Kestřany

Municipality in South Bohemian, Czech Republic

Flag

Coat of arms

49°16′9″N 14°4′21″E / 49.26917°N 14.07250°E / 49.26917; 14.07250Country

Czech RepublicRegionSouth BohemianDistrict PísekFirst mentioned1338Area

• Total20.10 km² (7.76 sq mi)Elevation

373 m (1,224 ft)Population

(2024-01-01)^[1]

• Total731 • Density36/km² (94/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code

398 21

Websitewww.kestrany-pisecko.cz

Kestřany is a municipality and village in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The villages of Lhota u Kestřan and Zátaví are administrative parts of Kestřany.

Etymology

The name Kestřany is probably derived from Kestra, which was the name of the first settler. His name has origin in kostra, meaning 'skeleton'.^[2]

Geography

Kestřany is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southwest of Písek and 42 km (26 mi) northwest of České Budějovice. The southwestern part of the municipal territory with the Kestřany village lies České Budějovice Basin, the northeastern part lies in the Tábor Uplands.

The Otava River flows through the municipality. The territory is rich in fishponds. The largest pond is Řežabinec, a part of the Řežabinec a Řežabinecké tůně National Nature Monument.

Climate

Climate data for Kestřany
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Daily mean °C (°F)	−0.2 (31.6)	0.3 (32.5)	4.4 (39.9)	10.5 (50.9)	14.4 (57.9)	18.0 (64.4)	19.9 (67.8)	18.7 (65.7)	14.8 (58.6)	9.3 (48.7)	4.8 (40.6)	0.7 (33.3)	9.6 (49.3)
Source: ^[3]

History

The first written mention of the Horní Fortress is from 1315. The first written mention of Kestřany is from 1338.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1869	961	—
1880	1,052	+9.5%
1890	1,012	−3.8%
1900	1,025	+1.3%
1910	944	−7.9%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	957	+1.4%
1930	874	−8.7%
1950	722	−17.4%
1961	729	+1.0%
1970	657	−9.9%

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	600	−8.7%
1991	617	+2.8%
2001	641	+3.9%
2011	678	+5.8%
2021	733	+8.1%

Source: Censuses^[5]^[6]

Transport

The southern part of the municipal territory is briefly crossed by the České Budějovice–Strakonice railway line. The nearest train station in is Sudoměř.

Sights

Kestřany is known for a complex of two gothic fortresses and one early baroque castle. The fortresses were built in the 13th century and the castle was added in 1651. Only the Horní Fortress is open to the public, but these monuments are gradually repaired and their opening is planned for the future.^[7]

References

^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
^ "Původ názvu Kestřany" (in Czech). Obec Kestřany. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
^ "PV potential estimation utility". Photovoltaic Geographical Information System - Interactive Maps. Archived from the original on 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
^ "Horní tvrz Kestřany" (in Czech). Obec Kestřany. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Písek" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 5–6.
^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
^ "Horní tvrz Kestřany" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2022-08-31.