Velká Bíteš

Velká Bíteš (until 1924 Velká Byteš) is a town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,200 inhabitants. It is located by the D1 motorway. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Velká Bíteš
Town
View towards the town
Flag
Coat of arms
Velká Bíteš
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°17′37″N 16°13′14″E
Country Czech Republic
RegionVysočina
DistrictŽďár nad Sázavou
First mentioned1240
Government
 • MayorMilan Vlček
Area
 • Total47.30 km2 (18.26 sq mi)
Elevation
476 m (1,562 ft)
Population
 (2021-01-01)[1]
 • Total5,227
 • Density110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes
594 53, 595 01
Websitewww.vbites.cz

Administrative parts

Villages of Bezděkov, Březka, Holubí Zhoř, Jáchymov, Janovice, Jestřabí, Jindřichov, Košíkov, Ludvíkov and Pánov are administrative parts of Velká Bíteš. Pánov forms an exclave of the municipal territory.

History
Church of Saint John the Baptist

The first written mention of Velká Bíteš is from 1240, when the church was mentioned.[2] The settlement was founded in the first half of the 13th century. In the mid-14th century, it was a market town and in 1408, it was promoted to a town. The greatest development occurred after the Hussite Wars, but the town was severely damaged during the Thirty Years' War and recovered slowly. Velká Bíteš was not industrialized until 1950, when a large engineering company was founded. Thanks to this, the population increased significantly.[3]

Economy

The largest employers based in the town are ITW PRONOVIA, manufacturer of plastic products for the automotive industry,[4] and První Brněnská Strojírna Velká Bíteš, manufacturer of aerospace technologies.[5]

Sights

Velká Bíteš is known for the unique fortified Church of Sain John the Baptist. The original wooden structure was replaced by a stone Romanesque church in the 13th century. In the 15th century, it was surrounded by stone ramparts with an entrance tower.[2]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Velká Bíteš is twinned with:[6]

References
  1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2021". Czech Statistical Office. 2021-04-30.
  2. "Kostel sv. Jana Křtitele" (in Czech). ICKK Velká Bíteš. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  3. "Stručná historie Velké Bíteše" (in Czech). ICKK Velká Bíteš. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  4. "About Us". ITW PRONOVIA, s.r.o. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  5. "About PBS". PBS Group, a. s. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  6. "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Velká Bíteš. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
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