Otázka: Ivančice
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): pajushka
The town of Ivančice is located in the South Moravian region of the CR, this region lies in the south-eastern part of the Czech Republic. Ivančice is 20 km southwest of Brno. The town has about 10 000 inhabitants.
It lies on the confluence of Jihlava, Oslava and Rokytná rivers. It is surrounded by the beautiful landscape with rivers, ponds and soft hills and hillsides with mixed forests.
The former market place, which was created on the crossing of business routes and at the same time on the confluence of three rivers Oslava, Jihlava and Rokytná, was around 1212 declared a town. The name Ivančice was first mentioned 1221. It had stone town walls with three gates and a moat, a Gothic castle and fortified basilica once existed there. From 1288 it had the status of a royal town. The hard times came to town, it was plundered several times, the worst was in 1304 by the Hungarian Kumans. The new settlers of the town were vintners. In 1424 the town was conquered by the Hussites and Ivancice became their base for the next 10 years. In the 15th century the town came into the hands of the von Lipa family and it stayed in their possession until the Battle of White Mountain. In the 16th century Ivancice flourished and the town was an important centre for the Unity of the Brethren. The Unity of the Brethren was banned religious grouping.
Ivančice was home to Jan Blahoslav, a humanist, linguist and a bishop of the brethren. He translated the New Testament from the Greek original to the Czech language and his work is still recognised as a pearl of the Czech literature. He was first who did it. The Czech Brethren were active in Ivancice, later transferred to Kralice nad Oslavou where the Kralice Bible was printed as the first Bible in the Czech language.
In the Thirty Years´ Wars Ivancice was recatholicised and lost its previous significance. The renewal of the destroyed town laste whole century.
The three-aisled gothic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with 53 metres high tower. Jewish cemetery, Jewish synagogue and former Jewish school remind Judaic community.
Apparently the most significant monument is Saints Peter and Paul ´s rotunda / chapel in Řeznovice, which is famous for the rare type of romanesque church.
The Old Town Hall was rebuilt and the upper floor is devoted to a permanent exhibition of the world-famous secession painter Alphonse Mucha, who was born and spent his youth in Ivancice. In this building, called The Alphonse Mucha memorial, can be found also an exhibition dedicated to Vladimír Menšík, the popular actor who was born in Ivančice as well.
House of the Lords of Lipná was originally a monarchial castle, it is the most important Renaissance building in Ivancice and today it is home to the Town Hall.
The lookout tower at Réna, built of concrete is named after Alpohonse Mucha Saint Jacob´s chapel dominates in the northeast of the town. The Neo-Gothic pilgrimage chapel of St. James on the hill northeast from the town, to which leads the Way of the Cross with 14 stations.
The cultural life is quite rich. In Ivancice an Asparagus festival is held each May as a reminder to the cultivating tradition of this delicacy in the region, traditional funfair takes place annually in July. There are two primary school, high school, nursery school, school for the deaf, library near the high school, cinema near square, court, stadion adn lots of small shops. Lots of famous people were born there: Tomáš Procházka, Alphons Mucha and Vladimír Menšík (an actor). Jan Blahoslav established high school.
