Last modified: 2009-08-15 by jarig bakker
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Some info from the English page:
The town of Maleč lies at the edge of the Protected Landscape Area
Železné hory (the Iron Mountains), situated about 6 km northwest of Chotĕboř,
at 392 m above sea level. It is in this area that the Iron Mountains’ ridges
begin to rise. The local landscape is dominated by a nearby hill called
Bučina. Looking southeast of Maleč, your eyes will be taken by the oblong
shape of another hill, Hradištĕ. The creek running through the town is
called Blatnický potok and feeds a pond known as Hluboký. Flowing out of
the pond, the creek makes its way to the town of Víska, where it joins
the Doubrava River.
The first written mention of the town dates back to the year 1278 when the area was built up with a farmstead and a village that was owned by the monastery in Vilémov. In the 16th century, the local fortress was the property of the family lines of the Přibíks from Otoslavice and of the Otmars from Holohlavy. In the subsequent centuries, there were several owners ranging from Barbora Chuchelská from Nestajov to Jan Adam from Auersperg. It was his offspring František who sold the estate, in 1862, to František Ladislav Rieger, a then notable Czech political figure. The written form of the town’s name changed in the course of time too. It was only recently that the name Maleč was formed.
The most significant cultural monument in the town is a Baroque chateau that was built by reconstructing a late Renaissance building from 1700. Its original plan was that of an early Baroque structure with a rectangular layout. The main entrance is decorated with a chronogram engraved in the frieze above an arched gateway. In the 18th century, the chateau was enlarged with single-story wings. Another reconstruction took place in 1827 when the left wing was raised with the second story; the right wing remained unfinished. The Empire reconstruction changed the appearance of the chateau entirely – the only reminder of the original Baroque structure that was left in place was the stucco decoration of the ceiling on the second floor. The chateau is surrounded with a park with a lake and full-grown trees. The park is fenced with a wall complete with a bastion and a gate embellished with statutes. Next to the chateau (in the village square) are two sandstone Baroque statutes – of St. John of Nepomuk and the Virgin Mary. Between them there is a humble wooden belfry. The Chapel of Jesus, standing out in the slope above the town, is another Baroque monument. At the edge of Maleč, in the direction of Libice nad Doubravou, you can find an evangelic church that was built in the New Roman style in 1891.
Today, Maleč has 692 inhabitants and governs other local districts:
Blatnice, Dolní and Horní Lhotka, Hranice and Předboř. The town has its
own health care center, general store and a pub. It is located on a yellow-marked
tourist path that starts in Chotĕboř and passes through Rochňovec.
Jarig Bakker, 19 Dec 2007