Žďár nad Sázavou

Žďár nad Sázavou (Czech pronunciation: [ˈʒɟaːr ˈnat saːzavou]; German: Saar) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has approximately 21,000 inhabitants and is the administrative capital of the Žďár nad Sázavou District. The town is a prominent centre of tourism, as a cross country ski resort in winter and a popular destination for cycling and bathing in the summer. It is also situated on a major rail link between Prague and Brno.

Žďár nad Sázavou
Town
Main square
Flag
Coat of arms
Žďár nad Sázavou
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°33′54″N 15°56′26″E
Country Czech Republic
RegionVysočina
DistrictŽďár nad Sázavou
First mentioned1100
Government
 • MayorMartin Mrkos
Area
 • Total37.06 km2 (14.31 sq mi)
Elevation
580 m (1,900 ft)
Population
 (2020-01-01[1])
 • Total20,717
 • Density560/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
591 01
Websitewww.zdarns.cz
Official namePilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora
Criteriaiv
Reference690
Inscription1994 (18th session)

Administrative parts

Villages Mělkovice, Radonín, Stržanov and Veselíčko are administrative parts of Žďár nad Sázavou.

Economy

Žďár nad Sázavou gained prominence after World War II when the communist government decided to build steel works in the town, called ŽĎAS. Within less than twenty years the population of the town grew fivefold, from about 3,000 in 1950 to 15,000 in 1969, and the number of inhabitants continued to grow until the 1980s. With the fall of the communist regime in 1989 the significance of heavy industry started to fall; however, ŽĎAS continues production today.

Sights

The Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk, one of the twelve czech World Heritage Sites, is situated there. It was designed by a Bohemian architect of Italian descent Jan Blažej Santini Aichel.[2] The town is the site of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Nicholas as well as a branch of the Czech National Museum, the Museum of the Book.[3] The Baroque library of the former Capuchin Monastery in Roudnice nad Labem has been reconstructed, along with the library of the Czech historian, Gelasius Dobner, a beautiful, classical interior, and the library of the Mladá Vožice Chateau. Especially interesting are the collection of printing pressed and technology, and the reconstruction a medieval Scriptorium.[4]

Tragedy

A school in the town was the location of an October 2014 knife attack, resulting in the death of a 16-year-old boy as well as injuries to three other pupils.[5]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Žďár nad Sázavou is twinned with:[6]

See also

References
  1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2020". Czech Statistical Office. 2020-04-30.
  2. "Žďár nad Sázavou: A Spot No Pilgrim Should Miss | Foreigners.cz Blog". blog.foreigners.cz. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  3. National Museum (Prague)
  4. http://www.nm.cz/Knihovna-nm/Long-term-Exhibitions-NML/The-History-of-the-Book-and-the-Letterpress-from-their-Beginnings-to-the-Present.html
  5. Willoughby, Ian (14 October 2014). "Boy of 16 killed in school knife attack". Radio Prague. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  6. "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Žďár nad Sázavou. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
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