravian margraves in the mid-14th century, it was gradually turned into a huge baroque fortress
considered the heaviest prison in the Austro-Hungarian empire, and then into barracks. This prison had
always been part of the Špilberk fortress. It currently houses the Brno City Museum. Among other
things, visitors can see underground casemates with a torture chamber and rack as well as the
dungeons of well-known prisoners - baron Trenk, bandit Babinský and others.
The observation tower of the Old Town Hall, which is nearly 63 meters high, gives a view over the
whole city. Brno Information Centre today uses the Old Town Hall for its offices and exhibitions.
Cabbage Market (Zelný trh) with the Parnas Fountain is situated in the middle of the historical city
centre. It was already established when the city itself was established in the 13th century.
In Brno you can find one of the most important buildings of the Modern Movement (Functionalism) Villa Tugendhat. One of the most famous European architects, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, started to
build this villa in June 1929, which was built for the Tugendhats, a newly married couple. The architect had no financial limitations; therefore, construction materials and equipment were top quality. The
Tugendhats moved to the villa in 1930. They lived there only till the year 1938, when they had to flee
the Nazis. Villa has survived until today in its original form. It is currently owned by the City of Brno,
which made it accessible to the public and will carry out a complete renovation. It is the very first
monument of modern architecture in the Czech Republic and only the fourth worldwide, which has
received the prestigious UNESCO designation.
Among other important sights in Brno belong Reduta – one of the oldest theatre buildings in Central
Europe, Freedom Square - the largest and oldest square in Brno, St. James Church, Jan Amos
Komenský Church („Red Church“), St. Thomas Monastery Church, St. Michael Church, Capuchin
Crypt and Měnín Gate.
The city website: www2.brno.cz/index.php?lan=en
Other sources: www.marys.eu/czech-republic/brno/ , en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brno
Velké Meziříčí
The first written records of the town come from the twelfth century. The settlement obtained full town
privileges in 1408; the rights were approved by the king of Bohemia Václav IV. in 1417. The
historical centre was designated as conserved zone of sights where the castle (formerly a stronghold
from the 12th century, which is very well preserved, and hosts, among other, The Museum of Roads
and Highways), the Gothic St. Nicolas Church, an originally Gothic City Hall, the Renaissance
Lutheran Grammar School, two Jewish Synagogues and partly preserved city walls with a gate are the
most significant buildings. An independent Jewish community had been living in the city since the
seventeenth century – a well-preserved Jewish graveyard with Baroque tombstones comes from the
17th century.
This city is very close to Křižanov. It can even be reached by foot (about 8 km) using the red marked
turistic trail
which goes by the airfield.
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velk%C3%A9_Mezi%C5%99%C3%AD%C4%8D%C3%AD
Žďár nad Sázavou
The history of Žďár nad Sázavou is closely associated with the development of the Cistercian
monastery in Žďár and dates back to the second half of the 13th century. Cardinal František of
Ditrichštejn promoted the small village of Žďár to a town in 1607. The former monastery developed
the present form during large reconstructions in the time of Abbot Václav Vejmluva in the first half of
the 18th century. The reconstructions were designed by architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel. The
pilgrimage church of St. John of Nepomuk on Green Hill is the highest achievement of his work and a
unique architectural monument, which was included on the Word Heritage of UNESCO in December
1994.
There was a steep rise in population, associated with construction of the ŽĎAS machinery works in
the 1950s. The design of the town and of the whole landscape has changed a lot. A modern, administration and commercial centre and new neighborhoods were built.
Website: www.zdarns.cz/en/o-meste.asp
Telč
Telč was founded in 13th century as a royal water fort on the crossroads of busy merchant routes
between Bohemia, Moravia and Austria. Besides the monumental 17th century Renaissance chateau
with an English-style park (a rebuilding of original Gothic castle), the most significant sight is the
town square, a unique complex of long urban plaza with well-conserved Renaissance and Baroque
houses with high gables and arcades; since 1992 all of this has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Website: www.telc-etc.cz/telc/?lang=EN
Jihlava
Jihlava is the oldest mining town in the Czech Republic. First written record mentioning the name of
the settlement comes from the year 1233. Around the year 1240 when the settlement was acquired by
the king Václav I, it became a mining town. Today among the principal buildings are the early gothic
churches of St. Jacob, Friars Minor church of Our Lady and Dominican church of Holy Cross, baroque
church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Municipal Hall and number of municipal houses containing
gothic and renaissance details. There is also a Jewish cemetery, containing some remarkable
monuments including tombstone of the parents of Gustav Mahler. It is also possible to visit
underground corridors, second in length in the Czech Republic.
Website: tic.jihlava.cz/en/
Třebíč
The oldest record of Třebíč dates from 1101 - the year when the Benedictine Order founded their
monastery there. Over the centuries of its existence Třebíč has become an important industrial,
administrative, political, cultural and entertainment metropolis of southwestern Moravia. The presentday Třebíč is a city with the population of 40,000. Its industrial sector is based not only on traditional
trades, such as footwear production, tool-machinery and wood-processing industries, but also on such
progressive technologies as the nuclear energy production. Notable points of interest include the
Jewish Quarter and St. Procopius' Basilica, both listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Website: www.trebic.cz/en/
Pernštejn castle
Pernštejn castle was founded by the Lords of Medlov probably between 1270-1285. It has kept its
intact appearance in the Gothic and Renaissance form as it was finished in the first half of the 16th
century by the Pernštejns, then the richest and most powerful lordly family of the Czech kingdom.
Pernštejn is one of the most preserved castles in Czech Republic.
www.travel.cz/guide/138/index_en.html
Hikes in the surroundings of Vír
9 km hike from Vír to Karasín lookout tower by the red touristic trail, and back by the green trail.
Another possible hike from Vír by the red trail in opposite direction to the ruins of the castle Pyšolec,
and Zubštejn. Then by yellow trail back (about 9 km), or by longer alternative by blue trail to
Aueršperk ruins, then down to the river Bystřice, and back along it (total about 13 km).
Náměšť nad Oslavou
The dominating landmark of Náměšť is the Gothic castle high above the river, built in the midthirteenth century; between 1565-1578 it was rebuilt into a Renaissance-style. The bridge across the
Oslava river ranks among the town´s monuments which should be visited by every visitor. After the
bridge of Pisek, south Bohemia, and Prague´s Charles Bridge, it is the third oldest stone bridge
preserved in the Czech Lands. It was built in 1737 by Václav Adrian of Enckenvoirt, and in 1744,
under the Kufeštejns, it was decorated with twenty statues of Saints and Archangels. There is also a
military airport base few kilometers south of the city.
Website: www.namestnosl.cz/english/index.html
Moravský Krumlov
Moravský Krumlov is the current home of The Slav Epic picture collection consisting of 20 very large
canvases painted by Czech Art Nouveau painter Alfons Mucha between 1910 and 1928. It is on a
permanent display at the town’s Chateau, but the city of Prague is insisting on moving it to Prague
according to Mucha’s last will.
Epic’s website: epopej.cz/epopej_gb.html