Budišov nad Budišovkou is the terminus of the Suchdol nad Odrou-toBudišov nad Budišovkou railway. With some 3,000 inhabitants, the township is squeezed in a valley between the Oderské vrchy mountains and the Lower Ash Mountains (Nízký Jeseník) at some 512 m above the sea level, not far from the Kruž berská přehrada dam. When and how the town was founded is rather dubious. There is a written note of 1301 and before 1305 Budišov was granted to the Bishopric of Olomouc. At that time, Budišov was a typical colonists' settlement of a citylike plan, the deed of covenant says. An unheard of period of prosperity set in thanks to the succession of bishops which included Stanislav Thurz, Marcus Khuen and Stanislav Pavlovský in the lóth century, allowing Budišov to evolve into one of Moravia's prime cities. Trade flourished and so did the craft guilds. Guild symbols can still be found on the bank supports in the splendid baroque church. The third resource of wealth beside trade and crafts was the silver from several mines around Budišov (Staré Oldřůvky, Barnov, etc.). That is why Budišov had the reputation of a mining town. Slate quarries, too, were scattered around. On 20 May, 1613, Budišov was granted its coat-of-arms by the Cardinal František of Dietrichštejn. But the medieval boom was terminated by the wars of the early l7th century. The town was almost destroyed several times. The heaviest stroke came through Fridrich II (the Great) of Prussia during his crusade against Austria, known as the 7-Year War. A battle unleashed between Budišov and Guntramovice between the Prussians and the Emperor's Army under the legendary General Laudon. War, natural catastrophies and remoteness hampered further economic development. Recovery did not come until the late l9th and early 20th centuries and the present face of the town has resulted from the concentrated effort of several generations to conserve the valuable historic monuments as best as possible. The list of what is worth seeing in Budišov includes the baroque church of 1745 and parish; the recently restored Town Hall of 1635; the coats-of-arms shown in the Town Hall; the school and the post office. Next to the unique stone bridge with the John-of-Pomuk statue (1725) there is a rare exhibition of clay slate and the processing technology in the Town Museum. The Museum also reminds of the outstanding native František Ignác Kassián Halaška (1780-1847), a philosopher, mathematician, physicist and astronomer, Chancellor of the Charles University of Prague and of the University of Vienna. The town is slowly being discovered by tourists as a destination and sports centre. Most attractive among its features are certainly the nature and good sküng conditions in winter. Hunters and fishers will also get their money's worth.

The baroque church and parish of 1745

The town centre

The baroque church spires