Skočice Explained

Skočice
Settlement Type:Municipality
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:South Bohemian
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Strakonice
Pushpin Map:Czech Republic
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates:49.1861°N 14.1042°W
Established Title:First mentioned
Established Date:1399
Area Total Km2:9.82
Elevation M:462
Population As Of:2024-01-01
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:241
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset1:+1
Timezone1 Dst:CEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal codes
Postal Code:387 75, 389 01

Skočice is a municipality and village in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The village of Lidmovice is an administrative part of Skočice.

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Skok, meaning "the village of Skok's people".[2]

Geography

Skočice is located about 16km (10miles) southeast of Strakonice and 34km (21miles) northwest of České Budějovice. The western part of the municipality with the Skočice village lies in the Bohemian Forest Foothills, the eastern part with Lidmovice lies in the České Budějovice Basin. The highest point is the hill Hrad at 667m (2,188feet) above sea level, located on the eastern border of the municipality. The slopes of the hill are protected as the Skočický Hrad Nature Reserve.

The brook Lidmovický potok originates here and flows across the municipal territory. There are several fishponds in the municipality; the largest are Jordán and Louženský.

History

The first written mention of Skočice is from 1399.[3]

Transport

The I/22 road from Vodňany to Strakonice, which further continues to Klatovy, passes through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Skočice is the Church of the Visitation of Our Lady. It is an atypical octagonal church, built is the early Baroque style in 1677–1678. The church, originally as a chapel, was built for Polyxena Ludmila of Sternberg for its alleged miraculous image of Our Lady of Help (a copy of Cranach's Icon of Maria Hilf in Passau), and subsequently became a pilgrimage site. The area includes the cemetery and the Chapel of Saint John of Nepomuk from the mid-18th century.[4] [5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024. Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
  2. Book: Profous, Antonín. Místní jména v Čechách IV: S–Ž. 75. 1957. cs.
  3. Web site: Historie. Obec Skočice. cs. 2022-12-20.
  4. Web site: Kostel Navštívení P. Marie. National Heritage Institute. cs. 2022-12-20.
  5. Web site: Skočický kostel. Obec Skočice. cs. 2022-12-20.