Sněžné (Žďár nad Sázavou District)

Sněžné (until 1948 Německé; Niemetzke) is a market town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages and hamlets of Blatiny, Krátká, Milovy, Podlesí, Samotín and Vříšť are administrative parts of Sněžné. Vříšť forms an exclave of the municipal territory.

Geography
Sněžné is located about 15 km northeast of Žďár nad Sázavou and 58 km northwest of Brno. It lies in the Upper Svratka Highlands. The highest point is the Křovina hill at 830 m above sea level. The Svratka River forms the northern municipal border. There are two fishponds in the municipality, Milovský and Nový. The whole municipal territory lies within the Žďárské vrchy Protected Landscape Area.

History
The first written mention of Sněžné (called Německé at that time) is from 1335. In the late 14th century and in the 15th century, the village was part of the Bystřice estate owned by the Pernštejn family. In 1500, it was joined to the Nové Město na Moravě estate. The village was promoted to a market town in 1825.

In 1948, the municipality was renamed to its current name.

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

Sights
The main landmark of Sněžné is the Church of the Holy Cross. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1753–1755.

The Evangelical church was built in 1788. The tower was added in the middle of the 19th century.

In Vříšť is a former medieval fortress, rebuilt into a Baroque manor house. Today it serves as a hotel and restaurant.