Koryčany

Koryčany (Koritschan) is a town in Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,700 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Blišice, Jestřabice and Lískovec are administrative parts of Koryčany.

Geography
Koryčany is located about 26 km southwest of Kroměříž and 40 km east of Brno. The eastern part of the municipal territory lies in the Litenčice Hills. The western part lies in a forested landscape of the Chřiby range and includes the highest point of Koryčany, the hill Ocásek at 553 m above sea level. The Kyjovka River flows through the town.

History
The first written mention of Koryčany is from 1321. In 1349, Koryčany was first referred to as a market town. The Cimburk Castle was built here between 1327 and 1333 and became the centre of the estate. In the 17th century the castle lost its importance, and in 1720 it was abandoned.

The Jewish population was first documented in 1567. The community was at its peak in the mid-19th century. The last four families disappeared as a result of the Holocaust.

In 1967, Koryčany was promoted to a town. The formerly separate municipalities of Jestřabice and Lískovec were joined to Koryčany in 1976.

Transport
There are no major roads passing through the municipality. The railway that starts here is unused.

Sights
The Cimburk Castle is a ruin of a Gothic-Renaissance castle. Today it is gradually repaired and is open to the public.

The Koryčany Castle was first mentioned 1611 as a fortress and manor house. It was built to replace the remote Gothic castle as the seat of the lordship. The fortress was rebuilt to a Baroque castle in 1677. In the late 18th century, the castle was extended, and ornamental garden and English park were founded. Today the castle complex is privately owned.

The Church of Saint Lawrence was first mentioned in 1350. Its present appearance dates from the second half of the 17th century.

The Jewish cemetery has about 200 tombstones. The oldest preserved tombstone is from 1674.

Notable people

 * Ignaz Grossmann (1825–1897), rabbi; served here in 1863–1866
 * Oskar Rosenfeld (1884–1944), Austrian-Jewish writer
 * Rudolf Rafael Kolisch (1867–1922), Austrian physician

Twin towns – sister cities
Koryčany is twinned with:
 * 🇸🇰 Lehota, Slovakia