Dvůr Králové nad Labem
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dvůr Králové nad Labem | |||
| Town | |||
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| Name origin: Queen consort's court on the Elbe | |||
| Country |  Czech Republic |
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| Region | Hradec Králové | ||
| District | Trutnov | ||
| Commune | Dvůr Králové nad Labem | ||
| River | Elbe | ||
| Elevation | 298 m (978 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Area | 35.82 km² (13.83 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 16,426 (2007-01-02) | ||
| Density | 459 /km² (1,189 /sq mi) | ||
| First mentioned | 1270 | ||
| Mayor | Daniel Lukeš (ODS) | ||
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 544 01 - 544 04 | ||
   Location in the Czech Republic
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| Wikimedia Commons: Dvůr Králové nad Labem | |||
| Statistics: statnisprava.cz | |||
| Website: www.mudk.cz | |||
Dvůr Králové nad Labem (IPA: [ˈdvuːr ˈkraːlovɛː ˈnad labɛm]; German: Königinhof an der Elbe) is a town of the Czech Republic in Hradec Králové Region, in the Labe (Elbe) river valley.
Dvůr Králové was first mentioned in 1270. It was a dowry town, owned by the King's wife and responsible for her expenses when her husband died. Nowadays, it is a center of the textile and machinery industries.
There is a famous ZOO Dvůr Králové with large African safaripark near the town. You can admire almost 2.500 animals of 500 species (especially large African hoofstock) which makes it one of the largest European zoos and the top breeder of many endangered species (within last 30 years more than 200 giraffes were born there for instance!). They breed the Europe largest herds of giraffes, rhinos, zebras, and many antelope species.
Outside the city, visitors can view an old residence of the Jesuits in Žireč and a castle in Kuks, both with many Baroque statues.
[edit] Manuscript affair
On September 16, 1817, Václav Hanka allegedly discovered a manuscript appearing to be from the 13th century in the tower of a local church. The Manuscript of Dvůr Kralové, probably in fact created by Hanka, was intended to help Czech patriots in the struggle against German culture. It was proven to be a forgery at the end of the 19th century by Professor Tomáš Masaryk and confirmed as such by later examinations [1]. A minority of historians still consider it genuine.
