Petrovice (Příbram District)

Petrovice is a municipality and village in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Brod, Kojetín, Krchov, Kuní, Kuníček, Mašov, Mezihoří, Obděnice, Ohrada, Porešín, Radešice, Radešín, Skoupý, Týnčany, Vilasova Lhota, Zahrádka and Žemličkova Lhota are administrative parts of Petrovice.

Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name Petr, meaning "the village of Petr's people".

Geography
Petrovice is located about 19 km east of Příbram and 38 km south of Prague. It lies on the border between the Vlašim Uplands and Benešov Uplands. The highest point is at 684 m above sea level. The Brzina Stream flows through the municipality.

History
The first written mention of Petrovice is from 1219. For several centuries, the village was owned by various small noble families. Between 1601 and 1604, it was property of Jakub Krčín. From 1650 until 1773, Petrovice was owned by the Jesuits, who had the greatest influence on the development of the village.

Transport
There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights
The Church of Saints Peter and Paul was originally a medieval church from the 13th century, which was extended and rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 17th and 18th centuries. A valuable early Gothic presbytery has been preserved.

The Petrovice Castle was built as a Jesuit residence. The original Baroque building was rebuilt several times; its present neo-Gothic form dates from the 19th century. Today it houses the municipal office.

Notable people

 * Jan Josef Švagr (1885–1969), architect