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

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Nová Říše (formerly in German: Neureisch) is situated at an elevation of 536 m about 30 km southwest of the district town Jihlava and about 10 km southeast of Telč in the Vysočina (Highlands) region in southern Bohemia. The municipality has a population of about 820 (2019).

The earliest mentions of Grus or Rusch date from 1248 and 1257, respectively. The history of the village is closely related to the history of the Premonstratensian monastery, but it is not known with certainty whether the village is older than the monastery or if it was founded only after its foundation. The monastery was founded in 1211 by the noble family Markvard from nearby Červený Hrádek. Thanks to the convent, the village was promoted to a small town already in 1363 and was granted market rights. Further privileges for holding annual fairs were granted in 1457, 1591 and 1747. During its history, the town was destroyed several times by fires or during wartime. In 1850 the village was part of the district Telč between 1869 and 1950 it belonged to the district Dačice and since 1951 it is part of the district Jihlava. The status of a township (městys) was renewed in 2011.

The most prominent building of the town is the  Premonstratensian monastery [centre]. The monastery in Moravia was founded around 1211 by Markvard of Hrádek as a monastery for Premonstratensian canonesses regular. The house was placed under the Zábrdovice Abbey in Brno (German Abbey Obrowitz in Brünn), which also sent a provost. Originally, the monastery and church were dedicated to Our Lady. During the Hussite Wars (1419–1431), the monastery was looted and destroyed several times, the only remaining from the time before the destruction is an important statue of St. Anne from the second half of the 14th century. After an eventful period, the female convent died out around 1596 and the abbey became an monastery of independent canons regular, resettled by the Zábrdovice Abbey. The monastery suffered from the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and had to be supported by Zábrdovice again in 1641. A rapid upswing followed and as early as 1654 the provost received the right to the pontificals. The monastery was was elevated to an abbey in 1733 and subsequently was significantly expanded. In 1813 a fire damaged the town and the monastery, followed by their reconstruction. In the following years the canons took care of the surrounding parishes and promoted art and education. In May 1942 units of the SS stormed the monastery and it was converted into a depot for children. The Premonstratensians were abducted to Auschwitz and murdered except three novices. In February 1950 the canons of the rebuilt monastery were arrested again, this time by the Communists, and disappeared after various show trials. The property, the art treasures and books as well as the buildings were confiscated and a military camp was established. The monastery was rebuilt in 1989/90, but it was only in 1991 that the Premonstratensians of Nová Říše owned the buildings again. The buildings, which have been returned in very poor condition, have since been renovated.

The monastery church St. Peter and Paul was built in Baroque style in 1677–1707. The interior was richly decorated with frescos by Johann Lukas Kracker (1717–1779) in 1766.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nová_Říše, https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nová_Říše; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abtei_Nová_Říše]