Bystřice nad Pernštejnem

Bystřice nad Pernštejnem is a distinctive town in the south-eastern tip of Vysočina. During the settlement of this region, the aristocratic house with a bison’s head in its coat of arms, the House of Medlov which later became the House of Pernstein, built its administrative centre in a place of rapid water. The town’s name is derived from this place: it was named Říčka (“říčka” means “little river, stream”) in the old written sources, while the locals called it Bystřička (“bystrý” means “rapid”). The town’s origins date back to the 13^th century and its entire medieval history was closely associated with the nearby Pernstein Castle and its owners.

As the centuries passed, Bystřice became a natural centre for the area and the focal point for trade, crafts and eventually also for industry in the area. One of the most significant milestones in the town’s history was 1580, when Emperor Rudolf II raised Bystřice to the status of a town and gave it new privileges. The town also received a new coat of arms upon this occasion: half a bison’s head and half a winged eagle on a golden field. In the second half of the 20^th century, the town’s development was associated with the boom in the uranium industry.

Nowadays, Bystřice is a quiet town at the edge of Vysočina which is a very good starting point for getting to know this part of the country. The town is mainly dominated by two churches. The originally early gothic Church of Saint Lawrence dating from the 13^th century is located directly on the square. Throughout its history, the church was reconstructed several times until it received its current appearance in the baroque style. The Church of the Holy Trinity dating from 1615 originally belonged to non-Catholics and it later assumed the role of the cemetery church.

The building of the former town hall which now houses the town museum and the tourist information centre is another significant architectural monument on the square. The year of 1809 written on the building’s façade documents the year when the town hall was established after two older buildings were joined together. In the period from 2003 to 2008, the building underwent extensive reconstruction work and it now offers visitors a range of interesting exhibitions. The square’s further points of interest include a fountain with statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius and a column with a statue of the Virgin Mary and the town’s four patron saints on a pedestal. The statue of T. G. Masaryk by Vincenc Makovský which stands in front of the Masaryk Primary School is also significant.

Sports and cultural buildings have gradually become the modern symbols of the town, especially the modern multifunctional sports hall and the heated outdoor swimming pool. The town’s cultural and social life is especially secured by the cultural centre, the town library, the town museum and the TIC. Visitors to the town can attend concerts by the “Zpíváš, zpívám, zpíváme” children’s choir, concerts held within the framework of the Concentus Moraviae International Music Festival, the Bystřice Summer Cultural Festival, the Saint Lawrence Fair, traditional celebrations with a maypole and a number of other events.

A number of attractive dominant features attract visitors to make trips into the environs of Bystřice. These include Pernstein Castle, the ruins of the Zubštejn, Pyšolec, Aueršperk and Dalečín castles, the small church in Vítochov or the chapel in Pivonice. The diversity of nature is fully apparent in many ways, for example from the Karasín lookout tower and also from the recently opened Svratka water management teaching trail which leads alongside the Vír Reservoir from Dalečín to Vír. Lovers of the American Wild West should be sure not to miss a trip to the nearby Western town of Šiklův mlýn, near Zvole. All visitors who come to Bystřice nad Pernštejnem in search of culture and new experiences will be warmly welcomed.