wheel of life, associated with eastern religions nowadays, or may allude to the Virgin Mary. The famous Basilica originated in the early 12th century as a Benedictine monastery. It was endowed so well, that it led to the establishment of a local commercial centre; the town of Třebíč. The monastery was rebuilt during the reign of King Wenceslaus I (1230–53), and again at the end of the 15th century. During the first half of the 16th century some of Třebíč's historic monastic buildings were remodeled into a castle, and were later renovated in Baroque style. In the early 18th century changes were introduced on the basilica by the Czech architect František Maxmilián Kaňka; windows were enlarged, buttresses were added, a southwest tower was rebuilt, and a new west front with two towers was constructed in the gothic baroque style. The historic centre of Třebíč, which extends on both sides of the river Jihlava, was declared an urban monument zone in 1990. The Jewish Quarter and St. Procopius Basilica, together with the castle and gardens, are all included within the urban monument zone. Notable people Johann Philipp Neumann (1774–1849), Austrian physicist and poet Adolf Kurrein (1846–1919), Austrian rabbi Friedrich Leo von Rottenberger (1872–1938), Austrian landscape architect Bohumír Šmeral (1880–1941), politician Jan Syrový (1888–1970), general and prime minister (1938) Antonín Kalina (1902–1990), war hero Jindřich Svoboda (1917–1942), bomber captain in the RAF Helena Kružíková (1928–2021), actress Míla Myslíková (1933–2005), actress Jaroslav Zvěřina (born 1942), politician František Bublan (born 1951), politician Miroslav Donutil (born 1951), actor Oldřich Navrátil (born 1952), actor Věra Jourová (born 1964), politician and lawyer Pavel Padrnos (born 1970), road racing cyclist Jiří Zimola (born 1971), politician Patrik Eliáš (born 1976), ice hockey player Martin Erat (born 1981), ice hockey player Ondřej Němec (born 1984), ice hockey player Theodor Gebre Selassie (born 1986), footballer Vladimír Sobotka (born 1987), ice hockey player Jitka Válková (born 1991), Czech Miss winner Karel Vejmelka (born 1996), ice hockey player Twin towns – sister cities Třebíč is twinned with: Humenné, Slovakia Lilienfeld, Austria Oschatz, Germany Rakhiv, Ukraine Yichang, China Gallery References External links UNESCO Heritage in Třebíč Official website of the castle Photos of Třebíč and Background Information Populated places in Třebíč District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Shtetls World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic