history - Extranet

Svûtlá is the town of glass and stone. A symbol of these industries isrepresented by a monument standing on the local square since 1992.The largest glass factory (the Josefodolská) was rebuilt from a formerpaper mill in 1861. In 1967 building of a new large glass factory started- the present Sklo Bohemia a.s.Another important industry is granite mining and granite processing.The largest quarry in this area is Horka whose granite is used amongother things for facings and surfaces of outstanding buildings such asPrague Castle, Karolinum or the National Theatre.was used as the premises for part of the school. In 1881 its dilapidatedbuilding was pulled down and newly rebuilt. A memorial plaque on thehouse commemorates the fact that the composer Alois Jelen was bornhere in 1801.SIGHTSOne of the most beautiful buildings in the town is a palace standing onthe left riverbank of Sázava. The original fortress there was rebuilt intothe palace by Burian Trãka of Lípa in 1567. After the Thirty Years War theVernier family continued its reconstruction, which was then finished bythe âernín family. Count Franti‰ek of Zicha had the west Empire wingadded to the built closing the palace courtyard into a rectangular shape.A splendid stucco ceiling with colourfully decorated coats of arms inthe knights’ hall also originates from that time. The palace is a two-storiedbuilding with four wings that flank the courtyard and its fountain.The main entrance to the palace is in the middle of its west wing. The secondvaulted entrance in the east wing is the gateway to an English park.The history of the park landscape architecture likely reaches back to theperiod of the Trãka of Lípa family. The palace and park gained their presentcharacter thanks to Altgraf Franz Josef of Salm-Reifferscheidt whoundertook large-scale reconstructions. Since then the 16-hectare palacepark with its attractive lakecascade and river valley hasbecome one of the nicest inthe area. The park was enrichedwith small buildings inthe Romantic spirit thathave been more or less preservedup to the presenttime: summerhouses, stonevases and fountains, stonestaircases leading to thelakes, stone benches, theDevil’s Bridge, rock gardens,stone and birch bridgesand other objects. Theold orangery with an artificial”grotto” is also worthy ofmention. It is situated in thenorth wing of the palacepremises. Inside the palaceare the premises of an integratedsecondary school.At the south end of park there is a state monument built in 1947 inremembrance of the founder of Czech scouting A. B. Svojsík and theyoung poet J. Wolker who camped here in 1916. The lakes below thepark offer an opportunity for summer swimming.The former single-nave Decanal Church of St. Wenceslas was enlargedwith side naves and a gallery by Countess âernínová in 1722. The churchtower has a characteristic wooden floor. The paintings by Brandl arevaluable decorations of its interior. They were bought and dedicatedto the church by Count Leopold Kolowrat-Krakovsk˘. During Christmastime you can see the baroque nativity.The Town Hall building, dating from the turn of the 18 th century, wasrebuilt in the present form in 1926. Nowadays it is among the mostbeautiful houses in Svûtlá.Burian Trãka of Lípa built a former town hospital building standing bythe bridge over the Sázava in 1578. In the 19 th century the town hospitalCULTURERegular cultural events:May Exhibition of Svûtlá’s Amateur ArtistsJune The Highlands Sing and Dance - folk festival every evenyearJuly The Svûtlá Region in Photographs - exhibition of photographsevery odd yearSeptember St. Wenceslas FairBeer Festival - winter stadiumOctober The Garden of Svûtlá - exhibition of flowers, fruit andvegetablesTown Cinema - NádraÏní 506, tel. +420 569 452 808Town Library - Sázavská 589, tel. +420 569 452 516, +420 569 456 00145