| Pičín | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Central Bohemian |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Příbram |
| Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
| Coordinates: | 49.7456°N 14.0578°W |
| Established Title: | First mentioned |
| Established Date: | 1289 |
| Area Total Km2: | 14.26 |
| Elevation M: | 472 |
| Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 642 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 262 25 |
Pičín is a municipality and village in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants.
The name Pičín was originally spelled Pěčín and Pěčina. It was derived from the old personal Czech name Pieka, which arose from Czech: pěkný, i.e. "nice".[2]
Pičín is located about 7km (04miles) northeast of Příbram and 39km (24miles) southwest of Prague. It lies in the Brdy Highlands. The highest point is the hill Kuchyňka at 636m (2,087feet) above sea level, located in the northern tip of the municipal territory. The southern slopes of the hill are protected as the Kuchyňka Nature Reserve. The village is surrounded by several small fishponds.
The first written mention of Pičín is from 1289, when the parish church already existed here. A fortress in Pičín was first documented in 1473. The most notable owners of the village were the Bechyně of Lažany family. During their rule, which lasted from 1493 to 1627, they had the fortress rebuilt in the Renaissance style. In 1627, they sold the village to the Dubský family. Jan Ferdinand Dubský founded here a monastery in 1689–1691, but it was abolished in 1786 and later demolished.[3]
There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.
The most important monument is the medieval Pičín Fortress, located above the Příkop pond. It was probably founded in the 13th century. In the 18th century, it lost its function of an aristocratic residence and was converted into a granary. Today it is privately owned.[4]
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built in the early Gothic style in the second half of the 13th century. In the mid-18th century, it was modified in the Baroque style and extended. The church is surrounded by a wall and the gate that belonged to the dissolved monastery dates from 1691. In front of the gate are statues of saints Anthony of Padua and John of Nepomuk.[5]