| Žirovnice | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Vysočina |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Pelhřimov |
| Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
| Coordinates: | 49.2533°N 15.1883°W |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Radek Vopravil |
| Established Title: | First mentioned |
| Established Date: | 1358 |
| Area Total Km2: | 44.42 |
| Elevation M: | 565 |
| Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 3285 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 394 68 |
Žirovnice (in Czech pronounced as /ˈʒɪrovɲɪtsɛ/; German: Serownitz) is a town in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,300 inhabitants.
The villages of Cholunná, Litkovice, Stranná, Štítné, Vlčetín and Žirov are administrative parts of Žirovnice.
Žirovnice is located about south of Pelhřimov and 32km (20miles) southwest of Jihlava. It lies in the Křemešník Highlands. The highest point is at 648m (2,126feet) above sea level. The small river of Žirovnička flows through the town. The area is rich in small fishponds.
The town was built around a castle of the same name. The first written mention of Žirovnice is from 1358.[2]
Žirovnice was traditionally town of weavers, but in 1863, manufacturing of buttons from nacre was introduced. In the 1940s, nearly 100 nacre-processing manufactures existed in the small town. After Communists seized power in 1948, these manufactures were nationalized and transformed into one company, which still exists.[3]
The railway line from Brno to Plzeň briefly passes through the municipal territory. The train station called Počátky-Žirovnice, which serves Žirovnice, is located in neighbouring Stojčín.[4]
Among the main landmarks of the town are the castle and the church. The Žirovnice Castle was originally a medieval castle, rebuilt into a Renaissance aristocratic residence. The frescoes with which it is decorated are considered the most extensive in the country.[5] In the castle there is a museum of button-manufacturing and nacre-processing.[3]
The Church of Saints Philip and James was built in the pseudo-Gothic style in 1868–1871. It replaced an old Gothic church from the 18th century, which has insufficient capacity and was demolished in 1868. A wooden statue of Pietà and a Gothic baptismal font have been preserved from the original church.[6] [7]
The Church of Saint Giles is a simple cemetery church. It was built in the Baroque style in 1700,but the remains of an older late Gothic church are incorporated into it.[8]
The Church of Saint Bartholomew is located in Stranná. It is a Neoclassical building with a Gothic core.[9]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic. Žirovnice is twinned with:[10]
Trstená, Slovakia