The story
The settlement of Meziříčí was founded during the colonisation of the Oslava valley in the 12th century. The first written credible mention of Meziříčí is from 1281. A counterfeit medieval document mentions the existence of Meziříčí in 1236 and even though it is a counterfeit, the foundation of the castle above Meziříčí is estimated actually around 1236, making it one of the oldest aristocratic castles in Moravia. The palisade and then the stone walls were built in the 14th century. The Church of Saint Nicholas was first mentioned in 1317. The village was located on crossroads of two trade routes and developed into a town.
After helping their lord to reclaim his castle from his enemies, the settlement was rewarded with full town privileges in 1408. During the Hussite Wars, Meziříčí was a military base of the Hussites. Around 1434, the castle fortifications were improved. In 1464, the castle was conquered by King George of Poděbrady, and in 1468, the town was ransacked by the army of Matthias Corvinus.
Meziříčí experienced the greatest boom during the Renaissance period. The first Jews came into the town in the late 15th century and the Jewish community was established in the 17th century. The prosperity of the town was interrupted by the Thirty Years' War, during which the town was burned down several times. In the 18th century, the town prospered again.
In the 19th century, first factories were built, and the development of the town's industry was also helped by the construction of the railway. In September 1909, the Imperial Maneuvers of the Austro-Hungarian Army were held near the town. It was visited by the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I and German Emperor Wilhelm II.
From Wikipedia’s article on Velké Meziříčí, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5