Dolní Věstonice (German: Unterwisternitz) is a small village in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It is known for a series of ice age archaeological sites in the area. These sites were used by mammoth hunters, and finds include a triple burial and the Venus of Dolní Věstonice.
A small fortress was built here during the Great Moravia period. The place is mentioned in written documents from 1312. During the 13th century the place became inhabited by German colonists. In 1460 it received city rights. From the beginning of the 16th century Habaners (Habáni, members of anabaptist sects expelled from German lands and Switzerland) settled here. They were expelled again in 1622. Before World War II the village was ethnically German.
| Census year | Population | Ethnicity of inhabitants | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year | German | Czechs | other | |
| 1793 | 630 | – | – | |
| 1836 | 766 | – | – | – |
| 1869 | 779 | – | – | – |
| 1880 | 752 | 742 | 0 | 10 |
| 1890 | 826 | 812 | 1 | 13 |
| 1900 | 842 | 835 | 6 | 1 |
| 1910 | 771 | 768 | 3 | 0 |
| 1921 | 686 | 658 | 10 | 17 |
| 1930 | 688 | 642 | 36 | 10 |
| 1939 | 633 | – | – | – |
Although prehistoric artifacts have been found in the area for some time, formal archaeological research started in 1924. The village became a target for tourists interested in archeology, wine, architecture or traditional costumes.
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