Blansko is a town in the north of the South Moravian Region in the valley of the Svitava, about 30 km north of Brno, first mentioned in writing in 1136 and raised to the status of a town in 1905.
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Blansko is a town in the north of the South Moravian Region, in the valley of the Svitava on the border between the Drahany Highlands and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, roughly 30 km north of Brno. According to the town's tourist portal, about 21,000 people live there.[1]
History
Blansko began as a settlement on the right bank of the Svitava. The first written mention dates from 1136, when the name appears in the chronicle of the Vyšehrad canon as part of an Olomouc fief. Reports of Nové Blansko, a settlement on the opposite bank of the Svitava on the site of today's castle, date from the end of the 13th century. Until 1526 the two parts developed independently in terms of both administration and economy.[1]
In 1580 Blansko was raised to the status of a market town. At the end of the 16th century it passed to the family of the Žalkovský of Žalkovice. From the end of the 17th century the Blansko estate was held by the Silesian counts of Gellhorn, who founded extensive ironworking there in 1698. It was continued by the Salm-Reifferscheidt family, who bought the estate in 1766. The first half of the 19th century was marked by a boom in ironworking and the production of artistic castings.[1]
The construction of the railway line from Česká Třebová to Prague, built in 1847 to 1850 by the Italian firm Tallachini, was of great importance for further development. After the abolition of patrimonial administration at the end of the 1840s and the land reform, Blansko became the centre of a judicial district. The portal regards the elevation to a town in 1905 by decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I as an important date.[1]
Landmarks and museum
The castle houses Muzeum Blansko with its exhibitions. According to the portal, the castle was recently renovated. Other landmarks include a wooden church from Subcarpathian Rus and the Church of St. Martin.[1] According to the portal, the proximity of the Moravian Karst supports tourism.[1]
Sport and culture
The town lists a number of sports clubs and facilities for amateur and professional athletes. The recreation area by the Palava reservoir offers minigolf, a sandy beach and a children's playground. Blansko has an ice rink that becomes an inline skating centre in summer, as well as an indoor swimming pool, an aquapark, a sauna, tennis and volleyball courts, a squash centre, a bowling alley, a skittle alley, a baseball field and an inflatable tennis hall.[1]
Traditional cultural events include the Historical Fair, the Witch Burning, the concert series Music at Blansko Castle, the Lighting of the Christmas Tree and the New Year's Fireworks. According to the portal, the most prestigious event is the November Welcoming of St. Martin, which attracts thousands of visitors every year.[1]