Velké Meziříčí (German Groß Meseritsch, in Yiddish גרויס מעזריטש
Grojs Majzryč) is a town with extended powers in western Moravia in
the eastern part of the Vysočina Region in the district of Žďár nad
Sázavou, located 32 km east of Jihlava and 46 km west of Brno at the
confluence of the Oslava and Balinky. Colloquially, the city is
abbreviated Velmez, or Mez or also dialect Medřič. Today's name
Velké Meziříčí also comes from the confluence of both rivers.
Approximately 11,000 inhabitants live here. The emblem has a red
shield with seven silver lips set in a gold perison.
The city
is located close to the D1 motorway, which spans the city with the
Vysočina Bridge at its 144th kilometer. About 4 km from Velké
Meziříčí lies the Mostiště reservoir, which supplies drinking water
to the entire wider area around the city. Many natural scenery can
be found around the town, such as the Balinské Valley and the Nesměř
Valley. In 2008, the city celebrated the 600th anniversary of the
granting of full city rights by Lacko z Kravař.
The
neighboring villages of the seat are Martinice, Uhřínov, Bory,
Petráveč, Radostín nad Oslavou, Stránecká Zhoř, Vienna, Baliny,
Březejc, Jabloňov, Oslavice, Osové, Netín, Lavičky, Sviny and
Kozlov.
The first written mention of the town is from the year
1236, when Budislav of Meziříčí is mentioned, in 1281 it is followed
by Znata of Meziříčí and in 1286 Jindřich of Meziříčí. In the years
1330 - 1330, the castle was held by Jan of Meziříčí, which begins a
continuous succession of castle owners. In 1377, the Meziříč estate
consisted of a castle, the town of Meziříčí and fourteen villages:
Čikov, Březka, Rohy, Olší, Lhota (later extinct), Jestřabí, Zhořec,
Lavičky, Hrbov, Radslavičky, Bochovičky (later extinct), Pohořílky,
Budeč and Veselí . Velké Meziříčí gained city rights in 1408, when
he held the manor and the castle was rebuilt by Lacek of Kravař.
Around 1424, the town became an important stronghold of the Hussites
in Moravia, and in the years 1434 - 1515 the town belonged to the
Lords of Lomnice. The city privileges were restored in 1548 by King
Ferdinand I of Habsburg, and from 1594 Velké Berříčí was held by the
provincial governor Ladislav Berka of Dubá.
During the Thirty
Years' War, the city was looted eight times. In 1723 the town and
the castle were engulfed in a great fire, and from the following
year the town was held by Maria Eleonora of Liechtenstein, born
Countess of Öttingen-Spielberg. In 1886, the town gained a train
connection by building a line from Studenec, its extension to
Křižanov, opened at the end of 1953, required a partial relocation
of the line in the city, including the construction of a new railway
station. In 1945, the so-called Velkomeziríč massacre took place,
and in 1968, Soviet occupation troops arrived in the town
(Wednesday, August 21, 1968).
From 2006 to 2010, František
Bradáč served as mayor; since 2010, Radovan Necid has held this
position. The members of the city council were announced after the
signing of the coalition agreement, which was signed by four
associations and parties: the ODS, the CSSD, the Election for the
City and the Independents. Radovan Necid defended the position of
mayor in the 2014 elections. The members of the city council were
announced after the signing of the coalition agreement, which was
signed by six associations and parties: YES 2011, CSSD, KDU-CSL,
KSCM, To pravni Mezirici and Choice for the city. At the meeting of
the council on September 27, 2017, five of the seven members of the
council were recalled and Mayor Necid subsequently resigned.
In 2018, soundings were carried out on the arched road bridge over
the Balinka River, which was intended for demolition, which
collapsed during the soundings. The new bridge was opened at the end
of November of the same year, the total price reached CZK 17.6
million. According to conservationists, the original bridge was
supposed to remain standing, it dates from 1924, but it fell.