Our town

Třebíč is a town situated in south-western Moravia. It occupies both banks of the Jihlava River, which flows through the town. Many of us who were born here continue to live here. Every resident of Třebíč should know at least few facts about the town’s history.

The official origin of Třebíč is considered to be the founding of the Třebíč Convent by the Benedictine Monks in 1101. At the head of the monastery was an abbot. The first abbot of the Třebíč monastery was Cuno. In the twelfth century the vicinity of the monastery was settled and cultivation began. Below the monastery a settlement Podklášteří was based. This settlement was concentrated on the right bank, while the Jews settled on the left bank of the Jihlava River.

In the thirteenth century the Basilica of St. Prokop was founded. This however is today's name; formerly it was known as the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin. It was built between 1240 and 1260 and represents a great medieval work of art. The centre of the building is a square courtyard with an ambulatory all around it. The basilica has three naves. The central nave is closed off by an opside. The end section of the southern nave was destroyed in 1468. The naves have a rib vaulting in the shape of a cross.

In 1277 the town was founded on the basis of a document, whereby the abbot frees Heřman’s house of all taxes. Heřman settled the Třebíč area at the request of the abbot Martin. Třebíč is a liege town. Brno served as the model of the town’s privileges.

Třebíč used to have three city gates: Jejkov Gate, Jihlava Gate and Vienna Gate. Of the original streets let's name at least Kotlářská and Masné krámy (Butcher’s Shops).

Between 1420 and 1556 the town served as a support of the Hussite Movement, together with Ivančice. Matthias Corvinus attacked these Hussite towns and Třebíč fell into the hands of the Catholics. In 1430 Prokop the Great conquered the city. In 1435 Třebíč was conquered once more by Albrecht, who restored all the town’s privileges. The town’s defence system was improved and city walls were built. Třebíč was granted the right to collect taxes on its beer production, as well as other rights.

In 1468 Třebíč suffered a catastrophe. The town was conquered and burnt to the ground, with thousands of people finding themselves helpless and without shelter. Town life recovers only after seven years, when the town comes into the hands of Zdeněk of Šternberk. In 1490 it is turned over to Vilém of Pernštejn, who sets up fish ponds, tries to repair the monastery and restores the destroyed villages. The turn of the 15th century is marked by the development of crafts weaving, butchery, baking, etc. The town seal dates to this period. More and more merchants come into town. Under Charles the Elder from Žerotín the town received its Charter. The Charter protected it from troops.

In 1628 the Restored Administrative Code is issued, meaning that Catholicism is the sole religion. Many people go into exile.

The most important industry in Třebíč has always been the manufacture of textiles production, shoemaking and tannery. After the mid-18th century cloth-making goes into a decline while leather and tanning production develops. Cloth-making declines because of the new manufacturing facilities set up at Linz, which supply the large vicinity.

The growth of leather and tanning is closely linked with the Silesian Wars. Clothes, saddles and other leather goods are in high demand. The most prominent of the manufacturing families were the Budišovs, the Lubaks and the Hasseks. During the Napoleonic Wars the town suffered from two disasters at once - a fire and a flood. The town was greatly damaged.

Many things have, of course, changed since then. The original rectangular city square has preserved its original aspect from the thirteenth century. Now it's known as Charles Square. This square is one of the largest in our country. In the square we can admire two Renaissance houses - the so-called Black House and Painted House. On the ground floor of Painted House there is a gallery. Frequent exhibitions by painters, graphic artists and others can be seen here. On the first floor of this house there is a ceremonial hall. The Black and the Painted Houses go back to the 17th century.

In the centre of the square there is a statue of Cyril and Methodius. On one side of the square fruit, vegetable and flower sellers have their stands.

Trees grow around the square. In the autumn the pavements and streets disappear under the cover of fallen leaves.

In the square we can find shops where we can buy all necessary goods. People from surrounding villages come to Třebíč to do their shopping. Třebíč is not just a business centre - the downtown area is first of all a centre of culture and education. There are about ten elementary schools in Třebíč. As far as secondary schools, the town offers studies at a Grammar School, a Business Academy, a Secondary Industrial School (Civil and Mechanical Engineering) and Secondary School of Health. We can also choose to attend one of the secondary professional training centres or even a private school.

Třebíč used to be a crossroads where different religions met. Today we can even find here Hussite churches from the 17th century. The best known one is St. Martin’s Church, which has a tower with a look-out and a clock. The clock's face is the biggest one in the whole country. The tower used to be a part of the city fortifications.

In the Basilica the Museum of Western Moravia is currently exhibiting Christmas nativity scenes. Also the moldavite semi-precious stones, found in the town’s vicinity, are exhibited here.

As we know, Třebíč is a cultural centre for the inhabitants of the surrounding villages as well as for the town’s inhabitants themselves.

