Seč (German: Setsch) is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants.

The villages of Hoješín, Javorka, Kraskov, Počátky, Proseč, Prosíčka, Přemilov, Ústupky and Žďárec u Seče are administrative parts of Seč.

The old Czech word seč is derived from the verb sekat ('cut', 'chop'). This word denoted a place cut out in the forest (a glade).

Seč is located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) southwest of Chrudim and 22 km (14 mi) southwest of Pardubice. It lies in the Iron Mountains and in the eponymous protected landscape area. Seč Reservoir is built next to the town on the Chrudimka River.

The first written mention of Seč is from 1318. The settlement was founded during the colonization of the Iron Mountains in the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1499, Seč became a market town, and in 1853, it was promoted to a town. It lost the town status in 1954, but regained it in 2007.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 3,263 —     1880 3,269 +0.2% 1890 3,103 −5.1% 1900 2,767 −10.8% 1910 2,917 +5.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 2,841 −2.6% 1930 2,730 −3.9% 1950 1,914 −29.9% 1961 2,000 +4.5% 1970 1,858 −7.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,790 −3.7% 1991 1,776 −0.8% 2001 1,707 −3.9% 2011 1,828 +7.1% 2021 1,895 +3.7%
Source: Censuses

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

The landmarks of the town are the Church of Saint Lawrence, built in the Renaissance style in 1610–1620, and the Renaissance castle, which dates from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries and today serves as the municipal office.

• Vincenc Strouhal (1850–1922), physicist

Seč is twinned with:

• Radzovce, Slovakia

• Official website