Ostrovačice

Ostrovačice (Schwarzkirchen) is a market town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants.

Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name Ostrovák and was written as Ozstrovachovic (Ostrovákovice) in the oldest documents. The Latin name Nigra ecclesia and the German name Schwarzkirchen first appeared in the 1330s and mean 'black church'.

Geography
Ostrovačice is located about 14 km west of Brno. The western part of the municipal territory with the built-up area lies in the Boskovice Furrow. The eastern part lies in the Bobrava Highlands and includes the highest point of Ostrovačice at 450 m above sea level.

History
The first written mention of Ostrovačice is from 1255. It was promoted to a market town by Ferdinand I of Austria in 1842.

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

Sport
A part of the Brno Circuit is situated in the territory of Ostrovačice.

Sights
The main landmark of Ostrovačice is the Church of Saints John the Baptist and Wenceslaus. It is originally a Romanesque church from the mid-13th century, rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1718–1719. Neoclassical and historicist modifications were made in 1803 and 1880.

Notable people

 * Zdeněk Pololáník (born 1935), composer; works here