Měřín

Měřín (Wollein) is a market town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,000 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The village of Pustina is an administrative part of Měřín.

Geography
Měřín is located about 19 km south of Žďár nad Sázavou and 21 km east of Jihlava. It lies in the Křižanov Highlands. The highest point is at 599 m above sea level. The Balinka River flows through the market town and supplies a local system of fishponds.

History
The first written mention of Měřín is from 1298, when the Třebíč monastery established there a provostship for monks of the order of St. Benedict. The monastery owend Měřín until 1470. Between 1491 and 1557, Měřín was property of the Pernštejn family. In 1559, Měřín was acquired by the Chroustenský family and became part of the Černá estate. The properties of the family were confiscated after the Battle of White Mountain in 1620. The Černá estate was subsequently handed over to the Collalto family, who annexed it to the Brtnice estate. The Collalto family owned Měřín until 1918.

Transport
The D1 motorway from Prague to Brno passes through the market town.

Sights
The main landmark of Měřín is the Church of Saint John the Baptist. It is a Baroque church with a Romanesque core. Despite the Baroque reconstruction, many Romanesque and early Gothic valuable elements have been preserved, including a Romanesque portal from the 13th century.

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Snow is a valuable early Baroque building. It dates from 1690.