Žďár nad Metují

The first record of the existence of the village of Žďár nad Metují dates back to around 1213, when the place known as Polický Újezd was donated to the Benedictines by King Přemysl Otakar I. The donation was confirmed in 1229 by King Wenceslas I. Although historians today doubt the authenticity of the donation deeds, it does not change the fact that began to settle the region here from this time onwards. The monks of Břevnov cut down the forests, founded settlements and improved the land. The Žďár cadastre as we see it today was completed by Abbot Bavor in 1294, who added the lower district called Bavorov to the village. This extended Žďár's territory as far as the confluence of the Metuje River and the Žďárský brook before the Police tunnel. Rising above the confluence is a steep hillside where, according to undocumented legends, there stood a fortress called Vlčinec in the first half of the 15th century. The first written record of the village dates back to 1406.