Every day we can go to the cinema - the Morava, the Passage, and an outdoor cinema in the area of the winter stadium. There is as yet no theatre in Třebíč, but one is under construction.

People also come to Třebíč to practice sports. There are soccer, basketball and other teams here. Třebíč also has a sports school for volleyball, hockey and moreover an elementary school of athletics. Besides, there is a winter hockey stadium here, a covered pool, many gyms, tennis courts and playgrounds, as well as the Polanka swimming complex.

Třebíč is divided in several quarters, such as Nové Dvory, Hájek, Domky and Borovina. Here are new blocks of flats built of prefabricated panels. Some people have built or bought single-family houses here. The town also has a bus and railway stations. People can also use the town's mass transit buses.

Several dozens villages and towns belong to the Třebíč district. One of them is Náměšť nad Oslavou, with a beautiful castle of the Counts of Žerotín. Náměšť is a centre for carpet manufacturing. We almost forgot to mention the plants and factories in Třebíč. There's Bopo, a shoe-making factory, Trepon, a manufacturer of high-quality socks, Zon, a producer of healthy and refreshing beverages, UP plants, Uniplet, a dairy and a bakery. The town of Třebíč has its own hospital and many other smaller health facilities.

Another town within the Třebíč district is Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, with a beautiful baroque palace with a garden, including baroque statues. The prominent Czech poet Otakar Březina was born here and later lived here from 1901 to 1929. He's buried in the local graveyard. One well-known and very interesting location in the vicinity of Třebíč is Kralice, where the Kralice Bible was printed.

I think that the town of Třebíč is unusually beautiful. If I ever move away from here sometime in the future, I will always look forward to coming back. In the place where I was born I will find not only good friends but also memories of what continues to Iive within us. And it's these very memories that will not allow anyone to depart from this town and move away.

VOCABULARY

HAMLET	a small village.
VILLAGE	a small group of houses in the country, larger than a hamlet but smaller
	than a town.
TOWN	a centre of population which is larger than a village and smaller than a city.
CITY	a large important town; strictly a town created a city by proclamation,
	on reaching a certain size.
CAPITAL	the chief city of a country; seat of government.
METROPOLIS	the chief city of a country, usually, but not always the capital; a centre of population, civilization, commerce, etc.

inhabit	obývat
inhabitant	obyvatel
occupy	zabírat (místo), rozkládat se
reside	trvale bydlet
resident	stálý obyvatel
place of residence	trvalé bydliště
permanent address	trvalé bydliště
residential district/area	obytná čtvrt
suburb	předměstí
district, quarter	část města, čtvrt
vicinity	okolí
downtown	střed, centrum města
housing estate	sídliště
block of flats	panelák, činžovní dům
public buildings	veřejné budovy
office blocks	budovy s úřady, kancelářemi
skyscraper	mrakodrap
skyline	silueta

town council	městská rada
mayor	starosta
municipal government	vedení města

shopping centrum	obchodní centrum
go window-shopping	prohlížet si výlohy
market place	tržiště
opening hours	prodejní doba
closing time	zavírací hodiny
nightclub	bar, noční podnik
snack bar	bufet
café	kavárna
sweet shop / confectionery	cukrárna

open-air-theatre	amfiteátr
outdoor cinema	letní kino
open-air cinema	letní kino
concert hall	koncertní síň
funfair	lunapark, zábavní park
gallery	galerie
stadium	stadión
winter stadium	zimní stadión
ice rink	kluziště
barracks	kasárna
cemetery	hřbitov
hospital	nemocnice
monastery	klášter
church	kostel
chapel	kaple
cathedral	katedrála
town hall	radnice
information bureau	informační kancelář
place of interest	pamětihodnost
observation tower	vyhlídková věž
bell	zvon

main street	hlavní ulice
side street	vedlejší ulice
avenue	třída, široká ulice
boulevard	bulvár
lane	úzká ulička
alley	alej, ulička
blind road	slepá ulice
row	řada (domů)
square	náměstí
circus	kruhové náměstí
crescent	půlkruhová ulice
embankment	nábřeží
street corner	roh ulice

traffic	doprava
traffic jam	dopravní zácpa
rush hour	dopravní špička
public transport	veřejná doprava
commute	dojíždět
season ticket	předplatná jízdenka
tram	tramvaj
trolley-bus	trolejbus
coach	dálkový autobus
underground	metro
bus station	autobusové nádraží
railway station	železniční nádraží
airport	letiště

school	škola
basic school	základní škola
secondary school	střední škola
secondary special school	střední odborná škola
secondary vocational school	učiliště

