Pelhřimov

Pelhřimov
Pelhřimov
Town
	Masaryk Square
	Flag Coat of arms
	Pelhřimov Location in the Czech Republic
	Coordinates: 49°25′53″N 15°13′24″E / 49.43139°N 15.22333°E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Vysočina
District	Pelhřimov
First mentioned	1289
Government
• Mayor	Ladislav Med (ODS)
Area
• Total	95.28 km2 (36.79 sq mi)
Elevation	494 m (1,621 ft)
Population (2024-01-01)
• Total	16,420
• Density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	393 01
Website	www.mestopelhrimov.cz

Pelhřimov (German: Pilgrams) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.

Administrative parts

The following 26 villages are administrative parts of Pelhřimov:

Benátky
Bitětice
Čakovice
Chvojnov
Hodějovice
Houserovka
Janovice
Jelcovy Lhotky
Kocourovy Lhotky
Lešov
Lipice
Myslotín
Nemojov
Ostrovec
Pejškov
Pobistrýce
Radětín
Radňov
Rybníček
Skrýšov
Služátky
Starý Pelhřimov
Strměchy
Útěchovičky
Vlásenice
Vlásenice-Drbohlavy

Benátky, Houserovka, Janovice and Ostrovec, Lešov, Nemojov and Radňov, and Vlásenice-Drbohlavy form three exclaves of the municipal territory.

Etymology

The name Pelhřimov is derived from the personal name Pelhřim (in Latin Peregrinus), meaning "Pelhřim's (court)". In Latin, the word peregrinus literally means "pilgrim".^[2] According to legend, Pelhřimov was founded by Bishop Pelhřim (Peregrinus) of Wartenberg around 1225.^[3]

Geography

Pelhřimov's municipal territory of about 95 km² (37 sq mi) is one of the largest for a town in the Czech Republic. The town is located about 37 kilometres (23 mi) west of Jihlava, approximately halfway between Prague and Brno.

Pelhřimov lies in the Křemešník Highlands. The highest point of the municipal territory is a contour line in the southeastern part, at 700 m (2,300 ft) above sea level. The municipal territory is located in the valley of the small river Bělá, which flows through the built-up area. Typical for the territory is a large number of small fishponds.

History

The earliest settlement was probably founded in first half of the 13th century near the Church of Saint Vitus. The first written mention of Pelhřimov is from 1289, when it was raided by Vítek of Hluboká. In 1290, King Wenceslaus II granted Bishop Tobiáš of Bechyně a concession to renovate the town and fortify it. The town was first settled mainly by German colonists. Gradually Czechs established themselves as the majority.^[4]

In the Hussite Wars, Pelhřimov sided with the Hussites. The favourable position of the town, on the borderline of the domain of the Rosenberg family and of the Lords of Kunštát, was important after the upheavals ended and the reconciliation of the lords began. In 1446–1450, Pelhřimov was chosen as the venue of land diets (parliaments or deliberative councils), which were attended by King George of Poděbrady. Silver mining in the vicinity of Křemešník helped the expansion of Pelhřimov. The crafts flourished in the town. In 1434 the town was acquired by the Lords Trčka of Lípa. They sold the estate in 1550 to Adam Říčanský of Říčany, who had built a chateau adjacent to the town walls. The Lords of Říčany resided in the chateau until 1572, when the town bought its freedom.^[4]

In 1596, Emperor Rudolf II promoted Pelhřimov to a royal town. The repressions that followed the Bohemian Revolt interrupted the promising expansion of the town. The town was then severely damaged by a large fire in 1646, which destroyed most of the town's buildings. Another devastating fire ravaged the town in 1766. The burgher houses were uniformly reconstructed in the Renaissance-Baroque style and so the fires helped the town to maintain its homogeneity.^[4]

During the 19th century, the town has experienced cultural development as a result of the national revival. During the industrial revolution many new factories were built in the town.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1869	8,387	—
1880	8,689	+3.6%
1890	8,738	+0.6%
1900	8,894	+1.8%
1910	9,938	+11.7%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	10,079	+1.4%
1930	10,259	+1.8%
1950	9,198	−10.3%
1961	9,754	+6.0%
1970	11,559	+18.5%

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	14,239	+23.2%
1991	16,480	+15.7%
2001	16,590	+0.7%
2011	16,232	−2.2%
2021	15,577	−4.0%

Source: Censuses^[5]^[6]

Economy

Pelhřimov is an important regional industrial centre. Historically, the town has been known for its clothmaking, dyeing, brewing and gingerbread baking. During the industrial revolution the factories making textile goods, brushes and agricultural machinery were built.

The largest local company is Agrostroj, which manufactures agricultural machinery. It was founded in 1896 and employs more than 2,000 people.^[7] Other manufacturing companies based in the town are Spojené kartáčovny (SPOKAR), a major producer of brushes, Rimowa, a manufacturer of luggages, a branch of Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth, a company that makes art supplies and office equipment, DUP, manicure and pedicure kit manufacturer, and FIA ProTeam, a manufacturer of painting tools.^[8]

The food industry mainly processes crops produced in the region. Škrobárny Pelhřimov is a potato starch factory that was founded in 1871.^[9] A local branch of the dairy company MADETA has been producing boxed milk in Pelhřimov since 1942.^[10] Adélka bakery, founded in 1990, is producing baked goods and flour. The town has been brewing beer since 1552, when it was given brewing rights. It curently has two breweries - Poutník, an industrial brewery founded in the 19th century, and a brewpub Na Čtyřce.

