Herálec (Havlíčkův Brod District)

Herálec is a municipality and village in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,200 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Dubí, Kamenice, Koječín, Mikulášov, Pavlov u Herálce and Zdislavice are administrative parts of Vilémov.

Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name Herhart. The village was initially name Herharc, meaning "Herhart's (court)".

Geography
Herálec is located about 12 km southwest of Havlíčkův Brod and 17 km northwest of Jihlava. It lies in the Křemešník Highlands. The highest point is at 653 m above sea level. The territory is rich in small fishponds.

History
The first written mention of Herálec is from 1280.

Transport
The D1 motorway from Prague to Brno passes through the municipal territory.

Herálec is located on the railway line Havlíčkův Brod–Humpolec.

Sights
The most important monument is the Herálec Castle. The originally Renaissance castle was built in 1601 on the site of an old medieval fortress. It was modified several times. Today it serves as a hotel. The castle is surrounded by an English park.

Among the main landmarks of Herálec is the Church of Saint Bartholomew. It is a pseudo-Gothic church without historical value.

In Herálec is a valuable cemetery, which includes six tombstones from the times of the Napoleonic Wars.

A notable technical monument is the Baroque granary, which dates from 1726. Today the building is unused and dilapidated.

Notable people

 * Adolf Kosárek (1830–1859), landscape painter
 * Jan Zábrana (1931–1984), writer and translator