industry	průmysl
light industry	lehký průmysl
heavy industry	těžký průmysl
building industry	stavební průmysl
canning industry	konzervárenský průmysl
distilling industry	lihovarnický průmysl
engineering industry	strojírenský průmysl
food industry	potravinářský průmysl
metallurgical industry	hutní průmysl
mining industry	báňský průmysl
mineral oil industry	zpracování ropy
pharmaceutical industry	farmaceutický průmysl
plastics industry	průmysl umělých hmot
power industry	energetika
rubber industry	gumárenský průmysl
shipbuilding	stavba lodí
textile industry	textilní průmysl
woodworking industry	dřevařský průmysl
enterprise	podnik
factory	továrna
cannery	konzervárna
bakery	pekárna
dairy	mlékárna
distillery	lihovar
ironworks	železárny
steelworks	ocelárny
textile mill	textilní továrna
brickworks	cihelna
glassworks	sklárna
china works	porcelánka
paper mill	celulózka, papírna
power station	elektrárna
rolling mill	válcovna
saw mill	pila
sugar mill	cukrovar
oil refinery	rafinerie ropy
oil pipeline	ropovod
water works	vodárna
gas works	plynárna
coal	uhlí
brown coal, soft coal	hnědé uhlí
black coal, hard coal	černé uhlí
coalfield	uhelná pánev
coalmine	uhelný důl
open mine	povrchový důl
production	výroba

PICTURE DICTIONARY

PHRASES

ASKING THE WAY

Promiňte, že obtěžuji.	Sorry to trouble you. Excuse me,...
Jste odsud? Jste místní?	Are you local?

Znáte to tady?	Do you know the area?
Ukázal byste mi cestu do ….	Can - Could you tell me the way to …
	Could you tell me how to get to...?
- Oxfordské ulice?	- Oxford Street?
- na nádraží?	- the station?

Promiňte, jdu správně do …	Excuse me, is this the right way to …
	Am I going the right way for/to...?
- Regentské ulice?	- Regent Street?
Promiňte, kde je …	Excuse me, where is …?

Jak se dostaneme ….	How can we get to …..
- na hlavní ulici?	- the main street?
- k divadlu?	- the theatre?
- na náměstí?	- the square?
Kudy se jde na nádraží?	Which is the way to the station?
- na letiště?	- to the airport?
Jaká je to ulice?	What street is this?
Je to daleko?	How far is it?

Jak se dostanu ke škole?	How can I get to school?
- Jděte přímo.	- Go straight away.
	- Go straight on / straight away.
- Jděte touto ulicí.	- Go along down this street.
- Jděte dál touto ulicí.	- Continue along this street.
- Držte se vlevo / vpravo.	- Keep (to the) left / right.

- Odbočte doleva.	- Turn (to the) left.
- Odbočte doprava.	- Turn (to the) right.
- Odbočte do Londýnské ulice.	- Turn into London Street.
- Odbočte první ulicí doprava.	- Take the first street to the right.
- Jděte až k semaforu a odbočte vlevo.	- Go straight as far as the traffic lights
	and then turn to the left.
- Jděte rovně až ke křižovatce.	- Go straight on as far as the crossroads.
- Dojděte až ...	- Keep walking until you get to ...
- Přejděte ulici.	- Cross the street.
- Jděte podél nábřeží.	- Follow the embankment.
- Musíte jít přes most.	- You have to cross the bridge.
- Je to vlevo.	- It’s on the left / on your left.
- Je to na konci ulice.	- It’s at the end of the street.
- Je to v blízkosti náměstí.	- It‘s just off the square.
- Je to proti poště.	- It‘s opposite the post office.
- Je to vedle banky.	- It‘s next to the bank.
- Je to mezi školou a parkem.	- It‘s between the school and the park.
- Je to blízko divadla.	- It‘s near the theatre.
Jak je to odsud daleko?	How far is it from here?
- Je to docela blízko.	- It‘s quite near.
- Je to odtud dost daleko.	- It‘s (quite) a long way from here.
- Není to daleko.	- It’s not far.
- Je to za rohem.	- It‘s round the corner.
- Je to na dalším rohu.	- It‘s at the next corner.
- Nemůžete to minout / přehlédnout.	- You can’t miss it.
- Ukážu vám to na mapě.	- I will show it to you on the map.
- Je to pěšky asi deset minut.	- It‘s about ten-minutes walk.
- Je to jen pár minut pěšky.	- It’s a few minutes’ walk.
- Jdete špatným směrem.	- You are going in the wrong direction.
- Nevyznám se tu.	- I am a stranger here.
- Bohužel, nevím.	- I am afraid I don‘t know.
- Raději se zeptejte někoho jiného.	- You would better ask someone else.
- Myslím, že je to tady někde.	- I think it must be somewhere round here.
- Zabloudil jsem.	- I have lost my way.
- Můžete jet desítkou.	- You can take the number ten.
- Nastupte / Vystupte (kde...)	- Get on / Get off...
- Musíte přestoupit ...	- You have to change (buses/trams) at...

