Svojanov
Svojanov is a market town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Svojanov lies approximately south of Svitavy, south-east of Pardubice, and east of Prague.
The town covers an area of. From the total population of 389, there are 214 women and 175 men. The number of inhabitants in the town has been decreasing over the last decades.
The town was firstly mentioned in 1287. It has a rich history that is closely connected with the Svojanov Castle. The castle was founded around 1262 by Ottokar II of Bohemia to protect the Trstěnice route, a former trade route of significant importance. The castle's original German name was Fürstenberg. In 1421 the town was besieged by Jan Žižka and between 1642 and 1645 the town was occupied by the Swedes. In December 1798 the Russian legions marched through Svojanov to fight against Napoleon.
Starý Svojanov is supposedly the oldest part of the municipality. An interesting sight is the church of St. Nicholas with a 13th-century chancel and fresco decoration which dates back to the period of Charles IV.
