Římov (České Budějovice District)

Římov
Municipality
Centre of Římov
Flag Coat of arms
Římov Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 48°51′20″N 14°29′13″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Bohemian
District	České Budějovice
First mentioned	1395
Area
• Total	15.28 km2 (5.90 sq mi)
Elevation	471 m (1,545 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)
• Total	1,020
• Density	67/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	373 24
Website	www.rimov.cz

Římov (German: Rimau) is a municipality and village in České Budějovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The villages of Branišovice, Dolní Stropnice, Dolní Vesce, Horní Vesce and Kladiny are administrative parts of Římov.

Etymology

The initial name of the settlement was Hřimov. It was derived from the personal name Hřim, meaning "Hřim's (court)". From the early 15th century, the name Římov was used.

Geography

View from the dam downstream towards Římov

Římov is located about 12 kilometres (7 mi) south of České Budějovice. It lies in the Gratzen Foothills. The highest point is at 554 m (1,818 ft) above sea level. The municipality is situated on the left bank of the Malše River. The Stropnice River flows along the northern municipal border.

On the Malše River just above the village is the Římov Reservoir providing drinking water for large portion of the South Bohemian Region. The dam, completed in 1978, is 47.5 metres (156 ft) high and 290 metres (950 ft) long at crest. The reservoir has a volume of 33.8 million m³.

History

The first written mention of Římov is from 1395. The village was founded probably in the 13th century and belonged to lower aristocratic families. In 1626, Římov became the property of the Duke of Eggenberg, the owner of the castle in Český Krumlov. In the same year the duke gave Římov to the Jesuits and they established there a pilgrimage site with large Way of the Cross in 1648.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,240 —     1880 1,361 +9.8% 1890 1,342 −1.4% 1900 1,329 −1.0% 1910 1,362 +2.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,283 −5.8% 1930 1,144 −10.8% 1950 902 −21.2% 1961 932 +3.3% 1970 873 −6.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 783 −10.3% 1991 648 −17.2% 2001 666 +2.8% 2011 813 +22.1% 2021 944 +16.1%
Source: Censuses

Transport

The I/3 road (part of the European route E55), specifically the section from České Budějovice to the Czech-Austrian border in Dolní Dvořiště, briefly crosses the municipal territory in the west.

Sights

Loreto chapel

The most important monument is the pilgrimage complex with the Church of the Holy Spirit and Loreto Chapel of Santa Casa. The centre of the area is the Loreto chapel, surrounded by ambits with baroque and rococo wall paintings and a set of lunette paintings that depict important pilgrimage sites in the Czech Republic. The Church of the Holy Spirit was built in the early Baroque style in 1697. A tall prismatic belfry was added to it in 1891. The pilgrimage complex is protected as a national cultural monument.

The decoration of the set of 25 Passion chapels, which forms the Way of the Cross, is also protected as a national cultural monument. Their value is due to their age and unusual scale, and their connection with the tradition of the pilgrimage site. The authorship of most of them is unknown.

External links

• Official website
• Pilgrimage site in Římov