the construction of the railway. Until 1918, Groß Meseritsch – Velké Meziříčí (German name only before 1867) was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), head of the district with the same name, one of the 34 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Moravia. Demographics Transport The D1 motorway goes through the town. The long and high Vysočina Bridge spans the built-up area. Velké Meziříčí lies on a railroad of local importance. The town is served by two train stations. Sights The Velké Meziříčí Castle is the landmark of the town. The original Romanesque-Gothic castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style in the 16th century and after a fire in 1723, Baroque reconstruction was made. Today it houses the Velké Meziříčí Museum. The museum was founded in 1893 and includes historical and scientific collections, a collection of cubist furniture, and an exhibition on the construction of roads and bridges. The historic centre was delimited by town walls and both rivers. Part of the town walls with a gate are preserved. The landmark of the square is the Church of Saint Nicholas. This Gothic building comes probably from the 12th or 13th century and has a high tower open to the public. The square is lined with valuable burgher houses, the most significant buildings are the town hall from the 15th century, and a house called Obecník with rich sgraffito decoration. Several important monuments remained after the Jewish community. The Old Synagogue was built in 1695 and has a Baroque-Neoclassical portal of the main entrance from the late 18th century. The New Synagogue is from 1870 and is known for its characteristic appearance of unplastered red and black bricks. The Jewish cemetery with 1,101 tombstones comes from the mid-17th century. The oldest preserved tombstone is from 1677. The nearby ceremonial hall is from 1880. Notable people Tzvi Ashkenazi (1656–1718) Jewish scholar, rabbi of Amsterdam Isaac Hirsch Weiss (1815–1905), literature historian Nathan Weiss (1851–1883), Austrian physician and neurologist Arnold Pick (1851–1924), psychiatrist Leopold Hilsner (1876–1928), Jewish man who became a victim of the false charge & pogrom Růžena Vacková (1901–1982), art historian and theatre critic Jaroslava Blažková (1933–2017), Slovak writer Twin towns – sister cities Velké Meziříčí is twinned with: České Meziříčí, Czech Republic Tisno, Croatia Valašské Meziříčí, Czech Republic Vansbro, Sweden Gallery References External links Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Žďár nad Sázavou District Shtetls