Uhlířské Janovice

Uhlířské Janovice (Kohljanowitz) is a town in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,200 inhabitantas.

Administrative parts
The villages of Bláto, Janovická Lhota, Kochánov, Malejovice, Mitrov, Opatovice II and Silvánka are administrative parts of Uhlířské Janovice.

Etymology
The settlement was named Janovice after its founder Jan of Sternberg. The attribute Uhlířské was added to distinguish it from other places with the same name and refers to the charcoal burners (Czech: uhlíři) that lived here.

Geography
Uhlířské Janovice is located about 16 km southwest of Kutná Hora and 42 km southeast of Prague. It lies in the Upper Sázava Hills. The highest point is the hill Dračí skála at 516 m above sea level. The Výrovka River originates here and flows across the municipal territory.

History
The first written mention of Uhlířské Janovice is from 1352. It was founded by Jan of Sternberg, probably in 1250. The town was owned by the Sternberg family until 1750, when it was merged with the Rataje estate.

Transport
Uhlířské Janovice is located on the railway line Kolín–Ledečko.

Sights
There are three churches. The landmark of the town square is the Church of Saint Aloysius. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1767–1795.

The Church of Saint Giles dates from the late 12th or early 13th century. It is a small Romanesque-Gothic church, which lost its function after the new church was built on the square.

The Church of Saint George in Malejovice is originally an early Gothic building, which probably dates from the 13th century. Baroque modifications were made in 1713.

The former synagogue dates from 1798. Today the building is used as the prayer house of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church.

The town hall on the town square dates from 1786.

Notable people

 * Friedrich Ritter von Friedländer-Malheim (1825–1901), Bohemian-Austrian painter