Svojanov

Svojanov is a market town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants.

Svojanov
Market town
Svojanov as seen from the Svojanov Castle
Flag Coat of arms
Svojanov Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°37′29″N 16°24′37″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Pardubice
District	Svitavy
First mentioned	1287
Area
• Total	13.89 km2 (5.36 sq mi)
Elevation	460 m (1,510 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	355
• Density	26/km2 (66/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	569 73, 569 92
Website	mestyssvojanov.cz

Administrative division

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

• Svojanov (131)
• Dolní Lhota (21)
• Hutě (11)
• Předměstí (57)
• Starý Svojanov (123)
• Studenec (33)

Geography

Svojanov is located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) south of Svitavy and 63 km (39 mi) southeast of Pardubice. It lies on the border between the Upper Svratka Highlands and Svitavy Uplands. The highest point is at 623 metres (2,044 ft) above sea level. The market town is situated in the valley of the Křetínka River.

History

The Svojanov Castle (called Fürstenberg until 1320) was built in the 1260s.^[3] During the reign of King Ottokar II, it was used for protection of the trade route from Bohemia to Moravia. The first written mention of the settlement of Svojanov, located below the castle, is from 1287. It was then owned by Záviš of Falkenstein, who had the small fortress extended into a big Gothic castle. The village of Starý Svojanov ("Old Svojanov") was founded in the 13th century and supposedly is the oldest part of today's municipality.^[4]

In 1421, Svojanov was besieged by Jan Žižka and between 1642 and 1645, the market town was occupied by the Swedish army. In December 1798, the Russian legions marched through Svojanov to fight against Napoleon.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,626 —     1880 1,779 +9.4% 1890 1,958 +10.1% 1900 2,028 +3.6% 1910 2,079 +2.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,683 −19.0% 1930 1,657 −1.5% 1950 998 −39.8% 1961 1,011 +1.3% 1970 811 −19.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 611 −24.7% 1991 486 −20.5% 2001 412 −15.2% 2011 375 −9.0% 2021 376 +0.3%
Source: Censuses[5][6]

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipal territory.

Sights

Svojanov Castle

Svojanov Castle, built in the early Gothic style, is one of the oldest stone castles in the country. In the 15th century, it was fortified. Since 1910, it has been owned by the town of Polička. The castle complex was expanded in the 16th century to include a Renaissance palace and other buildings. After the 1842 fire, the palace was rebuilt in the Empire style. The castle ruins and the Empire palace are open to the public and often are used for cultural purposes.^[3][7]

An interesting sight is the Church of Saint Nicholas with a 13th-century chancel and fresco decoration which dates back to the period of King Charles IV.^[4]