Čestín

For the village in Montenegro, see Čestin, Montenegro.

Čestín is a municipality and village in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants.

Čestín
Municipality
Centre of Čestín
Coat of arms
Čestín Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°48′28″N 15°6′16″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Central Bohemian
District	Kutná Hora
First mentioned	1265
Area
• Total	32.56 km2 (12.57 sq mi)
Elevation	475 m (1,558 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	470
• Density	14/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	285 10, 285 22
Website	www.cestin.cz

Administrative division

Čestín consists of nine municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Čestín (144)
• Čenovice (50)
• Čentice (14)
• Kamenná Lhota (26)
• Kasanice (53)
• Kněž (28)
• Milotice (31)
• Morány (1)
• Polipsy (78)

Geography

Čestín is located about 19 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Kutná Hora and 49 km (30 mi) southeast of Prague. It lies mostly in the Upper Sázava Hills, only the southwestern part of the municipal territory extends into the Vlašim Uplands. The highest point is the hill Kopaniny at 552 m (1,811 ft) above sea level. The stream Čestínský potok originates here and flows across the municipality. The Sázava River briefly forms the southwestern municipal border.

History

The first written mention of Čestín is from around 1265, when it was named Čestín Kostel. In 1389, a fortress was built here. In 1579, Čestín was promoted to a town by Emperor Rudolf II. It ceased to be a town after World War II.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,337 —     1880 2,264 −3.1% 1890 2,156 −4.8% 1900 1,914 −11.2% 1910 1,793 −6.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,761 −1.8% 1930 1,563 −11.2% 1950 1,177 −24.7% 1961 1,163 −1.2% 1970 946 −18.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 713 −24.6% 1991 592 −17.0% 2001 455 −23.1% 2011 412 −9.5% 2021 425 +3.2%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

The railway line Ledeč nad Sázavou–Čerčany runs along the western municipal border. In this section is located the Kácov station, which primarily serves the neighbouring market town of Kácov.^[6]

Sights

Church of Saints Peter and Paul

Čestlín has two main landmarks, Čestín Castle and Church of Saints Peter and Paul. In 1575–1582, the original fortress was rebuilt to a large Renaissance castle by Adam Slavata of Chlum. The castle was partly demolished in the 19th century.^[7]

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul was built in the Neo-Romanesque style in 1859–1861. It replaced an old Romanesque church from the 13th century. The bells in the bell tower date from 1562.^[3]

Notable people

• Vilém Slavata of Chlum (1572–1652), nobleman