Skuteč (Czech pronunciation: [ˈskutɛtʃ]; German: Skutsch) is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,100 inhabitants.

Skuteč
Town hall on the Palackého Square
Town hall on the Palackého Square
Flag of Skuteč
Coat of arms of Skuteč
Skuteč is located in Czech Republic
Skuteč
Skuteč
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°50′47″N 15°59′45″E / 49.84639°N 15.99583°E / 49.84639; 15.99583
Country Czech Republic
RegionPardubice
DistrictChrudim
First mentioned1282
Government
 • MayorJaroslav Hetfleiš
Area
 • Total35.40 km2 (13.67 sq mi)
Elevation
410 m (1,350 ft)
Population
 (2023-01-01)[1]
 • Total5,071
 • Density140/km2 (370/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
539 73
Websitewww.skutec.cz

Administrative parts edit

Villages of Borek, Hněvětice, Lažany, Lešany, Lhota u Skutče, Nová Ves, Radčice, Skutíčko, Štěpánov, Zbožnov, Zhoř and the town part of Žďárec u Skutče are administrative parts of Skuteč. Lešany forms an exclave of the municipal territory.

Geography edit

Skuteč is located about 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Chrudim and 26 km (16 mi) southeast of Pardubice. It lies mostly the undulating and hilly landscape of the Iron Mountains, the northern part of the municipal territory extends into the Svitavy Uplands. A part of the Anenské Valley Nature Reserve around the Anenský Brook is located in the territory.

History edit

The first written mention of Skuteč is from 1289. The settlement was located on a side trade route. Skuteč was promoted to a town probably in the first half of the 14th century. It was one of the larger towns in the region. Its development was slowed down by the Thirty Years' War. In 1862 and 1867, the town was severely damaged by large fires.[2]

Demographics edit

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18695,362—    
18805,592+4.3%
18905,834+4.3%
19006,605+13.2%
19106,981+5.7%
YearPop.±%
19216,539−6.3%
19306,658+1.8%
19505,013−24.7%
19615,270+5.1%
19705,220−0.9%
YearPop.±%
19805,387+3.2%
19915,206−3.4%
20015,344+2.7%
20115,183−3.0%
20215,036−2.8%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Economy edit

Skuteč is significantly associated with shoemaking, represented by the company Botas, and for granite mining. While mining is still active, shoe production in Skuteč ended in 2022, and it is being considered to move the brand's production elsewhere.[2][5]

Education edit

The town has two primary schools and Vítězslav Novák Art School. Since 2000, there is the Gymnasium of the Sovereign Maltese Knights Order.[2]

Culture edit

Since 2003, the town hosts Tomášek's and Novák's Musical Skuteč, an annual festival of classical music and choir singing.[6]

Sights edit

 
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The most notable buildings are the churches. In Skuteč there are Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Church of the Corpus Christi. The Church of Saint Wenceslaus is located in Lažany and the Church of Saint Matthias is in Štěpánov.[7]

The birthplace of the most famous native, composer Václav Tomášek, is a folk architecture house from the 18th century with a small exhibition of his life and work.[7]

Notable people edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 23 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Historie města Skuteč" (in Czech). Město Skuteč. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Chrudim" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 21 December 2015. pp. 17–18.
  4. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 27 March 2021.
  5. ^ "V Česku končí výroba legendárních botasek. Utnuly ji drahé energie" (in Czech). Seznam Zprávy. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Informace o festivalu" (in Czech). Festival Tomáškova a Novákova hudební Skuteč. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Památky" (in Czech). Město Skuteč. Retrieved 19 October 2021.

External links edit