ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA	CZECH REPUBLIC
Pardubický kraj	Pardubice region
Okres: Svitavy

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• alt.: Bystré u Poličky
• de: Bistrau • lv: Bistre
• sr: Бистре

Bystré (German: Bistrau) is situated at en alevation of 604 m in the upper reaches of the stream Bystersaký potok, about 11 km southeast of Polička (and therefore is frequently referred to as Bystré u Poličky, about 17 km southwest of the district town Svitavy, and about 61 southeast of the regional capital Pardubice. The municipality has a population of about 1,600 (2023).

The earliest written mention is in a chronicle written in 1200, referring to events in the years 1021 or 1098. The chronicle is not considered a credible source, however archaeological excavations show that Bystré did exist already in the 11th century. A definitely more credible source is a document of 1349, when the archbishop of Prague, Arnestus (Arnošt, Ernst) de Pardubitz wrote to Pope Clemens VI and requested that the parish be allocated to the bishopric of Litomyšl. During the reign of Emperor Charles IV (r.1355–1378), Bystré obtained the privileges of a town. In 1507, the town gained a number of privileges, such as toll collection right and the right for a weekly market. The Kolowrat family came in possession of the domains in the 1580s. A new Renaissance castle was built by them in 1586–1590. During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) the town was devastated. In 1707, the estate was sold again, this time in an auction to the counts of Liechtenstein who exchanged it with the counts of Hohenems in 1710. As the Counts of Hohenems died out in 1869, the Bystré estate was passed to Emperor Franz Joseph I who owned it until the establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918.

The Baroque town hall [left, no. 0000] was built in 1716–1719.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystr%C3%A9_u_Poli%C4%8Dky, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystr%C3%A9_(Svitavy_District), https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystr%C3%A9_(okres_Svitavy)]