Kněžice (Jihlava District) Explained

Kněžice
Settlement Type:Municipality
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Vysočina
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Jihlava
Pushpin Map:Czech Republic
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates:49.2708°N 15.6722°W
Established Title:First mentioned
Established Date:1222
Area Total Km2:22.39
Elevation M:550
Population As Of:2024-01-01
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:1402
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset1:+1
Timezone1 Dst:CEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:675 29

Kněžice (in Czech pronounced as /ˈkɲɛʒɪtsɛ/) is a municipality and village in Jihlava District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The villages of Brodce, Rychlov and Víska are administrative parts of Kněžice.

Geography

Kněžice is located about 15km (09miles) southeast of Jihlava. It lies in the Křižanov Highlands. The highest point is at 669m (2,195feet) above sea level. The Brtnice River flows through the municipality; the fishponds Kněžický and Strážov are supplied by the river. The municipality of Hrutov forms an enclave in the municipal territory of Kněžice.

History

The first written mention of Kněžice is from 1222. Until the end of the 16th century, half of Kněžice and the villages of Rychlov and Víska were owned by the monastery in Želiv. The second half of Kněžice was property of various noble families, most notably of the Waldstein family in the early 17th century. In the 1620s, Kněžice was acquired by the Collalto family, who held it continuously until the establishment of a sovereign municipality.[2]

Transport

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

Sights

The Church of Saint James the Great has a Romanesque core. In the second half of the 14th century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic style and extended. The tower was added only in 1838.[3]

Kněžice Castle is a Renaissance hunting lodge with Baroque and Neoclassical modifications. It was built at the end of the 16th century on the site on an old fortress. Today the castle houses the municipal office, library and Kněžice's Museum of Nature.[4]

Notable people

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024. Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
  2. Web site: Něco z historie. Obec Kněžice. cs. 2021-07-21.
  3. Web site: Kostel sv. Jakuba Staršího. National Heritage Institute. cs. 2021-07-21.
  4. Web site: Zámek. National Heritage Institute. cs. 2021-07-21.