Hrusice

Hrusice is a municipality and village in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants.

Hrusice is known as birthplace of Josef Lada and was popularized through his paintings and illustrations on Christmas and Easter postcards and children's books.

Geography
Hrusice is located about 20 km southeast of Prague. It lies in a rolled landscape of the Benešov Uplands. The highest point is at 438 m above sea level. There are two fishponds in the municipal territory; Hrusický in the centre of the village and Hubačovský in the northwest. The stream of Hrusický potok flows through the municipality, but has only local significance.

History
The first written mention of Hrusice is from 1205, in a deed of King Ottokar I. Hrusice belonged to the direct administration of the Přemyslid dynasty. In 1848, the municipality gained self-government.

Demographics
The municipality has experienced a significant growth in the 21st century thanks to good connection to the capital city.

Transport
The accessibility of Hrusice is good due to proximity of two major transport lines. The D1 motorway from Prague to Brno passes through the municipal territory of Hrusice.

There also operates a suburban bus line between Strančice and Stříbrná Skalice (via Mnichovice and Ondřejov) with a stop in the centre of Hrusice.

Sights
The main historical landmark of Hrusice is the Church of Saint Wenceslaus, located in the centre of Hrusice. It is an example of rural Romanesque architecture from the turn of the 12th century with a valuable sandstone portal, a work by monks from the Sázava Monastery.

Josef Lada Memorial in artist's villa, nowadays a branch of Prague-East Regional Museum, presents his life and work as well as his daughter Alena Ladová, also a renowned illustrator.

Notable people

 * Josef Lada (1887–1957), painter, illustrator and writer