Ždánice (Hodonín District)

Ždánice (Steinitz) is a town in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,500 inhabitants.

Geography
Ždánice is located about 23 km north of Hodonín and 31 km southeast of Brno. It lies mostly in the Ždánice Forest, only a small southern part on the municipal territory lies in the Kyjov Hills. The highest point is the hill U Slepice at 439 m above sea level. The Trkmanka Stream flows through the town.

History
The first written mention of Ždánice is from 1349, when there already were a castle, mills, vineyards and pastures. The town was damaged during the Thirty Years' War. From 1622, Ždánice was owned by the Liechtenstein family.

Transport
There are no railways or major roads running through the town. The I/54 road, which connects the D1 motorway with Kyjov and further continues to the Czech-Slovak border, runs along the southern municipal border.

Sights
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is an early Baroque building with later modifications. It dates from around 1700.

The Ždánice Castle was built in the Renaissance style in 1569 on the site of an old fortress. In 1762 and 1789, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style to its current form. The castle is surrounded by a park. Today the castle houses the Vrbas Museum. It is a regional museum founded by local teacher and historian Jakub Vrbas.