Desná (Jablonec nad Nisou District)

Desná (Czech pronunciation: [ˈdɛsnaː]; German: Dessendorf) is a town in Jablonec nad Nisou District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,000 inhabitants.

Desná
Town
Town hall
Flag Coat of arms
Desná Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°45′35″N 15°18′10″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Liberec
District	Jablonec nad Nisou
Founded	1691
Government
• Mayor	Jaroslav Kořínek
Area
• Total	12.58 km2 (4.86 sq mi)
Elevation	490 m (1,610 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	2,999
• Density	240/km2 (620/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	468 61
Website	mesto-desna.cz

Administrative division

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

• Desná I (912)
• Desná II (1,462)
• Desná III (589)

Geography

Desná is located about 9 kilometres (6 mi) east of Jablonec nad Nisou. It lies in the Jizera Mountains. The highest point is the mountain Novina at 804 m (2,638 ft) above sea level. The town is situated at the confluence of the Černá Desná and Bílá Desná streams, which form the Desná River. The Souš Reservoir, built on the Černá Desná, is located in the northern part of the municipal territory.

History

Desná was founded by count Maximilian Desfours II in 1691. Its name supposed to be Desfoursdorf, however the simplified name Dessensdorf was adopted. After almost 250 years, its Czech name Desná was derived. In 1913, Desná was promoted to a market town. In 1949, eleven hamlets or their parts was joined to Desná and the municipality was established in its current form. In 1968, it became a town.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,270 —     1880 1,807 +42.3% 1890 2,123 +17.5% 1900 2,447 +15.3% 1910 2,347 −4.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,681 −28.4% 1930 1,740 +3.5% 1950 3,516 +102.1% 1961 3,697 +5.1% 1970 3,436 −7.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 3,372 −1.9% 1991 3,811 +13.0% 2001 3,549 −6.9% 2011 3,130 −11.8% 2021 2,963 −5.3%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Desná is located on the railway line Liberec–Szklarska Poręba. The territory is served by four train stations and stops: Desná, Desná-Riedlova vila, Dolní Polubný and Desná-Pustinská.^[6]

Sport

The town is home to the amateur football club TJ Desná.

Sights

The main landmark of the town is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1903.^[7]

Notable people

• Tomáš Goder (born 1974), ski jumper

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Desná is twinned with:^[8]

• Malschwitz, Germany
• Podgórzyn, Poland