Kuřim (; german: Gurein) is a town in

Brno-Country District Brno-Country District ( cs, okres Brno-venkov) is one of seven districts (''okres'') within South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is in the city of Brno. The most populated town of the district is Kuřim. The dist ...

in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region ( cs, Jihomoravský kraj; , ; sk, Juhomoravský kraj) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia (an exception is Jobova Lhota which trad ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. It is the most populated town of Brno-Country District.

Geography

Kuřim is located about north of Brno. It is situated at the confluence of streams Kuřimka and Luční. It lies in the Bobrava Highlands, the eastern part of the municipal territory extends into the Drahany Highlands. The highest point is the hill Kuřimská hora with an elevation of .

History

The first written mention of Kuřim is from 1226 when the

Margrave of Moravia The Margraviate of Moravia ( cs, Markrabství moravské; german: Markgrafschaft Mähren) was one of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire existing from 1182 to 1918. It was officially administrated by a margrave in cooperat ...

Ottokar I issued a charter about the payment of tithes to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. It was probably founded in the 12th century during the colonization by Přemyslids. In 1570, the settlement was promoted 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 rural ...

, but later lost the title. It was again promoted to a market town in 1785. On 1 July 1973, Kuřim became a town.

Demographics

Economy

In the northern part of the town is an industrial zone. The largest employer is Tyco Electronics Czech, a branch of

TE Connectivity TE Connectivity is an American Swiss-domiciled technology company that designs and manufactures connectors and sensors for several industries, such as automotive, industrial equipment, data communication systems, aerospace, defense, medical, o ...

. There is a prison for convicted men aged 18 years and more on the outskirts of the town. It has a capacity of 498 prisoners and employs 260 people.

Sights

The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene was founded in 1226. It was originally a Romanesque building. After it was burned down in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, it was reconstructed in its today's late Baroque form in 1766–1772. The rectory was also founded in 1226. The original wooden structure was rebuilt after 1806. The original medieval fortress next to the church was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence in 1592–1594. Today the Kuřim Castle houses a school and its courtyard is used for cultural purposes. On the Kuřimská hora Hill is a water chapel of John of Nepomuk, probably built in 1722. The statue of Saint Florian on the town square is from 1679.

Notable people

* Mathias Franz Graf von Chorinsky Freiherr von Ledske (1720–1786), Bishop of Brno; died here * Vladimír Petlák (1946–1999), volleyball player * Danuše Nerudová (born 1979), economist and university professor; lives here

Twin towns – sister cities

Kuřim is twinned with: *

Niepołomice Niepołomice (pronounced ; ) is a town in southern Poland, within the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999). It is situated on the Vistula River, on the verge of the large virgin Niepołomice Forest. There is a 14th-century hunting castle ...

, Poland * Stupava, Slovakia

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurim Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Brno-Country District