MUNICIPAL TRANSPORT

Kde je tady nejbližší…?	Where is the nearest … ?
- autobusové nádraží	- bus station
- autobusová zastávka	- bus stop
- stanice metra	- underground station
- tramvajová zastávka	- tram stop

Je tu někde autobusová zastávka?	Is there a bus stop round here?
Autobusová zastávka je na dolním/	The bus stop is at the bottom / top
horním konci ulice.	of the street.
Autobusová zastávka je za rohem.	The bus stop is round the corner.
Odkud jede autobus k …?	Where do I get the bus for … ?
Jezdí tento autobus k nádraží?	Does this bus go to the station?
Jede tento autobus k nádraží?	Is this bus going to the railway station?
Kdy jede poslední noční autobus do …?	When is the last night bus to …?
- Autobusy jezdí celu noc ve	- Buses run all night at thirty minutes intervals.
třicetiminutových intervalech.
- Poslední autobus jede ve dvě.	- The last bus goes at two A.M.
Kdy jede ráno první autobus do … ?	When is the first morning bus to … ?
Odkud jezdí autobusy do centra?	Where do the buses for the centre depart from?
Jeďte autobusem číslo třináct.	Take a number thirteen bus.
Jeďte autobusem číslo … ze stanice	At Victoria take a number … bus to …
Victoria směrem na …
Pojedete asi deset minut.	It will take you about ten minutes.
Budete přesedat u nádraží Victoria.	You will have to change at Victoria Station.
Děti do pěti let jezdí zdarma.	Children under five ride free.
Autobus číslo tři jezdí pouze v neděli.	The bus number three goes on Sundays only.
Raději pojedu metrem.	I will better go by tube.
Kolik to stojí metrem?	How much is the metro fare?
Už je tu náš autobus.	Here is our bus.
Nastupte.	Inside, please.
	Come along, please.
Teď můžeme nastoupit.	Now we can get on the bus.
Vystupuji u Victoria Station.	I get off at Victoria Station.
Autobus je plný.	The bus is full.
Jízdenky, prosím.	Fares, please.
Postavte se do řady.	Join the queue.
Netlačte se.	Stop pushing.
S dovolením.	Excuse me, will you let me pass?
Vystupujete ?	Do you want to get off now?
Okamžik, já také vystupuji.	Just a moment, I want to get off here, too.
Zeptejte se průvodčího, kde máte	Ask the conductor where to get off.
vystoupit.
Jedu na nádraží Victoria.	I‘m going to Victoria Station.
Kde mám vystoupit?	Will you please tell me where to get off?
Příští stanici budete vystupovat .	You will get off at the next stop.
Prosím vás, vystupuje se vzadu.	Will you please get off at the rear?

TAXI

Je tu někde stanoviště taxi?	Is there a taxi rank here?
Promiňte, jste volný?	Excuse me, are you free?
Kolik by stála cesta ….	How much would you charge for the ride to …
- na nádraží?	- the railway station?
- na letiště?	- the airport?
- do holetu Diplomat?	- the Diplomat Hotel?
Asi pět liber.	About five pounds.

Prosím, zavezte mě do ….	Please, take me to …
Je to daleko?	Is it far?
	Is it a long way from here?
Za deset minut jsme na místě.	We will be there in ten minutes.
Jeďte rychle, spěchám.	Go fast, please, I am in a hurry.
Zastavte tady, vystoupím.	Pull up, I‘ll get out here.

SIGHTSEEING

Toto město je velmi krásné.	This town is very nice.
Rád bych si to tady prohlédl.	I‘d like to go sightseeing here.
Co byste chtěli vidět především?	What would you like to see above all?
Chtěl bych se podívat ….	I would like to ….
- na katedrálu.	- see the cathedral.
- do galérie.	- visit the gallery.
- po obchodech.	- go round the shops.
- do okolí města.	- see the surroundings of the town.
- do ZOO.	- go to the ZOO.
- do přístavu.	- have a look at the harbour.
Co vás zajímá nejvíc?	What are you mainly interested in?
Chcete-li, ukážu vám pamětihodnosti	I will show you round our town if you want.
našeho města.
Je tu mnoho zajímavých věcí k vidění.	There are many places of interest to see
	in this town.
	There are many places worth seeing here.
Může se tu fotografovat?	May I take photographs here?
Dá se vystoupit na věž?	Is it possible to go up to the tower?
Platí se nějaké vstupné?	Is there any admission fee?
Z kterého století je ten chrám?	Which century is this church from?
Čí je to pomník?	Whose monument is this?
Od koho je ta socha?	Who is this statue by?
Jaký je to sloh?	What style is it?
V tomto paláci žil … .	This place is where …. lived.
Byl jste už v katedrále Sv. Pavla?	Have you been to St. Paul‘s?