Svitavy

Svitavy (German: Zwittau) is both a city and a district in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. The city has a population of 18,000 and is also the district centre. The region has approximately 102,770 inhabitants in total. The city was founded in around 1150, when monks set up the church and nearby village. A century later German speaking colonists were moved into the area. From 1256 Svitavy was owned by bishops from Olomouc. The city has been destroyed twice, during the Thirty Years' War the city was devastated and in 1781 it was burned down by accident. In 1866, a cease-fire between Prussia and Austria was arranged here. In the beginning of the 20th century the city saw tensions between Czech and German speaking people, resulting in the expulsion of the Germans following World War II. Area Code: + 461