Historical citiesA

regi

on y

ou ju

st c

an’t

mis

s!

Europe

Czech Republic

Central Bohemia Region

Prague

www.centralbohemia.cz

Brandýs nad Labem – Stará Boleslav – the beginnings of Christianity in Bohemia

One of the few Czech twin-towns that played a significant role in Czech history. The older part, Stará Boleslav – once a significant seat of the Přemyslid dynasty, was where Prince Wenceslas was murdered in 935. It was the first documented attempt on a Czech monarch’s life.

Many preserved buildings and ecclesiastic constructions in Stará Boleslav are connected with the legend of St. Wenceslas, the deified prince-martyr. These mainly include the Romanesque Church of St. Wenceslas built on the former site of the Chapel of Saints Cosmas and Damian where according to legend Prince Wenceslas was murdered, St. Clement Basilica with its rare Romanesque paintings, and the pilgrimage Baroque Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary that holds the gilded copper relief, which was declared the Palladium of the Czech land in the 17th century. Pilgrimage churches are common destinations of many processions and pilgrimages. The dominant feature of the “younger” and economically more significant Brandýs is a Renaissance château, the former majestic residence of Emperor Rudolph II and a favourite place of refuge of the last Austrian Emperor Charles I. www.staraboleslav.com

Kutná Hora – the silver treasury of the Czech Kingdom

The fairy-tale rich deposits of silver ore heavily contributed to the rapid development of the town. For quite some time, the silver Prague “penny”, which was minted here by Czech King Wenceslas II in 1300, was one of the most popular European currencies. During his reign, the Royal Mining Right (a law governing ore mining) – the most perfect mining code in Europe at the time – came into force.

The town also became a significant economical, political, and cultural centre, able to compete with the Czech capital of Prague. Attesting to this are fascinating Gothic architectural monuments such as St. Barbara’s Church, the churches of St. James and the Virgin Mary “Na náměti”,

as well as the Vlašský dvůr and Hrádek medieval palaces. The historical core of the town, together with the Church of St. Barbara and the nearby Cistercian Monastery in Sedlec, are all on the UNESCO List of Cultural Heritage Sites. www.kutnahora.cz

Kolín – Jerusalem on the Elbe

The towers of the impressive Gothic Church of St. Bartholomew proudly rise above the town that is spanned along the embankments of the Elbe. The great Czech architect, Petr Parléř, helped build the church in the second half of the 14th century.

The rulers’ favour as well as the economic development and craft industry, led to the town’s rapid growth and wealth. From the 14th century, the Jewish community – Bohemia’s biggest and most influential, after that in Prague – contributed to the town’s growth. Until today, we still find significant Jewish monuments in the former ghetto, which once spanned across one quarter of the town’s area. These include houses on the Na Hradbách

and Karolina Světlá streets, the early-Baroque synagogue, and the old Jewish cemetery. The industrial development can be clearly seen in important 20th century technical constructions such as the concrete bridge over the river Elbe with the hydraulic power plant, designed by architect František Roith, and the functionalist ESSO power station on the Zálabí (area behind the Elbe) by architect Jaroslav Fragner. www.mukolin.cz

Kouřim – the town of an ancient origin

Kouřim is one of the oldest Czech royal towns, founded in the first third of the 13th century close to the ancient Slavonic fortified settlement, later controlled by indirect descendants of the ruling Přemyslid dynasty. This wealthy town, boasting the impressive Gothic Church of St. Stephan, was a leading town in the Czech Kingdom until the Battle at the White Mountain. During a large fire in 1670, the church was badly damaged and the church towers had to be lowered by one floor. This served as a bad omen as the town suffered further sad fates during the Thirty Years’ War, from which it never managed to recover its former glory. The centre of Kouřim, including its medieval fortification system, has been preserved in its historical appearance until today. www.kourim-radnice.cz

Slaný – a town with a rich history

One of five “rightful” towns, named for its loyalty to the Hussite revolution (15th century religious movement), with the Hussite Star.

