Ostrov u Macochy is a market town in

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

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 1,100 inhabitants.

Geography

Ostrov u Macochy is located about east of

Blansko Blansko (; ) 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 division Blansko consi ...

and northeast 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 in an elevated plateau in the Drahany Highlands. The highest point is at above sea level. The entire municipal territory lies within the Moravian Karst Protected Landscape Area.

History

The first written mention of Ostrov is from 1349. It was a part of the Holštejn estate, owned by Lords of Holštejn. In the 1430s, the estate was sold to the

Waldstein family The House of Waldstein (Valdstejn, Valdonio, or Wallenstein) is an old, wealthy and important noble family from Central Europe (Germany and the Czech Republic). They owned many castles across Europe. Origin The House of Waldstein or House of V ...

. In 1912, the municipality 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 rura ...

. In the 1920s, Ostrov was renamed Ostrov u Macochy.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads running through the municipal territory.

Sights

The most important monument is a Dutch-type

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

. It dates from 1865. The internal equipment was not preserved. The main landmark is the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, founded in 1490. After it fell ito disrepair, it was reconstructed in 1690. Then it was extended in 1785 and was completely reconstructed in 1848. The next reconstruction took place after 1851, when the church tower was damaged by a lightning strike.

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places in Blansko District Market towns in the Czech Republic