Transport

Pelhřimov lies at the intersection of two primary roads: the I/19, which connects Pelhřimov with Plzeň, and the I/34 from České Budějovice to Svitavy.

Pelhřimov is located on the Jihlava–Tábor railway line. There are two railway stations: Pelhřimov and Vlásenice.^[11]

Culture

During the National Revival various patriotic associations were formed in Pelhřimov and managed to maintain their continuity to this day. Záboj, a local choir company was founded in 1862. In 1865 a local branch of Sokol gymnastic organization, was established. The library was founded in 1846 and The Reading Society was established in 1874. The Rieger amateur theatre group was formed in 1894. The former salthouse from 1707 was rebuilt into the National House (today's Lubomír Lipský Theatre) in 1896. The local cinema Kino Vesmír was built in 1962.^[12]

Since 1991, the town hosts an annual International Festival of Records and Curiosities.^[13]

The Dobrý den Agency, which organizes the festival, also maintains the Czech Database of Records and publishes Czech Book of Records, a national equivalent of Guinness World Records. It operates the Museum of Records and Curiosities Pelhřimov and the Golden Czech Hands exposition.^[14]

Sport

The local football club FK Maraton Pelhřimov plays in the fifth-tier football league. Ice hockey club, HC Lední Medvědi Pelhřimov, plays in the fourth-tier ice hockey league. Floorball club Spartak Pelhřimov plays in the third-tier floorball league. The sports complex in Nádražní street includes a football stadium with an athletic track, an ice hockey stadium, indoor sports halls and swimming pools. Both indoor and outdoor tennis courts are located in the town park Městské sady. Indoor and outdoor beach volleyball facilities were built in 2014 in Táborská street.

Education

There are five primary schools in the town. The secondary schools are: a Gymnasium, a business academy, a hotel management school and various vocational secondary schools.

Sights

The historic town centre is formed by Masaryk Square with adjacent streets. It was surrounded by stone walls. Parts of the walls survided to this day.

Masaryk Square

The town square is lined by well-preserved valuable Baroque and Renaissance houses with arcades and decorated gables, and contains also Art Nouveau buildings. The Šrejnar's House was built in the Renaissance style in 1614. It houses a tourist information centre and the Memorial Hall of the Lipský Family. The Fára's House with Baroque façade and a mansard roof was rebuilt under a project by the architect Pavel Janák in the Cubist style in 1913–1914.^[15]

The Burgrave's House No. 17 was reconstructed after the fire in 1561. It features Renaissance, Neoclassical and Empire elements. The façade is decorated with sgraffiti. Today, there is an art gallery in its premises.^[15]

In the middle of the square is a fountain with the statue of St. James the Great, a patron saint of pilgrims. The fountain was first mentioned in 1546 and the present-day appearance is from 1828.^[15]

Town fortification

The Renaissance chateau from 1550 replaced an old manor house. Its oldest part is a Gothic bastion, incorporated into the castle after the fire in 1561. One of the three preserved town gates is also part of the chateau. Significant reconstructions were made after the chateau was damaged by fires in 1682 and 1766. Since then, the chateau has undergone only minor decorative alterations.^[16] Since 1908, it houses the Municipal Museum. Its exhibitions focuses on regional history and ethnography, town jail and torture instruments, and work of local artists Josef Šejnosta (sculptor and medalist) and his son Zdeněk Šejnosta (sculptor and restorer).^[17]

The Lower (Jihlava) Gatehouse and the Upper (Rynárec) Gatehouse were built in the 16th century as parts of the fortification system. The Lower Gatehouse is a 36 metres (118 ft)-high five-storeyed construction that today houses the Museum of Records and Curiosities.^[15]

Ecclesiastical buildings

The Church of Saint Bartholomew is one of the landmarks of the town. It was built in Gothic style in the late 13th or the early 14th century. Since 1589 the church exterior shell has been adorned with sgraffiti. The interior of the church is mostly Baroque. On the main altar there are statues of St. Bartholomew, St. Vojtěch, St. Procopius, St. Vitus and St. Wenceslas. The Way of the Cross paintings in the church were designed by František Bílek.^[15] A lookout tower with a viewing gallery at a height of 30 metres (98 ft) was added to the church in 1576.^[18]

The Church of Saint Vitus is documented in 1325 and is the oldest sacral building in Pelhřimov. The former parish church was originally built in the Gothic style, which is still evident in the presbytery. After many reconstructions, it contains Gothic, Renaissance and mainly Baroque elements. Nowadays the church is used as an exhibition and concert hall.^[15]

The Chapel of the Holy Cross was originally built in 1671 as a small replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was extended to a church in 1750 and a tower was added. In 1865 the town council decided to demolish the structure and build a new church. The new chapel was built in the Neo-Gothic style in 1883–1886.^[15]

The pilgrimage Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows was built in the Baroque style in 1710–1714, after several seemingly miraculous healings happenned here. The crypt of the chapel used to be a burial place for members of burgher families. The town cemetery was transferred here from the Church of St. Vitus in 1787 and until 1906, it served as a cemetery chapel.^[15]

A Neo-Gothic synagogue was built in 1890 in Růžová street. The building was designed by architect Max Fleischer who also designed the Great Synagogue in Pilsen. The synagogue was demolished in 1967 along with other buildings in the area.^[19]