Divišov

Divišov
Market town
The Town Hall
Coat of arms
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Central Bohemian Region
District	Benešov District
Rivers	Sázava, Blanice
Elevation	511 m (1,677 ft)
Coordinates	49°47′21″N 14°52′42″E / 49.78917°N 14.87833°E / 49.78917; 14.87833Coordinates: 49°47′21″N 14°52′42″E / 49.78917°N 14.87833°E / 49.78917; 14.87833
Area	30.98 km2 (12.0 sq mi)
Population	1,545 (As of 2011[update])
Density	50/km2 (129/sq mi)
First documented	1130
Mayor	Zdeněk Eichler
Postal code	257 26
Location in the Czech Republic
Website: www.divisov.cz

Divišov (German: Diwischow) is the market town in the Czech Republic, lying near the Sázava River and Blanice River, 39 kilometres (24 mi) southeast of Prague.

Villages Dalovy (240.32 hectares (593.8 acres)), Křešice u Divišova (185.26 hectares (457.8 acres)), Lbosín (362.27 hectares (895.2 acres)), Měchnov (462.33 hectares (1,142.4 acres)) and Zdebuzeves (728.28 hectares (1,799.6 acres)) are administrative parts of Divišov.

The town was founded before 1130 but there had already been a monastery since the early 13th century. Legend says that in those times the fortress was a seat of the Templars who are said to have hidden a treasure somewhere in the Český Šternberk Castle. During the Hussite Wars, it was the centre of Catholic resistance to the violent Hussites: the major thief of Hussites Prokop the Great unsuccessfully besieged it three times, and it joined the league of Romanist nobles against King George of Podebrady. In the 14th century, it was the tenth-largest town in Bohemia. In 1637 the town was occupied for eight months by the Swedes. In 1741, the Prussians vainly attempted to conquer the town. In the 18th century, development of industry and trade began to take place, which continued into the next century. Soon after the industrial revolution, the town became one of the industrial centres of Bohemia—sometimes it even being called the Czech Manchester. The electric power transmission has been installed at Divisov in 1924, gas 60 years later. During the 1920s and 1930s the town grew rapidly and due to many buildings of modern architecture Divišov became known as the Salon of the Bohemia. The first Nazi soldiers has been firmly welcomed on March 25, 1939. All 17 Divišov Jewish families had run away or have been ordered to transport out of Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia. No one of them got back home. At this time there lived also 2 Ukrainians. According to Nazi reglement each farmer had to transfer 80 kg beef and 25 kg pork for 1 hectare (2.5 acres) arable soil.