Čáslav

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title: "Čáslav" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-kutná-hora-district", "cities-and-towns-in-the-central-bohemian-region", "jewish-communities-in-the-czech-republic"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Čáslav" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Čáslav
settlement_type	Town
image_skyline	Čáslav-náměstí2015c.jpg
image_caption	Jana Žižky z Trocnova Square with the town hall and Church of Saints Peter and Paul
image_flag	Flag of Čáslav.svg
image_shield	Čáslav CoA CZ.svg
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name
subdivision_type1	Region
subdivision_name1	Central Bohemian
subdivision_type2	District
subdivision_name2	Kutná Hora
pushpin_map	Czech Republic
pushpin_relief	1
pushpin_map_caption	Location in the Czech Republic
coordinates
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Jaromír Strnad
established_title	First mentioned
established_date	1052
area_total_km2	26.46
elevation_m	231
population_as_of	2025-01-01
population_footnotes
population_total	10399
population_density_km2	auto
timezone1	CET
utc_offset1	+1
timezone1_DST	CEST
utc_offset1_DST	+2
postal_code_type	Postal code
postal_code	286 01
website
::

Administrative division

Čáslav consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

Čáslav-Nové Město (9,078)
Čáslav-Staré Město (894)
Filipov (182)

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Čáslav.

Geography

Čáslav is located about 9 km southeast of Kutná Hora and 30 km southwest of Pardubice. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape of the Central Elbe Table. The Brslenka Stream flows through the town and supplies several ponds, including Podměstský in the town centre. The Klejnárka River crosses the western part of the municipal territory.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Čáslav,_Otakarova_věž_u_bývalé_Brodské_bány.JPG" caption="Otakar's Tower"] ::

The history of Čáslav begins in the 9th century with the founding of a gord and settlement called Hrádek. In the 11th century, it became a Přemyslid administrative centre. A new royal town with a huge square was founded by King Ottokar II of Bohemia next to Hrádek in around 1250. In 1421, Bohemian parliament debated in Čáslav and voted in a new Hussite government.

Two large fires in 1452 and 1522 severely damaged the town. During the Thirty Years' War, in 1639 and 1642, Čáslav was devastated and burnt down by Swedish troops. The town however recovered and in 1715, Čáslav became the centre of a region.

Jewish population

From the 14th century there was a Jewish settlement in Čáslav, but in the 15th century the Jews were expelled. In the middle of the 19th century, only one Jewish family lived in the town. After the equality of the Jews in 1867, many from the area moved to the town of Čáslav. Around 1893, 245 Jews lived in the town, which was about 1–2% of the population.

Demographics

|align=none|cols=3 |1869|6312 |1880|7178 |1890|8396 |1900|9174 |1910|9318 |1921|9460 |1930|10635 |1950|9407 |1961|10107 |1970|10317 |1980|9950 |1991|10107 |2001|9904 |2011|10129 |2021|10154 |source=Censuses}}

Air base

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Čáslav-kostely-přes-rybník2015.jpg" caption="Old Town across Podměstský Pond"] ::

To the northeast of the town, there is an active air base of the Czech Air Force, called the 21st Tactical Air Force Base, with the military Čáslav Airport. This base is responsible for protecting the airspace of the Czech Republic.

Transport

Čáslav is located on the interregional railway line Prague–Žďár nad Sázavou. It is also the starting point of a line of local importance to Třemošnice.

Sport

The town's football club, FK Čáslav, plays in the lower amateur tiers. The club was founded in 1902 as SK STELLA (Hvězda) Čáslav. In 2006–2013, the club played in the Czech National Football League.

Notable is the Athletics Club Čáslav. Two of its most known sportswomen are Ludmila Formanová and Jarmila Kratochvílová, both World champions in 800 m sprint.

Sights

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Čáslav-synagoga2012b.jpg" caption="Synagogue"] ::

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is an early Gothic building from the end of the 13th century. The building included the Romanesque Church of St. Michael from the 11th century (today's sacristy), which originally stood here.

The town area was delimited by walls, which are preserved in one third of their original length. A unique monument of the Čáslav Gothic fortifications is the cylindrical Otakar's Tower, which stood at the Brod Gate.

Čáslav Town Museum, one of the oldest regional museums in Bohemia, was founded in 1864. Its building is from 1884.

The synagogue was built between 1899 and 1900 in Moorish style, designed by architect Wilhelm Stiassny. It was used until 1939 by the local Jewish community, which was then almost totally wiped out during the Holocaust. After World War II the abandoned building saw use as a warehouse, and then (between 1970–1989) as a gallery. In 1994, however, it was returned to the Jewish Community in Prague and has recently been restored.

In 1910, part of the skull of the Hussite general Jan Žižka was discovered in Čáslav parish church. The skull is exhibited in Žižka's Hall of Čáslav Town Hall.

Notable people

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760–1812), composer and pianist
Antonín Chittussi (1847–1891), Impressionist painter
Rudolf Těsnohlídek (1882–1928), writer
Jiří Mahen (1882–1939), writer
Jaroslav Eminger (1886–1964), military officer
František Moravec (1895–1966), military intelligence officer
Zdeněk Špinar, (1916–1995), paleontologist
Josef Svoboda (1920–2002), scenographer
Eli Urbanová (1922–2012), poet, novelist and Esperantist
Antonín Rükl (1932–2016), astronomer
Miloš Forman (1932–2018), film director
Aleš Veselý (1935–2015), sculptor and graphic artist
Jarmila Kratochvílová (born 1951), athlete
Ludmila Formanová (born 1974), athlete
David Jarolím (born 1979), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Čáslav is twinned with:

SUI Opfikon, Switzerland

References

(2025-05-16). "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2025". [[Czech Statistical Office]].
(2022). "Public Census 2021 – basic data". [[Czech Statistical Office]].
Profous, Antonín. (1947). "Místní jména v Čechách I: A–H".
"Historie". Město Čáslav.
"Čáslavská synagoga a její architekt Wilhelm Stiassny". Čáslav Town Museum.
(2015-12-21). "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011". [[Czech Statistical Office]].
(2021-03-27). "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". [[Czech Statistical Office]].
(2019-05-28). "21st Tactical Air Force Base – #WeAreNATO". [[Ministry of Defence (Czech Republic).
"Detail stanice Čáslav". [[České dráhy]].
"Historie". FK Čáslav.
"Základní informace". Město Čáslav.
"Městské muzeum Čáslav". Čáslav Town Museum.
(2021-07-07). "Čáslavská radnice vystavuje lebku Jana Žižky. Jsou vidět zranění, která ho oslepila". [[Czech Radio]].
"Partnerská města". Město Čáslav.

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