Žerčice

Žerčice
Municipality
View from the north
Flag Coat of arms
Žerčice Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°22′27″N 15°2′10″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Central Bohemian
District	Mladá Boleslav
First mentioned	1070
Area
• Total	7.78 km^2 (3.00 sq mi)
Elevation	241 m (791 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	419
• Density	54/km^2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	294 46
Website	www.zercice.cz

Žerčice a municipality and village in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants.

Etymology

The name is probably derived from the personal name Žirka, meaning "the village of Žirka's people". The oldest form of the name was Žrčinaves.[2]

Geography

Žerčice is located about 9 kilometres (6 mi) southeast of Mladá Boleslav and 48 km (30 mi) northeast of Prague. It lies on the border between the Jičín Uplands and Jizera Table. The highest point is the hill Žlábky at 316 m (1,037 ft) above sea level. The Vlkava River flows through the municipality. There is a system of fishponds in the southern part of the territory.

History

The first written mention of Žerčice is from 1070, in Chronica Boemorum. The greatest boom of Žerčice occurred during the rule of Hanuš Bryknár of Brukštejn in the early 16th century. The village was promoted to a market town in 1511. In 1621, Žerčice was purchased by the Waldstein family and joined to the Dobrovice estate. In 1639, during the Thirty Years' War, Žerčice was burned down by the Swedish army and ceased to be a market town.[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 467 —     1880 599 +28.3% 1890 604 +0.8% 1900 564 −6.6% 1910 535 −5.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 562 +5.0% 1930 583 +3.7% 1950 479 −17.8% 1961 469 −2.1% 1970 401 −14.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 381 −5.0% 1991 323 −15.2% 2001 322 −0.3% 2011 367 +14.0% 2021 381 +3.8%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Žerčice is the Church of Saint Nicholas. It was built in the Baroque style in 1730 according to the design of the architect František Maxmilián Kaňka.[6] It replaced an old church, first mentioned in 1384.[3]

Next to the primary school is a statue of Saint Florian from 1770.[3]

Notable people

• Samuel Capricornus (1628–1665), composer

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. Profous, Antonín (1957). Místní jména v Čechách IV: S–Ž (in Czech). p. 48.
3. "Historie" (in Czech). Obec Žerčice. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
4. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
5. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
6. "Kostel sv. Mikuláše" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-02-14.

External links

• Official website