Svojanov is a market town in

Svitavy District Svitavy District ( cs, okres Svitavy) is a district (''okres'') within Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Svitavy. As a part of Pardubice Region the district has borders with Ústí nad Orlicí District to the nor ...

in the

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region ( cs, Pardubický kraj; , ; pl, Kraj pardubicki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. I ...

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. Th ...

. It has about 400 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Dolní Lhota, Hutě, Předměstí, Starý Svojanov and Studenec are administrative parts of Svojanov.

Geography

Svojanov is located about south of

Svitavy Svitavy (; german: Zwittau) is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is the birthplace of Oskar Schindler and the centre of the Czech Esperanto movement. The historic town centre is well pres ...

and and southeast of

Pardubice Pardubice (; german: Pardubitz) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 89,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monume ...

. It lies on the border of the

Upper Svratka Highlands The Upper Svratka Highlands ( cs, Hornosvratecká vrchovina, german: Hohe Schwarza Bergeland) is a mountain range in Moravia, Czech Republic. The Highlands, together with the Křižanov Highlands threshold, form the Western-Moravian part of Mold ...

and

Svitavy Uplands The Svitavy Uplands or Svitavy Hills ( cs, Svitavská pahorkatina) are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Pardubice Region and it belongs to the largest mesoregions in the country. Geomorphology ...

. The market town is situated in the valley of the river Křetínka.

History

The Svojanov Castle was built in 1224. During the reign

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his d ...

, it was used for protection of the trade route from Bohemia to

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. Th ...

. The first written mention of Svojanov settlement below the castle is from 1287. It was then owned by

Zavis of Falkenstein Zavis of Falkenstein ( cs, Záviš z Falkenštejna; – 24 August 1290), a member of the noble house of Vítkovci, was a Bohemian noble and opponent of King Ottokar II. Biography Zavis was a scion of the Vítkovci lords of Krumlov, his ...

, who had the small fortress extended into a big Gothic castle. The village of Starý Svojanov ("Old Svojanov") was founded in the 13th century and supposedly is the oldest part of today's municipality. In 1421 Svojanov was besieged by

Jan Žižka Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha ( en, John Zizka of Trocnov and the Chalice; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czech general – a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus and a Radical Hussite who led the Taborites. Žižka was a successful milit ...

and between 1642 and 1645 the market town was occupied by the

Swedish army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gusta ...

. In December 1798 the Russian legions marched through Svojanov to fight against Napoleon.

Sights

Svojanov Castle is one of the oldest stone castles in the country. Since 1910, it is owned by the town of

Polička Polička (; german: Politschka) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrat ...

. The castle ruins and the

Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 dur ...

palace are open to the public and often are used for cultural purposes. An interesting sight is the Church of Saint Nicholas with a 13th-century chancel and fresco decoration which dates back to the period of Charles IV.

References

External links

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Svojanov Castle official websiteSvojanov Castle unofficial website
{{authority control Populated places in Svitavy District Market towns in the Czech Republic