Vizovice (; ) is a town in

Zlín District Zlín District () is a Okres, district in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Zlín. Administrative division Zlín District is divided into five Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with extended competence ...

in the

Zlín Region Zlín Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-eastern part of the historical region of Moravia. It is named after its capital Zlín. Together with the Olomouc Region it forms a cohesion area of Central M ...

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 4,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.

Administrative division

Vizovice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Vizovice (4,659) *Chrastěšov (192)

Geography

Vizovice is located about east of

Zlín Zlín (in 1949–1989 Gottwaldov; ; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 75,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice River. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the modern city ...

. It lies in the

Vizovice Highlands The Vizovice Highlands () are highlands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Zlín and South Moravian regions. It is named after the town of Vizovice. Geomorphology The Vizovice Highlands are a mesoregi ...

. The highest point is a hill at above sea level. The Lutoninka River flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Vizovice is from 1261, when it was owned by the newly established Smilheim monastery. During 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 Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

, the monastery and the village were badly damaged and looted. In 1483, the estate was acquired by the lords of Kunštát, and in 1485 the Cistercian monastery was definitely abolished. In 1567, the estate was bought by Zdeněk Kavka of Říčany, who had built a Renaissance residence called Nový Smilheim in the fortified area of the abolished monastery. Vizovice received

town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

in 1570. In the second half of the 17th century, the estate became a property of the Gollen family. Shortly after, the town and the castle were burned down by Turkish invaders. In 1749–1770, during the rule of Count Hermann Hannibal of Blümegen, a new Baroque castle with French and English garden was built.

Demographics

Economy

Vizovice has long history of the alcohol production. A distillery in Vizovice was first documented in 1585. The local climate is suitable for fruit trees, especially plums, and in the mid-18th century,

slivovitz Slivovitz is a fruit spirit (or fruit brandy) made from damson plums, often referred to as plum spirit (or plum brandy). If anyone else has a dictionary of some Slavic language that translates your word for slivovitz as "plum brandy", please ...

started being produced here. The Rudolf Jelínek distillery was founded here in 1882.

Transport

The I/49 road, which connects

with the Czech-Slovak border in

Střelná Střelná is a municipality and village in Vsetín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Střelná lies approximately south-east of Vsetín, east of Zlín, and east of Prague Prague ( ; ) is t ...

, passes through the town. The I/69 road connects Vizovice with

Vsetín Vsetín () is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. Originally a small town, Vsetín has become an important centre of industrial, economic, cultural and sports life during the 20th century. Administ ...

. Vizovice is the terminus and start of the railway line to

Otrokovice Otrokovice (; ) is a town in Zlín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. It is known as an industrial centre. Administrative division Otrokovice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population ...

Culture

The annual Masters of Rock heavy metal festival takes place in Vizovice.

Sights

The main landmark is the Vizovice Castle. It was built in 1749–1770 according to the design by František Antonín Grimm. For its architectural value, the castle is protected as a national cultural monument. In 1945, the castle was nationalized. It is open to the public and offers guided tours. A notable building is the Church of Saint Lawrence. It was built at the end of the 18th century.

Notable people

Alois Hába Alois Hába (21 June 1893 – 18 November 1973) was a Czech composer, music theorist and teacher. He belongs to the important discoverers in modern classical music, and to the major composers of microtonal music, especially using the quarter-to ...

(1893–1973), composer *

Jan Graubner Jan Graubner (born 29 August 1948) is a Czech prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Archbishop of Prague since July 2022. He was Archbishop of Olomouc in the Czech Republic from 1992 to 2022, after serving as an auxiliary there for two yea ...

(born 1948), Roman Catholic archbishop of Olomouc; worked here as a parson in 1982–1990 *

Bolek Polívka Boleslav Polívka (born 31 July 1949, in Vizovice) is a Czech film and theatre actor, mime, playwright, and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 40 films. Career Polívka first started appearing in films in the 1960s. He graduated from ...

(born 1949), actor

References

External links

*
Vizovice Castle
{{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Zlín District Moravian Wallachia