Deštná (Jindřichův Hradec District)

Deštná (Deschna) is a town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The village of Lipovka is an administrative part of Deštná.

Etymology
The name was derived either from the Czech word déšť (i.e. 'rain'), which described a rainy landscape, or from the old Czech expression deščený, which denoted a forest made up of tall but not very branched trees.

Geography
Deštná is located about 14 km north of Jindřichův Hradec and 45 km northeast of České Budějovice. It lies in the Křemešník Highlands. The highest point is the hill Deštenská hora at 647 m above sea level. The stream of Dírenský potok flows through the town. The municipal territory is rich in fishponds.

History
The first written mention of Deštná is a donation deed of Oldřich of Hradec from 1294, when it was already a market town. In 1364, Lords of Hradec sold Deštná to the Rosenberg family, who annexed it to the Choustník estate. In 1418, Deštná was promoted to a town. With a short break in 1531–1538, the Rosenbergs owned Deštná until 1596, when they sold it to Vilém Ruth. He annexed the town to the Červená Lhota estate, which remained so until the establishment of an independent municipality in 1848. In 1774, Deštná was badly damaged by a large fire.

Transport
There are no railways or major roads running through the municipal territory.

Sights
The main landmark of Deštná is the Church of Saint Otto. It was built by the Teutonic Order after 1255 and was extended in 1380. The tower was raised in 1687. In 1733, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style. It is the only church in the country dedicated to Saint Otto of Bamberg.

The Chapel of Saint John the Baptist is located on the outsirts of the town. It was built in the second quarter of the 17th century and rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Among the tourist destinations are the Aviation Museum Deštná with exhibits about Czechoslovak RAF pilots in World War II, and Rope Museum of Karel Klik, which presents the rope-making craft.

Notable people

 * Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739–1799), Austrian composer, violinist and silvologist; buried here
 * Bohumil Jílek (1892–1963), politician