Rajhrad () is a town in

Brno-Country District Brno-Country District () is a Okres, district in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Brno. The most populated town of the district is Kuřim. The district is made up of 187 municipalities, which is the highes ...

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 4,100 inhabitants.

Geography

Rajhrad is located about south 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 the

Dyje–Svratka Valley The Dyje–Svratka Valley () is a valley and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the South Moravian Region. Its name is derived from the rivers Thaya (Dyje) and Svratka. Geomorphology The Dyje–Svratka Valley ...

. The town is situated on the right bank of the Svratka River.

History

The first written mention of Rajhrad is from 1169. It was probably founded at the turn of 10th and 11th centuries and named after a nearby former gord. The

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery was founded here in the mid-11th century. In 1234, Rajhrad was allowed to hold a market, and in 1330, it was called a market village. In 1339, it was first 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 ...

. In 2000, Rajhrad became a town.

Demographics

Transport

The D52 motorway (part of the

European route E461 E 461 is a European B class road in Czech Republic and Austria, connecting the cities Svitavy, Brno, and Vienna. Route * ** Svitavy ** E50, E65, E462 Brno * ** E49, E58, E59, E60 Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, ca ...

) from Brno to

Pohořelice Pohořelice (; ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,100 inhabitants. Administrative division Pohořelice consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the ...

runs next to the town.

Sights

Rajhrad Abbey Rajhrad Abbey (; ) is a Benedictines, Benedictine abbey in Rajhrad in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic. It was founded by Duke Bretislav I in 1045. It was the first Benedictine male monastery in the country and first historically mentione ...

is the main sight. It is one of the oldest and most valuable monasteries 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 ...

. It includes the abbey Church of Saints Peter and Paul, which was built during the Baroque reconstruction of the monastery. It was designed by the architect

Jan Santini Aichel Jan Blažej Santini Aichel, also spelled Aichl (, ; 3 February 1677 – 7 December 1723) was a Czechs, Czech architect of Italians, Italian descent, whose major works are representative of the unique Czech Baroque architecture#Baroque G ...

. Today the monastery houses the Monument of Literature in Moravia with a historical library.

Notable people

Beda Dudík Beda František Dudík (29 January 1815, Kojetín – 18 January 1890, Rajhrad) was a historian and Benedictines, Benedictine monk in the Rajhrad Abbey, Rajhrad Monastery. Life After studying at the philosophical school at Brno he attended the Un ...

(1815–1890), historian; lived and died here * Josef Zelený (1824–1886), painter

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Brno-Country District