Velká Bystřice

Velká Bystřice
Town
Town hall
Flag Coat of arms
Velká Bystřice Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°35′39″N 17°21′50″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Olomouc
District	Olomouc
First mentioned	1275
Government
• Mayor	Marek Pazdera
Area
• Total	9.22 km2 (3.56 sq mi)
Elevation	290 m (950 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)
• Total	3,694
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC 1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC 2 (CEST)
Postal code	783 53
Website	www.velkabystrice.cz

Velká Bystřice (German: Groß Wisternitz) is a town in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,700 inhabitants.

Geography

Velká Bystřice is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) east of Olomouc. It lies on the border between the Upper Morava Valley and Nízký Jeseník range. The highest point is at 315 m (1,033 ft) above sea level. The town is situated on both banks of the Bystřice River.

History

The first written mention of Velká Bystřice is from 1275. A fortress in Velká Bystřice was first documented in 1381. Around 1500, the village was promoted to a market town. From 1589 until the establishment of a sovereign municipality in 1848, Velká Bystřice was owned by Archdiocese of Olomouc. Velká Bystřice became a town in 1998.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,908 —     1880 2,027 6.2% 1890 2,270 12.0% 1900 2,545 12.1% 1910 2,794 9.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 2,758 −1.3% 1930 2,892 4.9% 1950 2,590 −10.4% 1961 2,701 4.3% 1970 2,577 −4.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 2,783 8.0% 1991 2,870 3.1% 2001 2,868 −0.1% 2011 3,053 6.5% 2021 3,470 13.7%
Source: Censuses

Transport

A section of the D35 motorway (part of the European routes E442 and E462), which connects Olomouc with the D1 motorway, passes through the southern part of the municipal territory.

Velká Bystřice is located on the railway line Olomouc–Moravský Beroun.

Sights

The most important monument is the Church of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. It is a Baroque church from 1742, but it has a Gothic core.

Velká Bystřice Castle was originally a Renaissance castle from the 1570s, created by the reconstruction of the old fortress from the first half of the 14th century. After a fire 1835, the castle was rebuilt and served as a brewery. Since 2014, it has been a hotel.

Notable people

• František Moravec (born 1939), parasitologist

External links

• Official website