Želiv

Želiv (German: Seelau) is a municipality and village in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,200 inhabitants. It is known for a Premonstratensian monastery.

Želiv
Municipality
Želiv Monastery
Flag Coat of arms
Želiv Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°31′48″N 15°13′19″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Vysočina
District	Pelhřimov
First mentioned	1144
Area
• Total	26.05 km2 (10.06 sq mi)
Elevation	406 m (1,332 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,160
• Density	45/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	394 44
Website	www.obeczeliv.cz

Administrative parts

The villages of Bolechov, Brtná, Lhotice, Lískovice, Miletín, Vitice and Vřesník are administrative parts of Želiv.

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Žel (shortened variant of the name Želibor or Želislav), meaning "Žel's".^[2]

Geography

Želiv is located about 11 kilometres (7 mi) north of Pelhřimov and 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Jihlava. It lies in the Křemešník Highlands. The highest point is at 540 m (1,770 ft) above sea level. The municipality is situated at the confluence of the Želivka and Trnava rivers. The Trnávka Reservoir is situated on the Trnava in the southwestern part of the municipality. The small reservoir of Vřesník is built on the Želivka River.

History

The first written mention of Želiv is from 1144.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,916 —     1880 1,838 −4.1% 1890 1,850 +0.7% 1900 1,855 +0.3% 1910 1,860 +0.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,926 +3.5% 1930 1,748 −9.2% 1950 1,418 −18.9% 1961 1,437 +1.3% 1970 1,349 −6.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,297 −3.9% 1991 1,211 −6.6% 2001 1,165 −3.8% 2011 1,057 −9.3% 2021 1,125 +6.4%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

Monastery garden and Trčka's Castle

Želiv is known for architecturally valuable Premonstratensian monastery with the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The monastery was founded in 1139 and renewed in 1712 according to design by Jan Santini Aichel.^[6]

Trčka's Castle is a late Gothic castle from the second half of the 15th century, located in the monastery complex. Its current appearance is a result of a Renaissance reconstruction. Today it is owned by the monastery.^[7]

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Želiv is twinned with:^[8]

• Kiesen, Switzerland

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. Profous, Antonín (1957). Místní jména v Čechách IV: S–Ž (in Czech). pp. 829–830.
3. "Ohlédnutí do minulosti". Želivské ozvěny (in Czech). Obec Želiv. 2019. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
4. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
5. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
6. "Okolí obce" (in Czech). Obec Želiv. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
7. "Bývalý Trčkův hrad" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
8. "Partnerská obec Kiesen" (in Czech). Obec Želiv. Retrieved 2021-10-25.

External links

• Official website