The town of Zruč nad Sázavou is located in the Kutná Hora district in the Central Bohemian Region. It has approximately 4,900 inhabitants. Zruč is connected by road II / 126 to the motorway exit D1 Soutice 57 km from Prague. It is 32 km from Kutná Hora. The towns of Domahoř, Dubina, Nesměřice and Želivec are part of the town.
Zručský zámek - with its park of great botanical value is one of the
most visited monuments in central Posázaví. Its historical roots go back
to the thirteenth century. The first mansion in Zruč was the so-called
Old Castle founded in the second half of the thirteenth century. It
stood about 400 meters west of the preserved castle. The Zruč castle
acquired its neo-Gothic form only at the end of the nineteenth century.
In its walls, however, it contains some buildings of the original castle
built in the first half of the fourteenth century, which was later
equipped with an extensive and partially preserved artillery
fortification. One of the remains of the fortifications is the Kolowrat
Tower. At the castle, the attic, which serves as an exhibition and
concert hall, was repaired. Today, there is a tour circuit in the places
where the city office used to be. The office moved to the left part,
where the Basic Art School was located until recently. Both the facades
and the interior itself were repaired. The castle was also illuminated,
so this landmark can be seen even at night. In the moat of the castle,
an educational trail of the knight Milota was created for young
children. Part of the exhibitions in the Zruč castle is the Kingdom of
Dice and Dolls, where there are dolls from as far away as Japan, donated
to the city by the Japanese company ASMO Czech. The premises of the
castle also house the Regional Museum, which is mainly focused on the
shoemaking history of the city. Here you can see period photos,
shoemaking tools and get a picture of the life of the city's
inhabitants. Part of the castle park is a dog cemetery, where the Schebk
family buried their hunting dogs. According to historical records, there
were eight gravestones in the dog cemetery, but only two remain. In the
middle of the cemetery stands a monument with a rabbit and a hunting
bag.
Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
St. Joseph's
Chapel
funeral chapel
ossuary
The kingdom of bones and dolls
Boating Museum
Lookout tower Babka
In Zruč, the film Lásky jedne ploválska directed by Miloš Forman was
filmed, which was nominated for an Oscar as a foreign language film. The
film won at Cannes and won the Palme d'Or, and was nominated for a
Golden Globe. Zruč can also be seen in the film Dědeček, Kylián a me.
On September 19, 2015, the Boating Museum was opened in the premises
of Zručské dvor, and the exhibition The Story of the Sázava River was
opened in the former storage room. Every first weekend in August,
Historical Festivals are held in the grounds of the Zruč Castle.
Sports in the city are united in TJ Jiskra Zruč nad Sázavou, which is divided into individual divisions (volleyball, handball, football, tennis, netball, table tennis and others). Handball, tennis and floorball are also popular sports here. Most sports are held in the municipal sports hall or on the TJ Jiskra playing fields. A sports area was also newly opened behind the sports hall (tartan track, artificial grass, field for ice hockey, football, floorball, beach volleyball, etc.). There is a skatepark, workout and senior playground next to the complex.
The first written mention of the village comes from
1328, when Heřman of the Chvalovský family from Ledec donated the
right to file church in Zruč to the Prague Monastery in Zderaz. In
1355, Petr of Orlík, named twenty years later from Kolovrat, is
mentioned as the patron of the local church. The spinning wheels
lived in Zruč for almost 200 years. During the reign of the Kalenice
family, Zruč was promoted to a town in 1561. The coat of arms of the
Kalenices was conceived as a city emblem - two connected silver
buffalo horns on a red shield (this is still the case today). In the
second half of the 16th century, the Kalenics rebuilt the original
Gothic castle into a Renaissance chateau. However, the chateau and
the whole estate were confiscated from them in 1623 with the
participation of Albrecht of Kalenice in the estate uprising.
In 1781, the castle was engulfed in a fire, which destroyed the
castle archives and most of the interior decoration. It was not
until 1872–1878 that Jan Skrejšovský had the chateau repaired, even
in the Baroque style. Another reconstruction in the years 1891–1894,
which was carried out by Jan Schebek, a businessman in the field of
railway construction, was already carried out in a romantic style.
The Schebk family owned the Zruč chateau until 1948, when it was
expropriated. Today, the castle is the property of the city.
On March 24, 1939, Baťa signed a contract for the construction of a
shoe factory. The first assortment, based on the gates of the Baťa
plant in Zruč, was men's and women's shoes. And during the war it
was the so-called baganchata, work shoes on wooden soles. After
World War II, in 1953, the factory was renamed Sázavan Zruč, n. P.,
And produced quality children's footwear, which was sold all over
the world. Thanks to this race, Zruč has grown. Baťa's original
plans for the city were such that Zruč would be equal in size and
production to the shoes of his Zlín factory. The airport, hospitals
and universities were to stand in Zruč. After the arrival of the
Germans in 1939, the plans could not be realized and after the
nationalization after 1945, this plan was not further developed.
Even now, Zruč is divided by the local unofficial name into the new
Zruč (Sázavan) and the old Zruč.
In the 1970s, a Švihov
reservoir was built near the town, which is fed by the Želivka
river. This reservoir supplies drinking water not only to Prague,
but also to the wide surroundings of Zruč nad Sázavou and the
Želivka river. In the village Nesměřice (4 km from Zruč) there is a
dam of this reservoir.
