Světlá nad Sázavou (; german: Swietla ob der Sasau) is a town in
Havlíčkův Brod District
Havlíčkův Brod District ( cs, okres Havlíčkův Brod) 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 adminis ...
in the
Vysočina Region
The Vysočina Region (; cs, Kraj Vysočina "Highlands Region", , ) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located partly in the south-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia and partly in the south-west of the his ...
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 6,400 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages and hamlets of Benetice, Dolní Březinka, Dolní Dlužiny, Horní Březinka, Horní Dlužiny, Josefodol, Kochánov, Leštinka, Lipnička, Mrzkovice, Opatovice, Radostovice, Závidkovice and Žebrákov are administrative parts of Světlá nad Sázavou.
Geography
Světlá nad Sázavou is located about northwest of
Havlíčkův Brod
Havlíčkův Brod (, until 1945 Německý Brod; german: Deutschbrod) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law ...
and northwest of
Jihlava
Jihlava (; german: Iglau) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 50,000 inhabitants. Jihlava is the capital of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava River on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia.
Historically, Jihlava ...
. It lies in the
Upper Sázava Hills. The highest point is the hill Žebrákovský kopec at above sea level. The
Sázava River flows through the town. There are several fish ponds in the municipal territory.
History
The first written mention of Světlá is from 1207. It was founded during the colonization in the second half of the 12th century. Světlá experienced the greatest development during the rule of the Trčka of Lípa family, which acquired it after 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 Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...
and owned it until 1607. In the 17th century, the glassmaking tradition was founded in Světlá.
Demographics
Economy
The glassmaking tradition continues to this day. Crystal Bohemia, the largest Czech glass company, has owned a local production plant since 2020.
There is a large women's prison in Světlá nad Sázavou. In 2022, its capacity was expanded to 955 convicts.
Sights
The Světlá nad Sázavou Castle is the main sight of the town. It was probably originally a fortress, rebuilt into a castle by Burian Trčka of Lípa in 1567. The castle has a large English park.
[
The significant landmark of the town is the Church of Saint Wenceslaus with its tower. The most notable house on the square is the town hall built at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.][
]
Notable people
* Jaroslav Panuška (1872–1958), painter and illustrator; lived here in 1923–1958
* Oskar Morawetz (1917–2007), Canadian composer
* Martina Krupičková (born 1975), painter
Gallery
Světlá nad Sázavou, kostel svatého Václava Dm320826-342 positie2 IMG 6490 2018-08-03 11.09.jpg, Church of Saint Wenceslaus
Nádražní budova ve Světlé nad Sázavou 1.jpg, Train station
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Svetla nad Sazavou
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Havlíčkův Brod District