Opařany

Opařany
Municipality
Church of Saint Francis Xavier
Flag Coat of arms
Opařany Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°23′49″N 14°28′53″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Bohemian
District	Tábor
First mentioned	1268
Area
• Total	31.48 km^2 (12.15 sq mi)
Elevation	464 m (1,522 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,431
• Density	45/km^2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	391 61
Website	www.oparany.cz

Opařany (German: Woporschan) is a municipality and village in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The villages of Hodušín, Nové Dvory, Olší, Oltyně, Podboří and Skrýchov u Opařan are administrative parts of Opařany.

Geography

Opařany is located about 13 kilometres (8 mi) west of Tábor and 69 km (43 mi) south of Prague. It lies in the Tábor Uplands. The highest point is the hill Velká hora at 520 m (1,710 ft) above sea level. The Smutná River flows along the western municipal border. There are several fishponds in the municipal territory; the largest of them is Oltyňský rybník, built on the stream Oltyňský potok.

History

The first written mention of Opařany is from 1268, when King Ottokar II of Bohemia bought Opařany together with the brewery. From 1437 to 1547, it was property of the town of Tábor. The Thirty Years' War affected the village, the population declined and the buildings fell into disrepair.[2]

In the early 18th century, the Jesuits acquired Opařany. After canceling the Jesuits' order in 1773, their properties were acquired by a study fund, and in 1825 the estate was gained by the Paar noble family.[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,400 —     1880 2,289 −4.6% 1890 2,640 +15.3% 1900 2,792 +5.8% 1910 2,730 −2.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 2,465 −9.7% 1930 2,529 +2.6% 1950 2,196 −13.2% 1961 1,660 −24.4% 1970 1,520 −8.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,479 −2.7% 1991 1,411 −4.6% 2001 1,390 −1.5% 2011 1,384 −0.4% 2021 1,316 −4.9%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Transport

The I/19 road (the section from Plzeň to Tábor passes through the municipal territory. The I/29 road splits from it in Oltyně and continues to Písek via the village of Opařany.

Sport

In Opařany is annually held motorcycle cross country race called Enduro.[5]

Sights

Opařany Castle

In 1727, the Jesuits built a Baroque residence with the Church of Saint Francis Xavier as a resemblance to the church in Prague Clementinum. Its interior belongs to one of the most interesting work of art in central Europe. As an author of the project of the church was authorized Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. Since 1923, the building of Opařany Castle has served as a children psychiatric hospital.[2]

In Oltyně part of Opařany there is the Oltyně Castle. It was built in the Neo-Renaissance style in 1859 on the site of an old fortress. Its part is a 8 hectares (20 acres) large English park.[6]

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. "O obci Opařany" (in Czech). Obec Opařany. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
3. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
4. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
5. "Enduro – sprint 2021" (in Czech). Českomoravská asociace motocyklového sportu. 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
6. Šatrová, Alena (2009-11-16). "Oltyni zdobí zámek, ale také klid, lesy i nedaleká Lužnice" (in Czech). Deník.cz. Retrieved 2023-06-16.

External links

• Official website