The film The Loves of a Blonde by
Miloš Forman was shot in Zruč, which was nominated for an Oscar as a
foreign language film. The film won in Cannes and won the Palme
d'Or, and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Zruč can also be seen in
the film The Grandfather, Kylián and Me. The Boating Museum was
opened on 19 September 2015 in the premises of Zručský dvor, and the
exhibition The Story of the Sázava River was opened in the granary.
Every first weekend in July, a punk-rock festival called Zámekfest
takes place in the area of Zruč Castle.
Transport network
Ground communication – Road II/125 Vlašim – Zruč
nad Sázavou – Zbraslavice – Kutná Hora and road II/336 Uhlířské Janovice
– Zruč nad Sázavou pass through the city.
Railway – The town is
located at the junction of railway lines 212 Čerčany – Světlá nad
Sázavou and 235 Kutná Hora – Zruč nad Sázavou. Railway line 212 Čerčany
– Sázava – Zruč nad Sázavou – Světlá nad Sázavou is a single-track
regional line, traffic on the section of the line between Kácov and
Světla nad Sázavou was started in 1903. The branch railway station Zruč
nad Sázavou and the railway stop Zruč nad Sázavou are located on the
territory of the city BUS STOP. Railway line 235 Kutná Hora – Zruč nad
Sázavou is a single-track regional line, service started in 1905. In
addition to the Zruč nad Sázavou branch railway station, the Želivec
railway station is also located on the territory of the city.
Public transport 2011
Bus transport – There were bus lines from the
city to the following destinations: Dolní Kralovice, Vlašim (carrier
ČSAD Benešov), Čáslav, Kácov, Kutná Hora, Ledeč nad Sázavou, Prague,
Sázava, Uhlířské Janovice, Zbraslavice (carrier ARRIVA VþCHODNÍ CÉCHY).
Railway transport – Line 212 ran 15 pairs of passenger trains on
weekdays, 11 pairs of passenger trains on weekends. Line 235 was
operated by 11 pairs of passenger trains on weekdays, and 7 pairs of
passenger trains on weekends.
Parts of the village
The city of Zruč nad Sázavou consists of five
parts:
Domahoř (K. ú. Zruč nad Sázavou)
Dubina (in the
municipality of Zruč nad Sázavou)
Nesměřice (also the name of the
association)
Zruč nad Sázavou (also the name of the association)
Žilevec (also the name of the association)
The history of territorial integration covers the period from 1850 to
the present. The chronological overview shows the territorial
administrative jurisdiction of the city (municipality) in the year when
the change occurred:
until 1849 Czech land, Čáslav region, Dolní
Kralovice judicial district
1850 Czech land, Pardubice region, Ledeč
political district, Dolní Kralovice judicial district
1855 Czech
land, Čáslav region, Dolní Kralovice judicial district
1868 Czech
land, political district Ledeč, judicial district Dolní Kralovice
1939 Czech land, Oberlandrat Německý Brod, political district Ledeč nad
Sázavou, judicial district Dolní Kralovice
1942 Czech Republic,
Oberlandrat České Budějovice, political district Ledeč nad Sázavou,
judicial district Dolní Kralovice
1945 Czech land, administrative
district Ledeč nad Sázavou, judicial district Dolní Kralovice
1949
Jihlav region, Ledeč nad Sázavou district
1960 Central Bohemian
region, Kutná Hora district
2003 Central Bohemian region,
municipality with extended jurisdiction Kutná Hora
With the collapse of the Sázavan Zruč shoe factory and the de facto
end of shoe production in the nineties of the 20th century, the city's
economic stagnation occurred. The worsened social situation of the
population was also related to this. Newly established small businesses
did not have sufficient sales. Now the situation is slowly improving. On
April 1, 2004, the city received an investment from the Japanese company
ASMO, which manufactures motors for washers, window winders, air
conditioners and wipers for cars. The company for the production of car
parts (TRW), the company Variel, which produces urban furniture,
military, technological, mobile containers, antenna masts, telephone
booths, a company for the production of medical shoes, etc., operates
here.
Services
In 1932, the following trades and shops were
registered in Zruč nad Sázavou: doctor, car transport, Sokol cinema,
production of cement goods, brick factory, 3 confectioners, cattle shop,
drug store, cooperative for electricity distribution, electrical
engineering plant, watchmaker, 2 barbers, 7 inns, hotel, tinsmith,
bookseller, wheelwright, basket maker, 2 blacksmiths, furrier, 7
tailors, painter, mill, grain store, shoe store, 2 shoemakers, 3 bakers,
midwife, 4 butchers, saddler, warehouse, 8 of general merchandise
stores, Citizens' Credit Union, Savings and Loan Association, hardware
store, master carpenter, 3 tobacconists, 3 carpenters, large estate, 3
locksmiths, dental studio.
The city has a medical center, city
police, state police and fire brigade, there are two gas stations in the
city. For children, there are 2 kindergartens, 2 elementary schools and
then an elementary art school.
There is a TESCO supermarket in
Zruč, which has been competing with Penny Market since 2013, which was
built in its immediate vicinity. There are several restaurants and
pizzerias in Zruč, discos and entertainment are held in the Zruč hotel.
The city runs the Spolkový dům, a library and offers for rent partially
reconstructed premises in Zručské dvor, which is a former economic
building and distillery.
In the summer months, projections were
renewed in the summer cinema in the castle moat, where there is also the
path of the Knight of Mercy with lots of game elements.