Brtnice
Town
View from the castle park towards Brtnice
View from the castle park towards Brtnice
Flag of Brtnice
Flag
Coat of arms of Brtnice
Coat of arms
Brtnice is located in Czech Republic
Brtnice
Brtnice
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°18′30″N 15°40′34″E / 49.30833°N 15.67611°E / 49.30833; 15.67611
Country Czech Republic
RegionVysočina
DistrictJihlava
First mentioned1234
Government
 • MayorJan Přibyl
Area
 • Total74.13 km2 (28.62 sq mi)
Elevation
515 m (1,690 ft)
Population
 (2023-01-01)[1]
 • Total3,854
 • Density52/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
588 32
Websitewww.brtnice.cz

Brtnice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbr̩tɲɪtsɛ]; German: Pirnitz) is a town in Jihlava District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,900 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Villages of Dolní Smrčné, Jestřebí, Komárovice, Malé, Panská Lhota, Přímělkov, Příseka, Střížov and Uhřínovice are administrative parts of Brtnice.

Geography

Brtnice River in the town centre

Brtnice is located about 11 kilometres (7 mi) southeast of Jihlava. It lies in the Křižanov Highlands. The highest point is at 663 m (2,175 ft) above sea level. The Brtnice River flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Brtnice is from 1234, when it was donated to convent in Předklášteří by King Wenceslaus I. From 1410 until 1623, it was owned by the lords of Brtnický of Waldstein. During their rule, Brtnice prospered and the castle was built. In 1588, a church, that time consecrated to Saint Matthias, was built next to the castle.[2]

After 1623, Brtnice was acquired by Italian noble family of Collalto et San Salvatore, which owned it until 1945. This family also cultivated Brtnice. The family had built a monastery and had rebuilt the castle, interiors of the church, and houses on the square in the Renaissance and Baroque styles.[2]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18695,235—    
18805,378+2.7%
18905,154−4.2%
19005,083−1.4%
19105,198+2.3%
YearPop.±%
19214,971−4.4%
19304,758−4.3%
19503,797−20.2%
19613,976+4.7%
19703,528−11.3%
YearPop.±%
19803,541+0.4%
19913,592+1.4%
20013,656+1.8%
20113,625−0.8%
20213,712+2.4%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Transport

No railways or major roads pass through Brtnice. The II/405 road connects the town with Jihlava.

Sights

Svobody Square with the town hall
Museum of Josef Hoffmann

The historic centre and the main square are divided by the Brtnice River. There are two Baroque bridges over the river. One of the bridges, so-called Jewish Bridge, connected the town with the Jewish quarter and is only half decorated with statues.[5] Apart from the bridges, the main landmark of the Svobody Square is the Renaissance town hall from 1580.[6]

The large birth house of the architect Josef Hoffmann on the town square belongs to main tourist destinations.[5] Following a 1992 exhibition in Brtnice on Hoffmann's work mounted by the town and MAK in Vienna, the house was turned into a permanent exhibition space.[7] From 2006, the building has been administered by the Moravian Gallery in Brno, with the assistance of MAK.[8]

Near the square is the Church of Saint James the Great. It is a simple Baroque building from 1776–1784 which replaced an original medieval building. The church containts valuable artworks.[9]

The Brtnice Castle is located on a hill above the town centre. It is a unique large complex of Renaissance castle with Baroque modifications from 1650–1655, surrounded by Gothic fortifications, with English style castle park founded in 1817. The castle contains expositions on medieval torture and history of plague epidemics.[10] Next to the castle complex is the former Minims monastery with Church of Blessed Giuliana of Collalto.

The ruin of the Rokštejn Castle is located near the Panská Lhota village. The early Gothic castle was conquered and demolished in the 15th century by Matthias Corvinus and his army.[5]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Brtnice is twinned with:[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
  2. 1 2 "Historie Brtnice" (in Czech). Město Brtnice. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  3. ↑ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Jihlava" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 1–2.
  4. ↑ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  5. 1 2 3 "Brtnice" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  6. ↑ "Renesanční radnice v Brtnici" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  7. ↑ Ambroz, Miroslav (1998). "Rod Hoffmannů a jejich pozoruhodný dům". Josef Hoffmann a jeho rodný dům v Brtnici (in Czech). Společnost Josefa Hoffmanna. pp. 25–29.
  8. ↑ "Významní rodáci a osobnosti Brtnice" (in Czech). Město Brtnice. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  9. ↑ "Farní kostel sv. Jakuba Většího" (in Czech). Město Brtnice. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  10. ↑ "Zámek Brtnice – moravské Hradčany" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  11. ↑ "Partnerská obec Orpund" (in Czech). Město Brtnice. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
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