Telc town (
visit link) is situated in the south-western corner of Moravia in the Ceskomoravská Vrchovina (Czech-Moravian Uplands).
The history of the town dates back to the 13th century. It used to be a courtyard with the Late-Romanesque Church of the Holy Ghost. The market settlement arose near the church. It is a part of the present town, which is called Old Town. In the middle of the 14th century the new village called New Telc was founded near the old one and later the town arose between both parts. The new town was fortified and the system of pond fortification was founded - Ulický, Štepnický and Staromestský ponds. The new church and the castle were built at that time as well. The biggest growth of Telc started in the 16th century. The town was reconstructed in the Renaissance style and the castle was rebuilt into the chateau. During the Thirty Years' War Telc was occupied and plundered by the Swedish soldiery. Then it was renewed and Jesuits came here. They founded the new Church of the Name of Jesus, college, pharmacy, Latin grammar school, and the meteorological station. In the second half of the 18th century the college with the grammar school and the Church of the Holy Ghost were closed. The new development began at the end of the 19th century, when the new comprehensive school was founded here and the town became an important cultural and educational centre of the region.
The oldest sight in the town is the 49 m high Romanesque tower from the 13th century, which stands in the upper part of the square. It belonged to the former Church of the Holy Ghost in the Old Town, which was reconstructed in the Gothic style at the end of the 15th century. The St. Anne's Church from the second half of the 14th century, which was built in the cemetery not far from the square, is one of the oldest buildings in Telc. The Church of the Mother of Christ can be found in the Old Town as well.
A lot of very well preserved Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque citizen houses and remains of the fortification can be seen in the historical centre. Most of them are situated in the square, which is accessible through two main town gates, the Dolní Brána (Lower Gate) and the Horní Brána (Upper Gate), and two small gates.
The important part of the town walls was a castle, which was rebuilt into the Renaissance chateau.
Two fountains (originally wooden, in present stone) and the Marian column, which was built between 1716 - 1720, grace the square. The entire square is enclosed with a lot of beautiful and interesting gables.
In the lower part of the square, near the chateau, there is the parochial St. James' Church from the 14th century. The two-towered Jesuit Church of the Name of Jesus is situated in the surroundings.
5894 Telc Asteroid is a main-belt asteroid.
Discovered by: A. Mrkos
Date of discovery: 14. 9. 1982
Place of discovery: Klet Observatory