Slaný gained its name because of its “salty springs”, apparently discovered in the 8th century in the nearby basalt mountain, around which the settlement of “salt cookers” was born. The royal town, built around 1300 on a regular ground plan with a right-angled square, was actively involved in the Hussite revolution on the side of the more

conservative chalice followers (part of the Hussite movement with a chalice as its symbol). The town’s historical centre is surrounded by remains of the medieval fortification system, including the Velvary Gateway, which is adorned with municipal guilds and coats-of-arms. The late-Gothic Church of St. Gothard, whose tower holds one of the oldest and biggest bells in the region, is the town’s most significant monument. www.infoslany.cz

Mělník – a traditional wine-growing centre

An enchanted historical town spans across an argillite promontory above the picturesque confluence of the two largest Czech rivers, the Vltava and the Elbe, being a dominant feature of this fertile region. The former “dowry” town of Czech queens (a town that was owned by Czech queens) became famous for its wine-culture as well as the production of some notable wines.

Legend has it that St. Ludmila, the first Czech Christian princess and St. Wenceslas’s grandmother, started growing wine here in the 9th century. Czech Emperor Charles IV helped this tradition to thrive by importing new varieties from Burgundy and Champagne. In 1885, the first wine-making school in Bohemia was established here in Mělník. The Renaissance

château is connected with the local viticulture. It has large 14th century two-floor wine cellars that attract wine-tasters and visitors to the gallery of paintings from renowned artists. Every year, on St. Wenceslas Day, the grape harvest season is welcomed by Emperor Charles IV himself and his wonderful procession. www.melnik.info

Nymburk – a medieval stronghold on the Elbe

The belt of medieval brick walls, supported by the prismatic towers, attests to the presence of a once strong Gothic fortification that reminds of the fame and fortune of this royal town. Czech King Přemysl Otakar II asked German colonists for help in the building of the town. They applied new constructions of bricks that had been unknown in Bohemia. The fortifications consisted of two water defence walls and the Gothic Church of St. George. The Renaissance town hall and the town’s waterworks built on an eight-sided ground plan, known as the Turkish Tower, both date from the 16th century. The town’s popularity is also empowered by significant examples of architecture from the first third of the 20th century. These include the Purist crematorium, built according to a design by architects Bedřich Feuerstein and Bohumil Sláma, the sluice and hydraulic power plant, and the bold construction of a bridge for road traffic across the Elbe, designed by František Roith. Nymburk’s inhabitants were known as great drinkers, which is probably why good beer has been brewed here since time immemorial, as told in the books by the famous local writer Bohumil Hrabal. www.mesto-nymburk.cz

Beroun – the gateway to the Český Kras region

Beroun, a starting point towards two protected landscape areas – the amazing Český Kras countryside and the romantic Křivoklát region – was influenced by industrial development in the 18th century due to the discovery of significant deposits of iron ore and limestone, empowered by the construction of the railway in the 19th century. Despite the harsh demolition of its historical centre in the 1970s, the town was able to maintain a significant part of its medieval rampart, and the Tower’s Upper and Lower gates that are some of the most preserved in the Czech lands. During the Czech towns’ “golden period”, in the Renaissance 16th century, Beroun prospered thanks to the brewing and sale of beer. According to written records from 1520, there were 20 local malt processing houses and 17 little breweries. Until today, we can still find mine quarries, fragments of lime stoves, or abandoned galleries and shafts in the area surrounding the town, reminding us of the tradition of lime burning, mining, and the processing of iron ore. www.mesto-beroun.cz

Čáslav – a place of Hussite assemblies

The royal town of Čáslav was closely connected with the Hussite reform movement. In 1421, the Hussite state assembly declared the freedom of religion, unparalleled anywhere on the European continent at the time.

The dominant feature of the town, built on a significant commercial route connecting Bohemia with Moravia, is the almost 100-metre high tower of the Gothic Church of Saints Peter and Paul, in which the remains of the famous Hussite military leader Jan Žižka of Trocnov used

to be buried. Until today, the original lay-out of the town has been maintained with its vast square lined with historical town houses. Čáslav is also the birthplace of the world famous filmmaker, Miloš Forman. www.meucaslav.cz

Mladá Boleslav – the town of automobiles

The successful young book-seller and passionate cyclist, Václav Klement of Mladá Boleslav, was more enthusiastic about his velocipede than about selling books. In 1895, along with the engineer Václav Laurin, he founded a factory that produced bicycles; the first car drove out of the factory gates in 1905, setting the foundations for today’s world-known Škoda brand.

