Vsetín District

Vsetín District (Czech: okres Vsetín) is a district in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Vsetín.

Vsetín District Okres Vsetín
District
Location in the Zlín Region within the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°24′N 18°3′E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Zlín
Capital	Vsetín
Area [1]
• Total	1,131.07 km2 (436.71 sq mi)
Population  (2025)[2]
• Total	141,645
• Density	130/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Municipalities	59
* Towns	6
* Market towns	1

Administrative division

Vsetín District is divided into three administrative districts of municipalities with extended competence: Vsetín, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and Valašské Meziříčí.

List of municipalities

Towns are marked in bold and market towns in italics:

Branky - Bystřička - Choryně - Dolní Bečva - Francova Lhota - Halenkov - Horní Bečva - Horní Lideč - Hošťálková - Hovězí - Huslenky - Hutisko-Solanec - Jablůnka - Janová - Jarcová - Karolinka - Kateřinice - Kelč - Kladeruby - Krhová - Kunovice - Lačnov - Leskovec - Lešná - Lhota u Vsetína - Lidečko - Liptál - Loučka - Lužná - Malá Bystřice - Mikulůvka - Nový Hrozenkov - Oznice - Podolí - Police - Poličná - Pozděchov - Prlov - Prostřední Bečva - Pržno - Ratiboř - Rožnov pod Radhoštěm - Růžďka - Seninka - Střelná - Střítež nad Bečvou - Ústí - Valašská Bystřice - Valašská Polanka - Valašská Senice - Valašské Meziříčí - Velká Lhota - Velké Karlovice - Vidče - Vigantice - Vsetín - Zašová - Zděchov - Zubří

Geography

Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and surrounding landscape

Vsetín District borders Slovakia in the southeast. The terrain is hilly to mountainous and except in the northwest, most of the landscape is forested. The territory extends into seven geomorphological mesoregions: Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains (most of the territory), Maple Mountains (southeast), Vizovice Highlands (southwest), Rožnov Furrow (a strip in the north), Moravian-Silesian Beskids (north), Moravian-Silesian Foothills (northwest), and White Carpathians (a small part in the south). The highest point of the district and of the entire Zlín Region is the mountain Čertův mlýn in Prostřední Bečva with an elevation of 1,206 m (3,957 ft). The lowest point of the district is the river bed of the Bečva in Kelč at 263 m (863 ft).

From the total district area of 1,131.1 km² (436.7 sq mi), agricultural land occupies 403.0 km² (155.6 sq mi), forests occupy 620.9 km² (239.7 sq mi), and water area occupies 11.1 km² (4.3 sq mi). Forests cover 54.9% of the district's area.^[1]

The most important rivers of the district are the Vsetínská Bečva and Rožnovská Bečva, which join in Valašské Meziříčí and create the Bečva River. The area is poor in bodies of water. The only notable bodies of water is are the Karolinka and Bystřička reservoirs.

The eastern half of the district is protected within the Beskydy Protected Landscape Area.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 83,073 —     1880 87,465 +5.3% 1890 90,193 +3.1% 1900 94,394 +4.7% 1910 98,228 +4.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 95,071 −3.2% 1930 101,633 +6.9% 1950 105,693 +4.0% 1961 121,144 +14.6% 1970 130,748 +7.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 143,428 +9.7% 1991 146,898 +2.4% 2001 147,064 +0.1% 2011 142,420 −3.2% 2021 137,540 −3.4%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Most populated municipalities

Name	Population[2]	Area (km2)
Vsetín	25,185	58
Valašské Meziříčí	22,580	35
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm	16,063	39
Zubří	5,561	28
Zašová	3,084	23
Kelč	2,673	28
Nový Hrozenkov	2,478	43
Horní Bečva	2,438	42
Velké Karlovice	2,376	81
Karolinka	2,373	42

Economy

The largest employers with headquarters in Vsetín District and at least 500 employees are:^[5]

Economic entity	Location	Number of employees	Main activity
ON Semiconductor Czech Republic	Rožnov pod Radhoštěm	1,500–1,999	Manufacture of electronic components
Kayaku Safety Systems Europe	Vsetín	1,000–1,499	Manufacture of explosives
Vsetín Hospital	Vsetín	1,000–1,499	Health care
ROBE lighting	Rožnov pod Radhoštěm	500–999	Manufacture of electronic components
AGEL Hospital Valašské Meziříčí	Valašské Meziříčí	500–999	Health care
DEZA	Valašské Meziříčí	500–999	Chemical industry
MP Krásno	Valašské Meziříčí	500–999	Food industry
PWO Czech Republic	Valašské Meziříčí	500–999	Machining
Austin Detonator	Vsetín	500–999	Manufacture of detonators
Jednota, spotřební družstvo ve Vsetíně	Vsetín	500–999	Retail sale
Servis Climax	Vsetín	500–999	Manufacture of window blinds
Sociální služby Vsetín	Vsetín	500–999	Residential care activities
Stín Kovo	Vsetín	500–999	Manufacture of window blinds

Transport

There are no motorways passing through the district. The most important road is the I/35 (part of the European route E442 from Olomouc to the Czech-Slovak border.

Sights

Pustevny

The most important monuments in the district, protected as national cultural monuments, are:^[6]

• Pustevny area
• Wallachian Open Air Museum
• Evangelical church in Velká Lhota
• Advocatus' residence in Velké Karlovice

The best-preserved settlements, protected as monument zones, are:^[7]

• Kelč
• Valašské Meziříčí
• Huslenky-Kychová
• Velké Karlovice-Podťaté
• Zděchov

The most visited tourist destination is the Wallachian Open Air Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.^[8]

Notable people

Main category: People from Vsetín District