Sezemice | |
Settlement Type: | Town |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Type1: | Region |
Subdivision Name1: | Pardubice |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
Coordinates: | 50.0667°N 15.8528°W |
Leader Title: | Mayor |
Leader Name: | Martin Staněk |
Established Title: | First mentioned |
Established Date: | 1227 |
Area Total Km2: | 22.15 |
Elevation M: | 225 |
Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
Population Footnotes: | [1] |
Population Total: | 4350 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone1: | CET |
Utc Offset1: | +1 |
Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
Postal Code: | 533 04 |
Sezemice (in Czech pronounced as /ˈsɛzɛmɪtsɛ/; German: Sezemitz, Sesemitz) is a town in Pardubice District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,400 inhabitants.
The villages of Dražkov, Kladina, Lukovna, Počaply, Velké Koloděje and Veská are administrative parts of Sezemice.
The name is derived from the personal name Sezema, meaning "the village of Sezema's people".[2]
Sezemice is located about 5km (03miles) northeast of Pardubice. It lies in a flat landscape of the East Elbe Table. The Loučná River flows through the town. The Labská pond is situated north of the town.
The first written mention of Sezemice is from 1227, when Kojata IV Hrabišic bequeathed the village to the Cistercian Sedlec Abbey. In the 13th century, a Cistercian convent was founded in Sezemice, who managed the village. However, the convent was destroyed during the Hussite Wars in 1421 and Sezemice was acquired by Diviš Bořek of Miletínek. In 1436, the village was looted and burned down.[3]
In 1488, Sezemice was bought by Jan Anděl of Ronov and was first referred to as a market town. Between 1491 and 1559, it was a property of the Pernštejn family. In 1560, it was bought by Emperor Maximilian II. As a part of the Pardubice estate, Sezemice remained a property of Austrian emperors until 1863.[3]
During the Thirty Years' War, Sezemice was burned down by the army of General Lennart Torstensson. The market town recovered, but was again damaged by fires in 1701, 1716 and 1732. Other trials for the market town were the Seven Years' War and epidemics of plague and cholera. Despite all the difficulties, Sezemice slowly grew, and was promoted to a town in 1834.[3]
The D35 motorway briefly passes through the eastern part of the municipal territory.
The main landmark of Sezemice is the Church of the Holy Trinity. It is a large early Gothic church, which was built in 1270–1280 as a monastery church for the Cistercian convent. The Chapel of Saint Anne was added to the church in 1380–1390. In the 18th century, Baroque modifications were made. The valuable frescoes painted by Josef Kramolín dates from 1784.[4]
Next to the church is a separate Baroque octagonal wooden bell tower. The bell tower is equipped by a bell from the 16th century.[5]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic. Sezemice is twinned with:[6]