Rájec-Jestřebí (german: Raitz-Jestreb) is a town in
Blansko District 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 3,700 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Rájec-Jestřebí is made up of town parts of Rájec and Jestřebí and villages of Holešín and Karolín.
Geography
Rájec-Jestřebí is located about north of
Blansko
Blansko (; german: Blanz) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Svitava River on the border of the Moravian Karst. It is mainly an industrial town.
Administrative parts
Vil ...
and north of
Brno. It lies in the
Drahany Highlands. The highest point is the hill Spálená hora at above sea level. The town is situated at the confluence of the
Svitava and Býkovka rivers.
History
The first written mention of Rájec is in a deed of
Olomouc
Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019).
Located on t ...
bishop
Jindřich Zdík
Jindřich Zdík (also anglicized as ''Henry Zdík'') (c. 1083 – 1150 in Prague) was bishop of Olomouc from 1126 to 1150.
Biography
Zdík went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1137/1138. While he was there, Rorgo Fretellus of Nazareth dedic ...
from 1141. There were two 13th century castles that were probably destroyed in the struggles between Margrave
Jobst of Moravia
Jobst of Moravia ( cs, Jošt Moravský or ''Jošt Lucemburský''; german: Jo(b)st or ''Jodokus von Mähren''; c. 1354 – 18 January 1411), a member of the House of Luxembourg, was Margraviate of Moravia, Margrave of Moravia from 1375, List of mo ...
and his brother
Prokop
Prokop may mean either of two Hussite generals, both of whom died in the 1434 battle of Lipan:
* Prokop the Great
* Prokop the Lesser
Other people who bore the name Prokop:
* Procopius, 6c historian
* Saint Prokop, or Procopius of Sázava (died 1 ...
. It the 14th century, they were referred to as ruins. The first written mention of Jestřebí is from 1371, when it was owned by the Lords of
Bořitov.
In 1570, one of the castle ruins was completely rebuilt by Bernard Drnovský to a
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
residence. After the male followers of the Drnovský family became extinct in 1618, it was owned by Johanna Drnovská, who married
Styrian count Georg Ehrenreich of Roggendorf. After her death in 1667, Rájec was acquired by the Roggendorf family.
[
In 1757, Rájec Castle was completely destroyed by fire. In 1763, Antonín Karel of ]Salm-Reifferscheid
Salm is the name of several historic countships and principalities in present Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.
History
Origins
The County of Salm arose in the tenth century in Vielsalm, in the Ardennes region of present Belgium. It was ...
bought Rájec and had the Neoclassical castle built in 1763–1769. The English park was founded in 1767 and extended to its current form is 1830. After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the Salm-Reifferscheid family was disseized and expelled. In 1960, the municipalities of Rájec and Jestřebí merged.[
In 1973, Rájec-Jestřebí obtained the town status.
]
Demographics
Transport
Rájec-Jestřebí lies on the railway line from Letovice
Letovice (german: Lettowitz) is a town in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,700 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
The town part of Třebětín and villages of Babolky, Chlum, Dolní Smržov, Jasin ...
to Brno.
Sights
The Rájec nad Svitavou Castle is the main sight. Today it is owned by the state and open to the public. It contains various collections and one of the largest castle libraries with over 60,000 volumes.
The Church of All Saints in Rájec was first mentioned in 1350. The tower was added in 1574. During the rule of the Roggendorfs, the Gothic structure was rebuilt in the Baroque style.
Notable people
* Milan Horálek (1931–2012), economist and politician
References
External links
*
Rájec Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajec-Jestrebi
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Blansko District