Rodný dům bratří Mrštíků

The Birthplace of the Mrštík Brothers is a modest single-story house in Sedliště, part of the small town of Jimramov in the Vysočina region of the Czech-Moravian Highlands. It was here that Alois and Vilém Mrštík, two of the best-known Czech writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were born — and the house, protected today as a cultural monument, still stands on the site tied to the start of their story.

Who were the Mrštík brothers?

Alois Mrštík (1861-1925) and Vilém Mrštík (1863-1912) were sons of a village shoemaker. They spent only their earliest childhood in Sedliště and Jimramov: already in 1869 the family relocated to Ostrovačice near Brno, where the brothers grew up and where their literary careers later took shape. Despite that short stay, their family house in the Highlands remains tied to the very beginning of their biography. Together the brothers wrote the drama "Maryša," one of the landmark works of Czech realist theatre, while Vilém also earned individual recognition as the author of the novel "Pohádka máje" (A Tale of May).

What does the house look like, and where exactly does it stand?

The present building dates from 1802, raised on the site of an older homestead known as "Loukotovského." It stands on a steep, rocky hill above the point where the Fryšávka river flows into the Svratka, with the slopes of the hill reinforced by terraced retaining walls. The house itself is a small, rectangular, single-story structure with a hipped roof, joined to a former farm outbuilding — a layout typical of rural homesteads from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

How is the brothers' memory preserved here?

In 1927, a memorial plaque dedicated to Alois and Vilém Mrštík was set into the rock below the house, the work of academic sculptor Julius Pelikán. Further plaques commemorating the brothers can be found directly on the house's main facade and on a wall along the path leading up to the building. The house itself holds the status of a "kulturní památka" (cultural monument) and lies within the protected zone of the Jimramov urban heritage area, underlining its place in the local history and cultural landscape of the region.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Mrštík brothers' birthplace located? In Sedliště, part of Jimramov in the Vysočina region, on a hill above the confluence of the Fryšávka and Svratka rivers.

Did the Mrštík brothers grow up in this house? Not for long — the family moved from Sedliště to Ostrovačice near Brno as early as 1869, while the brothers were still children.

What is the brothers' best-known work? Together they wrote the drama "Maryša," and Vilém also wrote the novel "Pohádka máje" on his own.

Is the house officially protected as a monument? Yes, it holds the status of a cultural monument and sits within Jimramov's protected heritage zone, with memorial plaques on its facade and in the rock nearby.