The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Apart from a few small bodies of water, there are two significant fishponds on the Svitava near the town: Svitavský rybník and Rosnička.

They built the Church of Saint Giles and founded a settlement called Stará Svitava near an old trade route.

During the second wave of colonization in around 1250, mostly German-speaking settlers came and founded another settlement called Nová Svitava.

Svitavy has retained its industrial character to this day, although the structure has changed significantly.

At the beginning of the 20th century the town saw tensions between Czech and German speaking people.

In October 1938, the town was annexed by Nazi Germany and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland.

After the end of World War II in 1945, the German population was expelled as a result of the Beneš decrees.

The town is home to the football club TJ Svitavy, which plays in lower amateur tiers.

Motorcycle speedway is held in the western outskirts of the town at the Areál Chihelna Svitavy.

[16] The stadium held a final round of the Czechoslovak Individual Speedway Championship from 1967 to 1973 and continues to hold qualifying races for the event.

The column is surrounded by the three patron saints of the town – St. Sebastian, St. Florian and St. John of Nepomuk.

[15] Old Town Hall is originally a Renaissance building with a tower, extensively rebuilt after the fire of 1781 and again in 1849.

It originally housed the largest public and most modern German-language library in Moravia, later a town cultural centre.

It was rebuilt in the early Baroque style in 1689 and includes preserved original interior equipment.

In the vicinity is the valuable Roman Catholic parish house, rebuilt in the Broque style in 1626–1636.

[15] Church of Saint Joseph is a three-nave Neo-Romanesque basilica built in 1894–1896 with valuable decoration.

[15] Convent of the Sisters of Grace of the St. Vincent de Paul order, founded in 1871, served as a hospital and later became a social care facility.