Tábor

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This is an article on the city of Tábor in the Czech Republic. For other uses see: Tabor (disambiguation)
Coordinates: 49°24′N 14°39′E / 49.4, 14.65
Tábor
Town
none Southwest corner of the Žižka's square as viewed from the church tower
Southwest corner of the Žižka's square as viewed from the church tower
Flag
Coat of arms
Country Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic
Region South Bohemian
District Tábor
Commune Tábor
River Lužnice
Elevation 437 m (1,434 ft)
Coordinates 49°24′N 14°39′E / 49.4, 14.65
Highest point
 - elevation 476 m (1,562 ft)
Lowest point
 - elevation 384 m (1,260 ft)
Area 62.22 km² (24.02 sq mi)
Population 36,013 (2005)
Density 579 /km² (1,500 /sq mi)
Founded 1420
Mayor Hana Randová
Timezone CET (UTC+1)
 - summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 390 01
Location in the Czech Republic
Location in the Czech Republic
Location in the Czech Republic
Wikimedia Commons: Tábor
Statistics: statnisprava.cz
Website: www.tabor.cz
Church and statue of Roland.
Church and statue of Roland.

Tábor (IPA[ˈtaːbor]) is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.[1]

The town was founded in the spring of 1420 by Petr Hromádka of Jistebnice and Jan Bydlínský of Bydlín from the most radical wing of the Hussites, who soon became known as the Taborites. The town is iconic for the years in which it flourished as an egalitarian peasant commune. This spirit is celebrated in Smetana's "Song of Freedom", made famous in the English-speaking world by Paul Robeson's recording in Czech and English.

The historical part of the town is situated on the summit of an isolated hill separated from the surrounding country by the Lužnice river and by an extensive lake, to which the Hussites gave the biblical name of Jordan. This lake, founded 1492, is the oldest reservoir of its kind in Central Europe. The historical importance of the city of Tábor only ceased when it was captured by King George of Poděbrady in 1452.

The Jordan is 53 hectares in size and is used for swimming in the summer.

Though a large part of the ancient fortifications has been demolished, Tábor (or Hradiště Hory Tábor, the castle of the Tábor Hill, as it was called in the Hussite period) still preserves many memorials of its past fame. In the centre of the city is Žižka Square. Only very narrow streets lead to it, to render the approach to it more difficult in time of war. First-time visitors may not even suspect that there is an ingenious labyrinth of tunnels under the houses and streets here. The townspeople dug cellars under their houses and these were subsequently interconnected; an approximately 1 km-long section of the tunnel system is open to the public.

In the centre of the square is the statue of Jan Žižka, the greatest of the Hussite leaders. Here also is the Dean Church of Lord's Conversion on Mount Tabor, built in 1516 in the style of the Bohemian Renaissance, and the town hall, in connection with which a museum has been founded, which contains interesting memorials of the Hussite period, such as farm carts which doubled as battle wagons. Major parts of the ancient fortifications and the ancient Kotnov tower and gate of Bechyně near the tower still exist. To the East side of the town (about 2 km from the Infocenter Tábor in the direction-route Chýnov-Pelhřimov is situated the Baroque Castle in Tábor-Měšice. The castle is open to the public.

Contents

[edit] The Districts of Tábor

Čekanice, Čelkovice, Hlinice, Horky, Klokoty, Měšice, Náchod, Smyslov, Stoklasná Lhota, Sojčak, Větrovy, Všechov, Zahrádka, Záluží, Zárybničná Lhota.

Twin towns

[edit] Resources

[edit] References

  1. ^ Profous, Antonín (1957). Místní jména v Čechách: Jejich vznik, původní význam a změny; part 4, S-Ž. Prague, Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. 

[edit] External links