Škvorec is a market town in

Prague-East District Prague-East District () is a Okres, district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Prague. The most populated town of the district is Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav. Administrative division Prague-East District i ...

in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It has about 2,300 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Škvorec consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Škvorec (1,858) *Třebohostice (309)

Etymology

The name was probably derived from the surname Škvor or Škvorec. The word ''škvor'' means '

earwig Earwigs make up the insect order (biology), order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cercus, cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincer (biology), pincers on ...

' in Czech, but the surname could be also derived from ''škorec'', meaning '

starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine (perching) birds known for the often dark, glossy iridescent sheen of their plumage; their complex vocalizations including mimicking; and their distinctive, often elaborate swarming behavior, know ...

' in old Czech.

Geography

Škvorec is located about east of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. It lies on the border between the

Prague Plateau The Prague Plateau () is a plateau and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the area of Prague and in the Central Bohemian Region. Geomorphology The Prague Plateau is a mesoregion of the Brdy Macroregion within ...

and

Benešov Uplands The Benešov Uplands or Benešov Hills () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Central Bohemian Region. It belongs to the largest mesoregions in the country. It is named after Benešov ...

. The highest point is the hill Na Plachtě at above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Škvorec is from 1279. In 1497, during the rule of Jan Škvorecký of Klinštejn, Škvorec was promoted to a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

by King Vladislaus II. The market town was acquired by

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

in 1621, but he sold it to Karl I of Liechtenstein a year later. Karl I joined it to the Kostelec estate. Škvorec was owned by the

House of Liechtenstein The House of Liechtenstein (), from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only Dynasty#Dynast, dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the thro ...

until the establishment of a sovereign municipality in 1848.

Demographics

Transport

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

Sights

The main landmark of Škvorec is the

Škvorec Castle Škvorec is a market town in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Škvorec consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 ...

, also known as Savoia Castle. Today it is privately owned and used as a hotel and restaurant. The Church of Saint Anne is a valuable late Baroque building. It was built in 1759–1767 on the site of an older demolished church.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skvorec Market towns in the Czech Republic