Náchod

Náchod
Town
Flag
Coat of arms
Country Czech Republic
Region Hradec Králové
District Náchod
Commune Náchod
River Metuje
Elevation 346 m (1,135 ft)
Coordinates CZ 50°25′01″N 16°09′47″E / 50.41694°N 16.16306°E / 50.41694; 16.16306Coordinates: CZ 50°25′01″N 16°09′47″E / 50.41694°N 16.16306°E / 50.41694; 16.16306
Area 33.32 km2 (12.86 sq mi)
Population 20,408 (2015-01-01)
Density 612 / km2 (1,585 / sq mi)
First mentioned 1254
Mayor Petr König
Timezone CET (UTC+1)
 - summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 547 01
Location in the Czech Republic
Wikimedia Commons: Náchod
Statistics: statnisprava.cz
Website: www.mestonachod.cz

Náchod (Czech pronunciation: [ˈnaːxot]; German: Nachod [ˈnaːxɔt]); is a town in the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region. Náchod lies in the valley of the river Metuje, in northern parts of the upland Podorlická pahorkatina. The town has a castle, and a brewery which until 2009 was owned by the town itself.

History

Náchod was founded in the 13th century by knight Hron of Načeradec, who founded a castle on a strategic hill, where the old trade road approaches the Branka pass. The first written record is dated 1254.

Until 1918, Náchod was part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy (the Austrian part after the compromise of 1867), seat of the district of the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in the Kingdom of Bohemia.__ve__{"type":"linear","range":{"type":"range","from":1013,"to":1020}}[1]

Castle

Nachod marketplace and castle around 1740.

Hron of Náchod founded the castle in the mid 13th century. It consisted of a cylindrical tower and a palace, typical of the bergfrit/keep type. In 1544 Zikmund Smiricky bought the fief and rebuilt the castle in the Renaissance style. The Emperor confiscated the property after the Battle of the White Mountain and the Trcka family gained possession of it. In 1634 Adam Erdman Trcka was murdered in Cheb (together with Wallenstein) and the castle was confiscated again.[2]

In this time Ottavio Piccolomini came to Náchod and started to fortify the castle. From 1632 Piccolomini started convert the castle to the baroque style under the direction of C. Lurago and G. Pieroni. After Ottavio’s second marriage with Marie Benigna, they relocated to Vienna, where Ottavio died when he fell off a horse in 1656.

Nachod church and castle during the 1866 war.

In 1639 the castle was damaged by the Swedish army. Then the Náchod castle was refortified. In 1721 a storm damaged the main castle tower and this was an opportunity to start another renovation. In 1751 the granary was built and the French garden was founded over the castle moat. Since the end of the 18th century the castle was an important cultural centre (for example, theatre performances or concerts were there four times a week).

Duchess Wilhelmine of Sagan (the Czech version: Kateřina Vilemina Zaháňská), this historic person features in the novel Babicka (The Grandmother) by Božena Němcová) inherited the Náchod manor in 1800 from her father Peter von Biron, Duke of Courland, and of Sagan. In 1866, during Austro-Prussian War, the Nachod castle was a military hospital. Presently, we can visit the castle interior. Interesting collections from Prince Ottavio Piccolomini's time (e.g. tapestries) are exhibited. Other sights include Gothic cellars and the observation tower (keep).[3]

Economy

Náchod brewery

Náchod town has a brewery built in 1872,[4] which sells a range of beers under the Primátor brand name.[5] The town authorities agreed in February 2009 to sell the brewery for €5.3m to Liberec Investment Fund (LIF), the owners of Svijany and Rohozec breweries.[6]

Notable people

The former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Josef Tošovský was born here, as were the architect Jan Letzel, scientist Petr Skrabanek, the famous sportsman Jakub Dítě, the writer Josef Škvorecký and the football player Vratislav Lokvenc.

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Náchod is twinned with:

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm Klein, 1967
  2. ↑ "Manor and Castles - Nachod". ATIKA Č. Budějovice. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  3. ↑ "Město Náchod - sights". www.mestonachod.cz. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  4. ↑ "Pivovar Primátor - produce of specialty beers". www.primator.cz. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  5. ↑ "Pivovar Primátor - produce of specialty beers". www.primator.cz. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  6. ↑ "Nachod brewery finally sold - Czech Republic News". www.ceeretail.com. Retrieved 2009-03-02.

Sources

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, February 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.