Jistebnice

Jistebnice (German: Jistebnitz) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants.

Jistebnice
Town
Aerial view
Coat of arms
Jistebnice Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°29′8″N 14°31′39″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Bohemian
District	Tábor
First mentioned	1262
Government
• Mayor	Jiří Popelka
Area
• Total	57.99 km2 (22.39 sq mi)
Elevation	578 m (1,896 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	2,132
• Density	37/km2 (95/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	391 31, 391 32, 391 33
Website	www.jistebnice.cz

Administrative division

Jistebnice consists of 27 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Jistebnice (952)
• Alenina Lhota (3)
• Božejovice (203)
• Chlum (21)
• Cunkov (8)
• Drahnětice (48)
• Hodkov (18)
• Hůrka (75)
• Javoří (8)
• Jezviny (1)
• Křivošín (35)
• Makov (99)
• Nehonín (9)
• Orlov (30)
• Ostrý (47)
• Ounuz (9)
• Padařov (139)
• Plechov (15)
• Podol (29)
• Pohoří (14)
• Smrkov (42)
• Stružinec (7)
• Svoříž (47)
• Třemešná (22)
• Vlásenice (119)
• Zbelítov (14)
• Zvěstonín (25)

Geography

Jistebnice is located about 13 kilometres (8 mi) northwest of Tábor and 56 km (35 mi) north of České Budějovice. It lies in the Vlašim Uplands. The highest point is the hill Bušová at 669 m (2,195 ft) above sea level. The Smutná River originates near the Ostrý village and flows through the market town proper. The municipal territory is rich in fishponds, supplied by the Smutná and several its tributaries.

History

The first written mention of Jistebnice is from 1262, when it was a market village owned by the Rosenberg family.^[3] In the 15th century, during the Hussite Wars, many citizens left Jistebnice and went to the newly founded Tábor, which was co-founded by the Hussite governor Petr Hromádka from Jistebnice.^[4]

In 1872, the Jistebnice hymn book was founded in Jistebnice.^[4]

Jistebnice became a town for the first time before 1654.^[5] It lost this status after 1945 and it became a town again on 17 October 2011.^[6]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 4,961 —     1880 4,996 +0.7% 1890 4,673 −6.5% 1900 4,487 −4.0% 1910 4,235 −5.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 4,105 −3.1% 1930 3,672 −10.5% 1950 2,790 −24.0% 1961 2,850 +2.2% 1970 2,598 −8.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 2,444 −5.9% 1991 2,193 −10.3% 2001 2,046 −6.7% 2011 1,987 −2.9% 2021 2,039 +2.6%
Source: Censuses[7][8]

Transport

The railway line Tábor–Písek runs along the southern municipal border. There are two train stations: Padařov and Božejovice.^[9]

Sights

Church of Saint Michael the Archangel

The main landmark of Jistebnice is the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel. It has a Romanesque core from the early 13th century. The church was gothic rebuilt in 1380–1385 and baroque rebuilt in 1718, then Gothic modifications were made in the second half of the 19th century.^[10]

A landmark of the town square is Vlašský dům, also called Old Castle. It is originally a Renaissance castle from the second half of the 16th century. It was rebuilt in the Baroque style in the second half of the 18th century. Today it houses the memorial hall of the painter Richard Lauda, local native.^[11]

The Jistebnice Castle is a neo-Gothic castle built in 1878–1882. It is surrounded by an English park, which was designed by the architect František Thomayer. Today the castle is privately owned and inaccessible.^[12]

Jistebnice Fortress was built by the Rosenbergs in the 13th century. The remains of the fortress include two semicircular bastions. It is inaccessible and dilapidated.^[13]

Notable people

• Otto Katz (1895–1952), spy