A short walk around historic Svitavy, the birthplace of Oskar Schindler: 3 km

• The town of Svitavy, which lies at the border of the historic Bohemian and Moravian territories, rarely makes it into the tourist guide books. It is not the prettiest or most historic of towns in eastern Bohemia – that honour probably goes to either Pardubice or Litomyšl. However, Svitavy does have an attractive main square lined with some fine Renaissance/Baroque buildings and also has some spectacular late 19th century villas. It is definitely worth a stop just to view the architecture. Interestingly, Svitavy was the first winner (1994) of the prestigious nationwide competition; ‘Historic City of the Year’.
• Another reason to visit Svitavy is that it is the birth place of Oskar Schindler, the German/Czech industrialist who is credited with saving over 1000 Jews during the Holocaust. Schindler became a household name after the 1993 release of Spielberg’s epic film, Schindler’s List, which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Film. The monument in Svitavy’s Jan Palach park (pictured below – map point 3) was unveiled on the release of the film. The town museum (map point 7) has a section dedicated to Schindler.
• The suggested route, outlined in the map below, starts at the bus station and heads first to the Jan Palach park before returning through the main square and on to the town museum. Close to the bus station are the last remains of the town’s medieval walls, originating from the end of the 14th century (map point 8).
• The route is completely flat and can be easily managed with a stroller. There are many refreshment options in town including a number of cafés on the main square. There is also a good snack bar at the edge of Jan Palach park.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for online navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file

Directions

• Starting at the bus station, join the YELLOW trail heading west in the direction of Studánka Pod Strání
• After 800m reach the Jan Palach park. The Schindler memorial is at the northwest edge
• Head back into the center of town along the main road, traversing the length of the main square
• The museum is located on the opposite side of the road from the ornate 19th century Ottendorfer villa
• Return back to the bus station along the pavement next to the main road