Přibyslav

Přibyslav (Primislau) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,000 people. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts
The villages Česká Jablonná, Dobrá, Dolní Jablonná, Hřiště, Poříčí, Ronov nad Sázavou and Utín are administrative parts of Přibyslav.

Etymology
The name of the town was taken from the personal name Přibyslav. It was probably founded by someone named Přibyslav.

Geography
Přibyslav is located about 11 km east of Havlíčkův Brod and 21 km northeast of Jihlava. It lies in the Upper Sázava Hills. The highest point is a hill at 592 m above sea level. The town is situated on the right bank of the Sázava River. There are several fishponds in the municipal territory, supplied by brooks that flow into the Sázava.

History
The first written mention of Přibyslav is from 1257. Until the Hussite Wars, it was a small mining town known for silver mining. After the wars, the mining was never successfully renewed. During the Hussite Wars, Přibyslav was a military base of the Hussites. The town was often severely affected by wars and by frequent fires, which destroyed many historically valuable buildings. The most devastating fire occurred in 1767.

Economy
The largest employer based in the town is ACO Industries, a manufacturer of drainage systems. It employs more than 500 people.

Transport
The I/19 road (the section from Havlíčkův Brod to Žďár nad Sázavou) runs through the town.

Přibyslav is located on an important railway line heading from Prague to Brno.

Sights
The oldest building in the town is a Gothic tower from 1497. Next to the tower is the Church of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, built in the Baroque style in 1753.

Přibyslav Castle was built in 1560 by Zachariáš of Hradec. There are two courtyards in the castle. The older one is valuable by columns in the Tuscan style. Today the castle houses the Fireman Museum.

An equestrian statue of Jan Žižka by Bohumil Kafka from 1935 is located in the town park. It is a smaller model of the larger statue, which is part of the National Monument at Vítkov in Prague.

Notable people

 * Jan Otto (1841–1916), publisher and bookseller
 * Jan Filip (1911–1971), priest, writer and Esperantist
 * Jan Bechyně (1920–1973), entomologist
 * Jaromír Málek (1943–2023), Egyptologist
 * Hana Orgoníková (1946–2014), politician

Twin towns – sister cities
Přibyslav is twinned with:
 * Mook en Middelaar, Netherlands
 * 🇸🇰 Sliač, Slovakia