Bučovice (; ) is a town in

Vyškov District Vyškov District () is a Okres, district in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Vyškov. Administrative division Vyškov District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with ext ...

in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region (; , ; ), or just South Moravia, is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, th ...

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 6,900 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Bučovice consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Bučovice (4,406) * Černčín (359) * Kloboučky (549) * Marefy (372) * Vícemilice (758)

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Buček (a shortened form of Budislav or Budivoj).

Geography

Bučovice is located about south of

Vyškov Vyškov (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Vyškov consists of 13 mun ...

and east of

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

. It lies on the border between the

Litenčice Hills Litenčice () is a market town in Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Administrative division Litenčice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 censu ...

and Ždánice Forest. The highest point is the Radlovec hill at above sea level. The Litava River flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Bučovice is from 1322. However, a stone church stood here already in the 13th century. In the late 14th century, it was referred to as 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 rura ...

with

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

s. In the 16th century, Bučovice prospered and developed. The owner of the manor Jan Šembera Černohorský of Boskovice had built here one of the most magnificent

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

residences in

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 ...

. The castle was finished by his son-in-law

Maximilian of Liechtenstein Maximilian of Liechtenstein (6 November 1578 – 29 April 1645 in Győr) was a nobleman from the House of Liechtenstein. He was a senior military officer in the imperial Habsburg service, eventually promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. In ...

in the 1630s. During 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 ...

in 1645, Bučovice was looted and damaged by the Swedish troops, but the castle was defended. In the second half of the 18th and the first half of the 19th century, Bučovice was one of the most important centres of cloth production in Moravia. The owners of the textile companies of the time belonged to a large Jewish community. In the second half of the 19th century, Bučovice further developed and gained the character of a town. During the 20th century, the most important economic sector in the town became the woodworking industry. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the castle was confiscated to the Liechtensteins by the state.

Demographics

Transport

The I/50 road (part of the

European route E50 European route E50 is an A-type east–west connection across the European continent. It connects the key naval port of Brest in France with Makhachkala, on the Caspian Sea in the Russian republic Dagestan. Outlook Half the route comprises hi ...

), which connects

with

Uherské Hradiště Uherské Hradiště (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration with the two neighbouring towns of Staré Město (Uherské Hradiště District), Staré Město and Kunovice has over ...

and the Czech-Slovak border in Starý Hrozenkov, passes through the town. Bučovice is located on the railway line Brno– Staré Město.

Sights

Bučovice is known for the Bučovice Castle. The Renaissance castle was built in the style of Italian villas in 1575–1585. Today it is owned by the state and open to the public. The castle has a valuable arcade courtyard with 90 columns, which are decorated with a total of 540 reliefs. In the middle of the courtyard is a

Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

fountain. The interiors have a rich Mannerist decoration. The castle is protected as a national cultural monument. An architecturally valuable building is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was built in the early Baroque style in 1637–1641. In 1748, the interior was modified by Anton Erhard Martinelli. In 1826–1830, the church was modified and extended in the Neoclassical style.

Notable people

* Joseph Fischhof (1804–1857), Czech-Austrian pianist, composer and professor

Twin towns – sister cities

Bučovice is twinned with: * Malý Slavkov, Slovakia

References

External links

*
Bučovice Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bucovice Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Vyškov District