The municipality Horní Čermná is a “gate” to the mountains Orlické hory. The long valley is spread in 450-500 metres AMSL. The brook Čermenka – its name is derived from the red-coloured soil containing iron – is running through the valley. The first reference to the municipality Čermná may be found in the Zbraslav monastery deeds (1304) by which the king Václav II donated the village the newly founded monastery. Until the mid 17th century there were only 22 farms and 10 cottages. There were four waves of emigration – first, at the beginning of the 17th century because of the oppression, second – between 1736 and 1744 during Counter Reformation (many evangelic families moved to Berlin and founded the village Rixdorf), third – because of overpopulation a several hundred inhabitant moved mainly to Texas and fourth – after World War II. The contacts with descendants of natives who left to Texas and Rixdorf are still kept. In 1873 the village Čermná was declared a market town. As a result of long-lasting disputes concerning construction and difficulties in coexistence of two denominations, the municipality was divided into catholic Dolní Čermná and evangelic Horní Čermná in 1935. In 1960 the municipality Horní Čermná and the municipality Nepomuky that was founded before 1787 were integrated. The municipality is surrounded by beautiful nature including the sites of protected plants – Zloma, Tisce, Matějkov and the valley Sázavské údolí with Bohemian garnet field.
Detailed information (adapted from source "Vlastivěda Lanškrounska"): The municipality Horní Čermná is located along the brook Čermenka, 7 km north of the town Lanškroun. The municipality Horní Čermná was declared independent in 1935 by dividing the existing municipality into upper and lower part. In 1960, an independent municipality Nepomuky was administratively integrated to the municipality Horní Čermná. The first reference to village Čermná (Rotenwasser) is contained in the deed issued by the king Václav II dated back to 1304 by which he donated the Lanškroun region to Zbraslav monastery. The name of the village is derived from old Czech verb (“čermnat” means in English redden) describing the colour of the water in the brook caused by soil washing. Many years later (in 1780’s) was founded the village Nepomuky. The village was created by partition of grounds – belonging to Výprachtický manor – on the place called Na záhubách. At the beginning of the 20th century the village Nepomuky tried to integrate the settlements Sebranice and Matějkov (located near to Horní Třešňovec). However, the actual integration took place in 1945. The name of the village is derived from the name of St. John of Nepomuk popular in Baroque period. According to rumours, the name catholic martyr was chosen on purpose by malicious authorities – the majority of inhabitants belonged to evangelic denomination. The deeds concerning foundation of Litomyšl bishopric and determination of its deanery (in 1349) contains the name of the parish village Čermná (Ruffa aqua). In 1358 the Lanškroun and Lanšperk regions owned by the Zbraslav monastery were exchanged for grounds situated near Prague owned by the Litomyšl bishopric, therefore the village Čermná became bishop’s property. During Hussite wars and after dissolution of Litomyšl bishopric, the properties including the village Čermná were seized by the local aristocracy. Since mid-15th century until the end of feudalism, the history of village Čermná is similar to history of other villages in Lanškroun domain. In the period after the Bílá hora (White Mountain) battle (more precisely in 1622), the Lanškroun domain was bought by Karel z Lichtenštejna and in the Lanškroun region begun the Counter Reformation. The abandoned parish disappeared and it was re-established in 1671. Also, the position of Unity of Brethen in Čermná was very strong. Although the confessors of Unity of Brethen had to pretend since mid-17th century that they were catholic, they secretly remained confessors of Unity of Brethen. Moreover, non-Catholics from villages Čermná and Výprachtice formed in 1725 a secret evangelic ecclesiastical direction led by three lay patriarchs that maintained the denomination of Unity of Brethen. In 1728 and 1729 the secret evangelic movement in the village Čermná managed to contact the restored Ochranov Unity of Brethen. In 1736 many non-Catholics decided to escape secretly from the domain. More than seventy persons managed to escape. After a long journey they settled in evangelic Saxony – in Rixdorf near to Berlin. These emigrants were followed by other secret evangelics leaving Čermná because of their denomination. A huge wave of emigrants – mainly inhabitants of Nepomuky – heading to America followed in 1850. The declaration of the Edict of tolerance revealed that the majority of inhabitants of the upper part of the village Čermná and village Nepomuky belonged to evangelic denomination. Between 1836 and 1839 local evangelics built a church (the original chapel build in 1788 was wooden). The tower was added in 1885. In 1873 the village Čermná, having then around three thousand inhabitants, was declared a market town. As it was already mentioned, the municipality Čermná was divided in 1935 (one of the reasons were difficulties in coexistence of two denominations – the lower part was mainly catholic and the upper part was mainly evangelic). During World War II the municipality Horní Čermná was annexed to Sudetenland. However, linguistically it formed – together with nearby situated municipalities, e.g. Nepomuky, Výprachtice and Heřmanice – an island of Czech language. There was a fire brigade since 1879, in the village Nepomuky a similar brigade was founded in 1898. The gymnastic club Sokol in Čermná was founded in 1912, in 1923 Čermná II and since 1950 it has been called Gymnastics club Sokol. Apart from local association of the Red Cross, huntsmen association and gardening association there are also an organisation of pensioners (since 1989) and an association Odkaz (The Legacy – since 1923). Among historically important sites – apart from the evangelic church – belong small sacral monuments, e.g. a stone cross with Holy Virgin in Sorrows (1813) near to road to the pilgrim site Mariánská hora. There is also a memorial to victims of the World War with a sculpture of a lion. Above the village Horní Čermná there is a pilgrim site Mariánská hora. Its history is relatively short – in 1864 there was built the Virgin Birth Chapel. This chapel was converted in a church in 1875.The bishop of Hradec Králové declared Mariánská hora as pilgrim site in 1885 – during the commemoration of thousand years since death of St. Methodius. Near to the church was built a house, later a restaurant (1872), second floor was built in 1908. In 1886 was added the Calvary with fourteen chapels and a linden alley. The parish of Dolní Čermná had the chapels of the Calvary reconstructed in 1995, a year later it had the monumental linden alley sanitated. The municipality Horní Čermná had an asphalt road to pilgrim site Mariánská hora built in 1998. Folk architecture elements have been preserved in the building of Krčma (Tavern) and houses no. 104, 116, 24, 140, 84, 74 and 75, 138, 173 and others. A list of important personalities of the municipality Horní Čermná includes Josef Lidumil Lešikar, born in 19th century in Nepomuky who led the second wave of emigration to America in 1853 and František Šilar, born in 1914 in Nepomuky an died in 2001), genealogist and local historian. In the municipality Horní Čermná there are nursery school, grammar school, post office and many local companies. The most important employers are agriculture companies BDM s.r.o. (25 employees) and ZEFA H.Č. s.r.o. (25 employees). Each of almost twenty other companies employs up to ten persons. .
German name: Ober Böhmisch Rothwasser
The village was created by partition of grounds – belonging to Výprachtický manor – on the place called Na záhubách. At the beginning of the 20th century the village Nepomuky tried to integrate the settlements Sebranice and Matějkov (located near to Horní Třešňovec). However, the actual integration took place in 1945. The name of the village is derived from the name of St. John of Nepomuk popular in Baroque period. According to rumours, the name catholic martyr was chosen on purpose by malicious authorities – the majority of inhabitants belonged to evangelic denomination. 
