Proseč
Town
Town square with Church of Saint Nicholas
Town square with Church of Saint Nicholas
Flag of Proseč
Flag
Coat of arms of Proseč
Coat of arms
Proseč is located in Czech Republic
Proseč
Proseč
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°48′21″N 16°6′59″E / 49.80583°N 16.11639°E / 49.80583; 16.11639
Country Czech Republic
RegionPardubice
DistrictChrudim
First mentioned1349
Government
 • MayorJan Macháček
Area
 • Total34.03 km2 (13.14 sq mi)
Elevation
523 m (1,716 ft)
Population
 (2023-01-01)[1]
 • Total2,096
 • Density62/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
539 44
Websitewww.mestoprosec.cz

Proseč is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Česká Rybná, Martinice, Miřetín, Paseky, Podměstí and Záboří are administrative parts of Proseč.

Geography

Proseč is located about 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Chrudim and 26 km (16 mi) southeast of Pardubice. The municipal territory lies on the border of three geomorphological regions: the southern lies in the Upper Svratka Highlands, the western part lies in the Iron Mountains, and a small part in the northeast extends into the Svitavy Uplands. The highest point is a hill at 706 m (2,316 ft) above sea level. There are several small ponds in and around the town.

History

The first written mention of Proseč is from 1349. The village was probably founded during the colonization of the area by the Benedictine monastery in Podlažice in the second half of the 12th century. In 1368, Proseč was first referred to as a town. In 1421, during the Hussite Wars, the Hussites burned the Podlažice Monastery and probably the town too, but it was rebuilt.[2]

After the burning of the monastery, Proseč became the property of the Hussite governors and then of noble families. Zdeněk Kostka of Postupice had built a castle in Nové Hrady in the 1460s, and Proseč became part of the Nové Hrady estate for several centuries. The greatest development of Proseč occurred in the first half of the 18th century. Proseč acquired various town privileges in 1719 and 1751. The first school was founded in 1721. In 1727, new town square with uniform wooden single-story houses was built.[2]

The population made a living from agriculture. Potatoes, barley, oats and flax were grown here. At the beginning of the 19th century, the first road, connection Proseč with Nové Hrady, was built. In the 19th century, crafts and trades developed in Proseč, and a glass factory was founded, which operated in the years 1828–1883. At the beginning of the 20th century, the town was industrialized. There were several tobacco pipe factories, which made the town famous at the time. However, most of the factories ceased to exist after World War II.[2]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18694,084—    
18804,103+0.5%
18903,869−5.7%
19003,926+1.5%
19103,872−1.4%
YearPop.±%
19213,742−3.4%
19303,613−3.4%
19502,560−29.1%
19612,563+0.1%
19702,361−7.9%
YearPop.±%
19802,314−2.0%
19912,126−8.1%
20012,098−1.3%
20112,083−0.7%
20211,992−4.4%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Economy

The only industrial factory for the production of tobacco pipes in the country is located in Proseč.[5]

Sights

Terezka observation tower

The main landmark is the Church of Saint Nicholas. The old church, first documented in the mid-14th century, had insufficient capacity, and therefore was replaced by the current church, built in the neo-Gothic style in 1912–1913. The interior of the church is painted with monumental drawings according to the designs of Mikoláš Aleš.[6]

The Evangelical church was built in the Empire style in 1834–1838.[7]

House No. 61 is the only original wooden house on the town square, which survived a fire in the mid-19th century. Today this cultural monument houses Teréza Nováková Memorial Hall and Museum of Tobacco Pipes.[8][5]

In the village of Paseky is an observation tower called Terezka. It is a 28 m (92 ft) high wooden and steel tower.[9] The second observation tower called U Marešů is located in Martinice. It is 13 m (43 ft) high.[10]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
  2. 1 2 3 "Historie města" (in Czech). Město Proseč. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  3. ↑ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Chrudim" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 15–16.
  4. ↑ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  5. 1 2 "Muzeum dýmek v Proseči" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  6. ↑ "Kostel sv. Mikuláše v Proseči u Skutče" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  7. ↑ "Evangelický kostel" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  8. ↑ "Venkovský dům T. Novákové" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  9. ↑ "Rozhledna Terezka u Proseče" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  10. ↑ "Rozhledna U Marešů". Rozhlednovým rájem (in Czech). Retrieved 2023-02-01.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Proseč (Chrudim District).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.