Svratka (Žďár nad Sázavou District)

49°42′39″N 16°1′56″E / 49.71083°N 16.03222°E / 49.71083; 16.03222Country Czech RepublicRegionVysočinaDistrictŽďár nad SázavouFirst mentioned1350Government • MayorFrantišek MládekArea • Total14.51 km² (5.60 sq mi)Elevation632 m (2,073 ft)Population • Total1,405 • Density97/km² (250/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeWebsitewww.svratka.cz

Svratka (Czech pronunciation: [ˈsvratka]) is a town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The town parts of Česká Cikánka, Moravská Cikánka and Moravská Svratka are administrative parts of Svratka.

Etymology

The town was named after the Svratka river. The name of the river itself was derived from the old Czech verb sworti, which meant "to meander".^[2]

Geography

Svratka is located about 17 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of Žďár nad Sázavou and 46 km (29 mi) northeast of Jihlava. It lies on the border between the Upper Svratka Highlands and Iron Mountains. The highest point is at 778 m (2,552 ft) above sea level. The Svratka River flows through the town; it formed here the historical border between Bohemia and Moravia. The town lies within the Žďárské vrchy Protected Landscape Area.

History

The first written mention of Svratka is from 1350. Important noble families took turns in ownership of Svratka: Lords of Pardubice, Poděbrady family, Berka of Dubá family, Kinsky family and Thurn und Taxis family.^[2]

The 19th century saw the development of industry, which culminated in 1867 with the promotion of Svratka to a town. There was a paper mill and a match factory.^[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,762 —     1880 1,777 +0.9% 1890 1,883 +6.0% 1900 1,839 −2.3% 1910 1,933 +5.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,759 −9.0% 1930 2,126 +20.9% 1950 1,516 −28.7% 1961 1,638 +8.0% 1970 1,612 −1.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,666 +3.3% 1991 1,675 +0.5% 2001 1,592 −5.0% 2011 1,407 −11.6% 2021 1,329 −5.5%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Sights

The most valuable monument is the Church of Saint John the Baptist. It has an early Gothic core. The separate bell tower dates from around 1600.^[5]

Notable people

• Josef Věromír Pleva (1899–1985), writer

References

External links