Herálec (Žďár nad Sázavou District)

Herálec is a municipality and village in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Brušovec, Český Herálec, Kocanda and Kuchyně are administrative parts of Herálec.

Geography
Herálec is located about 14 km north of Žďár nad Sázavou and 43 km northeast of Jihlava. It lies on the border between the Upper Svratka Highlands and Iron Mountains. The highest point is at 803 m above sea level. The Svratka River flows through the municipality; it formed here the historical border between Bohemia and Moravia. The whole municipality lies within the Žďárské vrchy Protected Landscape Area.

History
The first written mention of Moravský Herálec is from 1366. In a court case from that year, the territory with the village fell to the Nové Město na Moravě estate, while the territory beyond the river, on which Český Herálec was later founded, fell to the monastery in Žďár nad Sázavou. The village of Český Herálec was first documented in 1456. In 1496, the area was bought by Vilém II of Pernštejn.

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

Sights
The most valuable monument is the Church of Saint Catherine. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1784–1790.

A technical monument is the stone bridge. It was built in 1856, when it replaced an old wooden bridge from the 18th century.

Notable people

 * František Sláma (1923–2004), cellist