Veverská Bítýška

Veverská Bítýška is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,500 inhabitants.

Veverská Bítýška
Town
Town square with the Church of Saint James the Great
Flag Coat of arms
Veverská Bítýška Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°16′33″N 16°26′13″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Moravian
District	Brno-Country
First mentioned	1376
Government
• Mayor	Lukáš Zavadil
Area
• Total	13.60 km2 (5.25 sq mi)
Elevation	235 m (771 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	3,526
• Density	260/km2 (670/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	664 71
Website	www.obecveverskabityska.cz

Etymology

The name Bítýška is a diminutive of Bíteš (compared with the nearby Velká Bíteš). It is derived from the personal Old Czech name Bítech, Bietech or Bytech. The attribute Veverská refers to belonging to Veveří Castle.^[2]

Geography

Veverská Bítýška is located about 13 kilometres (8 mi) northwest of Brno. It lies mostly in the Boskovice Furrow. The western part of the municipal territory lies in the Křižanov Highlands and includes the highest point of Veverská Bítýška, a hill with an altitude of 437 m (1,434 ft). The town lies on the Svratka River, at its confluence with the stream Bílý potok.

History

The first written mention of Veverská Bítýška is from 1376. It was part of the Veveří estate. In 1521, it was promoted to a market town.^[3]

Veverská Bítýška was promoted to a town in 2018.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,660 —     1880 1,701 +2.5% 1890 1,477 −13.2% 1900 1,477 +0.0% 1910 1,840 +24.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,905 +3.5% 1930 1,944 +2.0% 1950 2,130 +9.6% 1961 2,301 +8.0% 1970 2,366 +2.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 2,755 +16.4% 1991 2,758 +0.1% 2001 2,790 +1.2% 2011 3,085 +10.6% 2021 3,363 +9.0%
Source: Censuses[5][6]

Transport

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

Sights

The main landmark of Veverská Bítýška is the Church of Saint James the Great. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1771–1782.^[7]

The Jaroš's watermill is located on the Bílý potok. It is a valuable technical monument dating from 1938 with a set of technological equipment.^[8] Today it houses the Museum of Mill Craft.^[9]

Notable people

• Marie Kudeříková (1921–1943), resistance fighter; lived here