LOCATIONS — 245/262 — Opatowitz
As the name suggests, the village probably owes its foundation to the abbots (opati) of the nearby Sedletz Monastery, who from the 13th century tried to colonise this inhospitable and sparsely populated region. The first written mention of the village dates back to the latter half of the 14th century, when it belonged to the Kuttenberg burgher Jan Glenc. The farmstead of Opatowitz was founded sometime during the 14th century by the monastery, which subsequently supported it until it was sold to another wealthy Kuttenberg burgher, Wenceslas Bartosch (Václav Bartoš), in 1379.
TRIVIA
— Over the centuries, the little village Opatovice went through a large number of hands. Its first documented owner, the burgher Jan Glencl – with an l – donated the property to the Kutná Hora hospital in 1350. After that it was in control of the city of Kutná Hora various times, of its wealthy burghers and noble families, then gifted to the hospital of Čáslav, confiscated by Emperor Ferdinand I in 1547 for participation in the anti-Habsburg revolts, controlled by the crown and then by private hands again, later by the Kutná Hora Jesuit Order and sold at a public auction. Only in 1989 did the village reach independence. For a large part of its history, Opatovice belonged to the nearby city Červené Janovice – not to be confused with Uhlířské Janovice, another small city in the district of Kutná Hora, one borough of which also happened to go by the name Opatovice. To keep matters simple, the Opatovice featured here was officially named Opatovice I in 1921. Next to Červené Janovice, Opatovice also shares a long history with the Sedlec monastery, whose monks likely first cultivated the land. This connection is not only visible in Opatovice's name, but also in its coat of arms which features two silver lilies in a black stripe and a red abbot's crosier on a silver field. Former owners like Karel Multzer of Rosenthal are also buried in the Sedlec ossuary.
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