Velká Bíteš

Velká Bíteš
Town
View towards the town
Flag Coat of arms
Velká Bíteš Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°17′37″N 16°13′14″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Vysočina
District	Žďár nad Sázavou
First mentioned	1240
Government
• Mayor	Markéta Lavická
Area
• Total	47.30 km^2 (18.26 sq mi)
Elevation	476 m (1,562 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	5,574
• Density	120/km^2 (310/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	594 53, 595 01
Website	www.vbites.cz

Velká Bíteš (until 1924 Velká Byteš) is a town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,600 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

The villages of Bezděkov, Březka, Holubí Zhoř, Jáchymov, Janovice, Jestřabí, Jindřichov, Košíkov, Ludvíkov and Pánov are administrative parts of Velká Bíteš. Pánov forms an exclave of the municipal territory.

Geography

Velká Bíteš is located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southeast of Žďár nad Sázavou and 27 km (17 mi) west of Brno. It lies in the Křižanov Highlands. The highest point is at 530 m (1,740 ft) above sea level. The Bítýška River flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Velká Bíteš is from 1240, when the church was mentioned.[2] The settlement was founded in the first half of the 13th century. In the mid-14th century, it was a market town and in 1408, it was promoted to a town.[3]

The greatest development occurred after the Hussite Wars, but the town was severely damaged during the Thirty Years' War and recovered slowly. Velká Bíteš was not industrialized until 1950, when a large engineering company was founded. Thanks to this, the population increased significantly.[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 3,406 —     1880 3,527 +3.6% 1890 3,361 −4.7% 1900 3,237 −3.7% 1910 3,126 −3.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 3,046 −2.6% 1930 2,992 −1.8% 1950 2,807 −6.2% 1961 3,217 +14.6% 1970 3,435 +6.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 4,272 +24.4% 1991 4,652 +8.9% 2001 4,889 +5.1% 2011 5,042 +3.1% 2021 5,140 +1.9%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Economy

První Brněnská Strojírna Velká Bíteš

The largest employers based in the town are ITW Pronovia, manufacturer of plastic products for the automotive industry,[6] and První Brněnská Strojírna Velká Bíteš, manufacturer of aerospace technologies.[7]

Transport

The D1 motorway from Prague to Brno runs next to the town.

Sights

Church of Saint John the Baptist

Velká Bíteš is known for the unique fortified Church of Saint John the Baptist. The original wooden structure was replaced by the stone Romanesque church in the 13th century. In the 15th century, it was surrounded by stone ramparts with an entrance tower.[2]

Notable people

• Martin Roháč (?–1571), serial killer
• Vojtěch Řepa (born 2000), cyclist

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Velká Bíteš is twinned with:[8]

• Hanušovce nad Topľou, Slovakia
• Torrevecchia Pia, Italy

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. "Kostel sv. Jana Křtitele" (in Czech). ICKK Velká Bíteš. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
3. "Stručná historie Velké Bíteše" (in Czech). ICKK Velká Bíteš. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
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. "About Us". ITW PRONOVIA, s.r.o. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
7. "About PBS". PBS Group, a. s. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
8. "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Velká Bíteš. Retrieved 2021-11-04.

External links

• Official website