Jemnice

Jemnice is a town in the Třebíč District of the Vysočina Region. As of 1 January 2026 it had 3,979 inhabitants.^[1]*

History

The first written mention of Jemnice dates from 1226. In 1227 the Bohemian king Přemysl Otakar I ordered the settlement to be fortified.^[2] The name derives from the word „jamníci“, meaning miners who extracted rare ores here in primitive pits. In the Middle Ages Jemnice was a royal mining town.^[2] A considerable part of the town walls survives, including three bastions and two barbicans.^[2] The local Jewish community was among the oldest in the Czech lands; it is first mentioned in writing in 1336.^[2]

Château

The château was preceded by a castle first mentioned in 1295. The Gothic castle was later rebuilt as a Renaissance château. In 1755 Count Maximilian Daun inherited it and had it rebuilt in the Baroque style. The Pallavicini family, who acquired it in 1841, rebuilt it in the second Rococo style.^[3] After 1945 the château was used by the army, which badly damaged it. Since 1992 it has belonged to the town, which began rescuing it. The National Heritage Institute lists it among endangered monuments.^[3]

Railway

The line from Moravské Budějovice to Jemnice opened on 9 November 1896. Regular passenger service ended on 31 December 2010. Occasional excursion trains have run since 2014, funded by the Vysočina Region since 2018.^[4] In 2026, 228 pairs of trains are scheduled on 66 days.^[5] On 26 September 2026, during celebrations of the line's 130th anniversary, a small railway museum opened at Jemnice station. It was set up by the Association for Public Transport in South-West Moravia. It displays historic equipment from Jedlová station and original fittings from stations on the line. It is open when weekend excursion trains arrive or by arrangement with the Jemnice information centre.^[4][5]

Sources

1. Český statistický úřad
2. TIC Jemnice
3. Národní památkový ústav
4. ČTK / České noviny — 2026-09-26
5. Zdopravy.cz — 2026-09-26