The future development of the carmaker influenced the town’s fate. Its more than one-thousand year history is attested by the mosaic of architecture ranging from medieval sights (the former Gothic castle rebuilt into a Renaissance residence or the “Templ” town palace in King Vladislav’s Gothic style) to elegant modern

buildings such as Škoda Auto’s Construction Centre of the 1990s. After the erection of modern halls, an exhibition mapping the development of the Czech automobile industry was placed into the early 20th century former manufacturing sites. www.mb-net.cz

Poděbrady – the power of the heal-ing springs

After the discovery of an iron-bearing therapeutic spring in 1905, the quiet little town on the Elbe area lowland was transformed within a few years into a popular spa with attractively built bath houses, colonnades and parks, specialising in the treatment of heart diseases.

The town centre is dominated by a large Baroque château that was frequently reconstructed from the originally Gothic castle, in which the important Czech King George of Poděbrady was born, who tried to establish the collective defence of European states. The town made its way into text books of modern architecture thanks to

a number of excellent constructions from the first half of the 20th century. These mainly include the Cubist hydraulic power plant on the river Elbe with its preserved unique technological equipment and electro-technical gear, designed by local architect Antonín Engel, and the radiotelegraph station in the then style of modern “national” rondo-cubism of architect Bohumír Kozák. www.mesto-podebrady.cz

Rakovník – the town of hops and excellent beer

The royal town of Rakovník is located in the westernmost tip of the country, known for its excellent hop-growing culture. Besides its beer, its production of soap and ceramics of the RAKO brand once also brought it fame.

The prosperity of the town was established in the Middle Ages through the cultivation of excellent hops and the production of beer. In the 16th century, the fame of the Rakovník beer spread across the entire Czech Kingdom, including Prague, where – to the displeasure of Prague’s beer brewers – it was very popular in the local pubs but also at Prague Castle.

The former importance of the medieval town of craftsmen is evident from the stone walls and numerous town houses with preserved historical centres. The pride and symbol of Rakovník are two Gothic gateways of the town’s medieval fortification. www.mesto-rakovnik.cz

Benešov – the agricultural and administrative centre of the region

Knight Beneš, most likely the founder of the town, participated in the military mission to Italy alongside Czech King Vladislav II and brought back a rare bible and book of prayers. Both books, which had unique binds and had been dedicated to Benešov’s monastery, were destroyed during the Hussite’s conquest of the town.

Not even the Minorite Monastery was spared from the Hussite’s rampage. The robustness of its Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is still reminded to us by the fragments of the presbytery with Gothic windows. The blossoming business and crafts after the Hussite Wars contributed to the town’s development, which, however, had difficulty coming to terms with the

consequences of the Thirty Years’ War when the town was destroyed by Swedish troops. Not even modern history showed mercy on Benešov: during WWII, an SS training camp was established in this beautiful region and part of the town, just as other towns in the region, was forcefully expelled. www.posazavi.com

Český Brod – Czech history’s bloody trail

Many battles for control over the land that were waged by the royal Přemyslid dynasty against other significant families that had settled in Liblice or Kouřim, were set off in the lowlands near Český Brod. Legends have it that the town’s name was derived from the fact that Czechs waded (“brodili”) in spilt blood at the time.

The market settlement that was raised to the status of a town towards the end of the 13th century witnessed more bloody clashes in which Czechs fought against Czechs. The Podlipanské Museum reminds us of the Battle of Lipany from the times of the Hussite Wars (medieval religious wars). Its neo-Renaissance

building was designed by the local architect and “urbanist” Antonín Balšánek. Another reminder of the tragic battle is the Art Nouveau statue of Hussite army leader Prokop Holý, located on Hus’ square. www.cesbrod.cz

Dobříš – a great place to relax

During the times of the extravagant Emperor Rudolph II, Dobříš became a haven for a herd of camels for three years – brought in by the ruler from someplace in the Orient. This brought great troubles to the royal governor (the royal official responsible for the herd), who frequently and insistently complained to the Emperor about the “good for nothing creatures”.

Dobříš is decorated by its majestic Rococo château with its vast French park. Its architects drew inspiration from the Viennese imperial summer residence – the Schönbrunn Palace. It took over twenty years to complete construction of the monumental château. www.mestodobris.cz

Published by Central Bohemia Region, 2008www.centralbohemia.cz

Information Centre of Central Bohemia RegionHusova 19, 110 00 Praha 1phone: +420 222 222 398, info@centralbohemia.cz

This project is co-financed by the European Union and Central Bohemia Region.