Třešť was founded at the turn of the 12th and 13th century at the intersection of two merchant routes, Lovětínská and Humpolecká, along the brook Třeštice. The oldest written reference dates from 1349, when Třešť belonged to the Závišť family. During the centuries the village has changed its owners several times and it was once Lutheran and once Catholic. The Wenzel – Sternbach family was the last owner until 1945. In 1901 Třešť was elevated to the state of a town. To this town belong the villages Buková, Čenkov and Slavice.
A central site of the town is the castle built in the 16th century by M. Grimm. It originated from a medieval citadel built in 1513. The castle is nowadays used as a hotel and as a conference center.
A significant cultural gem of Třešť is the palatial house of the Schumpeter family. One of the most renowned economists of 20th century, Joseph Alois Schumpeter (1883–1950), spent his first years in Třešť. He studied at the University of Vienna and became a Professor of Economics at the Universities of Czernowicz, Graz, Bonn, and Harvard. In 1919, he served as an Austrian Minister of Finance.
The Schumpeter house was first mentioned in the Třešť municipal plan from 1728. There exists a design sketch from 1835 of rebuilding the house in a renaissance-baroque style. However, after 1835 a front part of the old house was pulled down and reconstructed in a classicist style. Later on the house was reconstructed in a baroque style. It was used both for representation purposes and as the family’s home. Until 1902 the house was owned by the Schumpeter family. Then the house changed its owner and became part of Eugene Kilian ´s fortune.
The last reconstruction of the house was carried out thanks to a subsidy of the SAPARD agency granted on January 27th, 2003. The reconstruction was done by the Podzimek & Sons Company and was finished in October 9th, 2003. The house was re-opened to the public in December 1st, 2003. Nowadays, the house is a residence of the Tourist Information Center which offers guide services.
The bottom part of the house is used for a crib exposition held by Spolek přátek betlému. Třešť is famous not only for its cribs, but also for its custom of Christmas attendances of private homes to inspect their domestically made cribs. There are about twenty cribs exhibited every year which is an evidence of lively folk art in Třešť. There is also a branch of the Museum of the Vysočina County at the first floor. There one can see an exhibition of Třešť castle’s interiors, Třešť cribs and an exhibition focussing on relicts of the Schumpeter family and on Joseph A. Schumpeter’s works. Occasionally there are also temporary exhibitions. In the entrance lobby at the ground floor there is a Schumpeter photo gallery. An outstanding work in this gallery is a glass portrait of Joseph A. Schumpeter, which was created by the artist glassmaker Svatopluk Kasalý from Třešť.
The Třešť graveyard is another famous historical site connected with the Schumpeter and Kilian families. Their family chapel is built in a post renaissance style.
Moreover, in Třešť there are two churches, some baroque sculptures, a Jewish Synagogue which is the only one in the Czech Republic with arcades at the front part of the building. Nowadays, this synagogue is used as a gallery. There is a solar clock at the town’s main square, which is the highest solar clock in Central Europe. There is also a Jewish cemetery with more than 1200 graves, and there are monuments of the World Wars. The best way to enjoy the town’s sites it is by walking.
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