Putim

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Location of Putim in the Czech Republic

Church with cemetery in the village.

Putim is a village in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic with approximately 440 inhabitants.

Historically the spot was inhabited sporadically first by Celtic tribes (2nd century BCE), then by Romans (1st century) and then subsequently by old Slavs during the 8th century. Since the 11th century the settlement has been permanently occupied; the first mention of the village of Putim in a written document dates from the year 1205.

Several times in the historical past (e.g. in 1650 and 1704) the whole village was destroyed by fire, and two nearby rivers, the Blanice and the Otava, also caused frequent floodings. The local church building served as a fortress during times of war. The first school in the village was established in 1696, and the railway first reached Putim in 1875.

[edit] Trivia

In one chapter of the novel The Good Soldier Švejk the author describes how Švejk meets up with a local police officer from Putim, who is constantly drunk and who mistakes Švejk for a Russian spy. This literary reference is the first thing that most Czechs think of when they hear the name of this village.