Kaliště (Pelhřimov District)

Kaliště (German: Kalischt) is a municipality and village in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants. The village is notable for being the birthplace of the composer Gustav Mahler.

Kaliště
Municipality
Centre of Kaliště
Flag Coat of arms
Kaliště Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°35′34″N 15°18′15″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Vysočina
District	Pelhřimov
First mentioned	1318
Area
• Total	12.42 km2 (4.80 sq mi)
Elevation	601 m (1,972 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	390
• Density	31/km2 (81/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	394 51, 396 01
Website	www.obeckaliste.cz

Administrative division

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

• Kaliště (277)
• Háj (20)
• Holušice (32)
• Podivice (30)
• Staré Hutě (4)

Geography

Kaliště is located about 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of Pelhřimov and 29 km (18 mi) northwest of Jihlava. It lies in the Křemešník Highlands. The highest point is the hill Podivický vrch at 638 m (2,093 ft) above sea level. There are several small fishponds in the municipal territory.

History

The first written mention of Kaliště is from 1318, when it was a property of the Vyšehrad Chapter. During the Hussite Wars, King Sigismund seized the property and in 1436 pledged it to the Trčka of Lípa family. In 1698, it was purchased by the Count Jan Jáchym Harrach, who had built a castle here. He passed it to the Austrian Trautson noble family in 1707. The castle was demolished in 1801.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 990 —     1880 979 −1.1% 1890 1,046 +6.8% 1900 1,040 −0.6% 1910 972 −6.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 906 −6.8% 1930 815 −10.0% 1950 638 −21.7% 1961 615 −3.6% 1970 511 −16.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 417 −18.4% 1991 334 −19.9% 2001 333 −0.3% 2011 336 +0.9% 2021 363 +8.0%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

Church of Saint John the Baptist

The main landmark of Kaliště is the Church of Saint John the Baptist. It is a rural Baroque church from the early 19th century.^[6]

Notable people

• Gustav Mahler (1860–1911), composer