Bučina (Ústí nad Orlicí District)

Bučina is a municipality and village in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants.

Etymology
The word bučina means 'beech forest'. The settlement was established on or near the site of such forest.

Geography
Bučina is located about 17 km southwest of Ústí nad Orlicí and 32 km southeast of Pardubice. It lies in the Svitavy Uplands. The highest point is at 394 m above sea level.

History
The first written mention of Bučina is from 1167, when King Vladislaus II donated the village to the monastery in Litomyšl. In the mid-13th century, Bučina was shortly owned by a local noble family, but then it was acquired by the Litomyšl bishopric. In the 15th century, Bučina was bought by the Kostka of Posutpice family. From that time until the establishment of an independent municipality in 1850, Bučina was a part of the Litomyšl estate.

Transport
There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights
The most important monument is the Evangelical church. It was built in the Neoclassical and Neo-Renaissance styles in 1780s. The façade dates from 1883.

The main landmark of the centre of Bučina is the Church of Saint James the Great. It was first mentioned in 1375. The church was completely destroyed by fires in the mid-16th century and in 1872. The current Neo-Gothic building dates from 1887.