A township of Jimramov is located on the confluence of the Fryšávka and Svratka rivers in the Hornosvratecká Highlands in the eastern part of the protected landscape area of the Žďár Hills. About 1,200 inhabitants live at an altitude of 495 metres.
Jimramov was founded in the 13th century during the colonization of the region.Its history is connected with a castle Skály (Štarkov). Nowadays, we can find only the ruins of this castle. In the year 1392 a fortress which belonged to the Pernštejn family was mentioned for the first time. Pavel Katharýn of Katar who chose -Jimramov as his residence, got the fortress in the year 1588 and rebuilt it in a Renaissance style. In the 18th century the Belcredi family extended the fortress and rebuilt it into the castle which they owned until the year 1945. In the course of time Jimramov became a nice little town. Nevertheless, it was also damaged by the fires and by the the Swedes during the Thirty Years’ War.
In the square we can find a school which was built in a Classicist style. There is an exhibition hall and a memorial hall of famous Jimramov natives (Jan Karafiát, brothers Alois and Vilém Mrštík) at this school. Some of the houses are also built in a Classicist style. A memorial plaque is placed on Jan Karafiát’s parental home. The town hall is Empire. In the hill, above the village there is a Roman Catholic Church of Virgin Mary’s Birth which was originally Gothic, in the 18th century it was rebuilt in a Baroque style. In 1786 a Protestant church was built. Historical centre of Jimramov is a Historic Town Reserve. The life of the congregation is going in the line with the life of the town. During World War II the congregation members participated in a selfless help to the partisans. They survived even the totalitarian regime period.
Jimramov and its surroundings was and remained Protestant. In 1609 during the reign of Vilém Dubský of Třebomyslice a special religious order was introduced. According to this order the worship and the Holy Communion was done in both kinds.
In spite of the counter-Reformation after the proclamation of the Toleration Patent, almost all people of Jimramov and nearby villages chose the Helvetian confession.
In the beginning, the believers gathered in their neighbours places, later the nobility gave them an old mangle room. Later they got a place to build a house of prayer which was in the former cemetery, in the hill in front of the Catholic church. On the 26th of October 1786 the house of prayer with shingle attic roof was consecrated. According to the toleration regulations it did not have a tower. It was added in the year 1884. At that time the church was also equipped with a gallery and the organ. Between the two churches there are also two cemeteries which used to be strictly divided but now they are no longer separated by the wall. The interior of the original house of prayer was in the line with Reformed church customs. Later various adjustments were done. We can find here a beautifully decorated pulpit and a fence around the Lord’s table as well as the benches which are arranged according to the customs of the Reformed church. During the latest reconstruction in the 1980s, short before finishing the adjustments according to Miroslav Rada’s art design, there was a fire of the roof and the interior was damaged during the rescue works. The church was reopened as late as in the year 1988. It is worth mentioning that soon after the fire a neighbouring Catholic congregation contributed a big sum of money to save the church.
The Evangelical rectory in the square has been serving since the year 1791. Later a congregation hall was set up in the house which is today called Karafiát’s Hall and is decorated by Miroslav Rada’s paintings based on the motifs of the famous “Fireflies”.
The totalitarian period was not easy for the congregation. The ministers as well as young people who used to gather in a nearby Zbytov were being persecuted. Several Vysočina ministers lost their state authorization. After November 1989 Jimramov congregation was facing new tasks. In 1991 the church was enriched by the new organ which is being used not only during the worship but also during the concerts of the spiritual music. The live congregation remembers the work of its predecessors with respect and looks towards the future with a hope.