ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA	CZECH REPUBLIC
Vysočina	Highlands (Jihlava) region
Okres: Žďár nad Sázavou

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Velké Meziříčí is situated at an elevation of 425 m in a valley of the Křižanovská vrchovina (Křižanov highlands) region in the southern part of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, at the confluence of the rivers Oslava and Balinka. The municipality has a population of about 11,800 (2011). Velké Meziříčí is part of the district Žďár nad Sázavou of the Vysočina (Highlands or Jihlava) region of the Czech Republic.

The oldest written mention of Velké Meziříčí is found in a document of 1236. The village obtained the privileges of a town in 1408; the privileges were confirmed in 1417 by King Václav (Wenceslaus) IV of Bohemia. During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) Velké Meziříčí was sacked eight times. In 1886 the town was connected to the railroad system (part of the railroad from Křižanov to Studenec). On the 6th May 1945, just two days before the town's liberation by the Red Army, Velké Meziříčí was the site of a massacre carried out by German soldiers who killed 58 members of the Revolutionary National Committee.

The church of St. Nicholas (kostel svatého Mikuláše) [far left, no. 4524, and left, no. 3295: background centre], the church of the Roman Catholic parish, is the oldest church in town. The first documented mention dates back to 1317. The oldest parts of the present church is a portal in early Gothic style from the second half of the 13th century on the northern side. The double nave was created in the 15th century. In 4120, a square tower of a height of almost 80 metres was completed. Major reconstruction works were carried out in 1774–1775. Several furtehr renovations took place in the 20th century.

The školy Světlá (Světlá schools) [near left, no. 2685] was founded in 1901 as a specialist school for occupations for women. The school was named for the Czech 19th century writer, Karolina Světlá who campaigned for the emancipation of women. After World War II the teaching focussed on catering. In the late 1940s the school's name was changed to Higher School of Nutrition. Since 1950 also boys were admitted to the school. Since 1996 the school offers a four-year degree in hotel management and tourism.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velké Meziříčí, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velké Meziříčí, http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velké Meziříčí, http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velkmeziříčský masakr, http://www.hotelskola.cz/historie/, https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kostel_svatého_Mikuláše_(Velké Meziříčí)]