Žamberk (; german: Senftenberg in Böhmen) is a town in

Ústí nad Orlicí District Ústí nad Orlicí District ( cs, okres Ústí nad Orlicí) is a district (''okres'') within Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Ústí nad Orlicí. The district has borders with Pardubice District to the west, Sv ...

in the

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region ( cs, Pardubický kraj; , ; pl, Kraj pardubicki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It ...

of the

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

. It has about 6,000 inhabitants. In lies on the

Divoká Orlice Divoká Orlice ( pl, Dzika Orlica, german: Wilde Adler, English: ''Wild Eagle'') is a river in the Sudetes, separating the Bystrzyckie Mountains and Orlické Mountains. It is one of the main tributaries of the Orlice River, and is a part of El ...

river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Žamberk is made up of one administrative part.

History

Žamberk was founded in the second half of the 13th century, during the colonization of this region. It predecessor was a Slavic settlement on the trade route from

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The m ...

Kłodzko Land Kłodzko Land ( pl, Ziemia kłodzka; cs, Kladsko; german: Glatzer Land) is a historical region in southwestern Poland. The subject of Czech-Polish rivalry in the High Middle Ages, it became a Bohemian domain since the 12th century, although with ...

. The first written mention of Žamberk is from 1332 under its German name Senftenberg. Soon after, the Czech name began to be used, which testifies to the majority of the Czech population. In the middle of the 14th century, Žamberk was divided between the estates of Litice and Žampach with different owners. As a part of the Litice estate, it was owned by the Pernštejn family and

Ernest of Bavaria Ernest of Bavaria (german: Ernst von Bayern) (17 December 1554 – 17 February 1612) was Prince-elector-archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne from 1583 to 1612 as successor of the expelled Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg. He was also bishop ...

. In 1563, it was acquired by Mikuláš of

Bubna of Litice The House of Bubna-Litic (german: Bubna von Lititz) or Bubna of Litice, ( cs, Bubnové z Litic) is a Czech noble family dating back to the 14th century. History Originally members of lower nobility ( vladyka) from the castle of Buben in western B ...

. In 1575, he bought the second part of Žamberk and merged the two parts. In 1575–1600, he has a castle built here and since then it is known as Žamberk estate. The Bubna of Litice family owned the estate until 1809.

Sights

The historic centre is formed by Masarykovo Square and adjacent streets. The main landmark of the square is the town hall. It is a Neoclassical building from 1810. In the midle of the square are Marian column from the late 17th century and the fountain with sculptures of a

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label= Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

and a centaur. The Church of Saint Wencleslaus is the highest building in the town. Its existence was first mentioned in 1348. The Žamberk Castle is a Renaissance building that includes the Chapel of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and a castle park, probably founded in the 19th century. The castle is inacessible to the public. The Jewish cemetery was established in around 1700 and today there is a small exposition on Jewish population in the town.

Notable people

Prokop Diviš Dom (title), Dom Prokop Diviš, Premonstratensian, O.Praem. () (26 March 1698 – 21 December 1765) was a Czech people, Czech canon regular, theologian and natural scientist. In an attempt to prevent thunderstorms from occurring, he inadve ...

(1698–1765), inventor, catholic priest *

Theodor Brorsen Theodor Johan Christian Ambders Brorsen (29 July 1819 – 31 March 1895) was a Danish astronomer. He is best known for his discovery of five comets, including the lost periodic comet, 5D/Brorsen, and the periodic comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf. ...

(1819–1895), Danish astronomer and botanist; worked here *

Eduard Albert Eduard Albert (20 January 1841, Žamberk, Bohemia – 26 September 1900, Žamberk), was a surgeon, professor and historian working under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Life Eduard Albert was born in Žamberk, Bohemia in the family of clockmaker ...

(1841–1900), Austrian surgeon, professor and historian * Václav F. Kumpošt (1846–1874), founder of the ''Vesmír'' magazine *

August Seydler August Jan Bedřich Seydler (1 June 1849 – 22 June 1891), aka August Johann Friedrich Seydler, was a distinguished Czech astronomer, theoretical physicist, and professor at Charles University in Prague. He was the founder of the Astronomical Inst ...

(1849–1891), astronomer, theoretical physicist and professor *

Jan Vilímek Jan Vilímek (german: Johann Vilimek; 1 January 1860 – 15 April 1938) was a Czech illustrator and painter. Vilímek was born on 1 January 1860 in Žamberk, Bohemia. He created many portraits of famous personalities from Bohemia and other ...

(1860–1938), illustrator and painter *

Josef Ježek Josef Ježek (2 August 1884 – 10 May 1969) was a Czech General of Gendarmerie, Politician and the Minister of the Interior in the government of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. Early life an ...

(1884–1969), politician *

Oldřich Marek Oldřich Marek (3 April 1911–1986) was a Czechoslovak entomologist and teacher, and a member of Czechoslovak entomological society in Prague starting in 1940. Life Oldřich Marek was born on 3 April 1911 in Ústí nad Orlicí. He attended Prima ...

(1911–1986), entomologist and teacher; worked here * Petr Eben (1929–2007), composer

Twin towns – sister cities

Žamberk is twinned with: *

Fresagrandinaria Fresagrandinaria (locally ''Frò-išë'') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. Twin towns * Nowa Sól, Poland * Püttlingen, Germany * Saint-Michel-sur-Orge, France * Senftenberg Senftenb ...

, Italy *

Nowa Sól Nowa Sól is a city on the Oder River in Lubusz Voivodeship, western Poland. It is the capital of Nowa Sól County and had a population of 38,763 (2019). History The first settlement in the region of modern Nowa Sól dates to the 14th century, w ...

, Poland *

Püttlingen Püttlingen () is a town in Saarland, Germany, 10 km northwest of Saarbrücken. Geography The town lies in the Köller Valley, approximately 20 km to the northwest of Saarbrücken and 5 km north of Völklingen. Going in a clockwi ...

, Germany * Rice Lake, United States *

Saint-Michel-sur-Orge Saint-Michel-sur-Orge (, literally ''Saint-Michel on Orge'') is a commune in the Essonne ''département'' of France. It is in the southern suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris. Inhabitants of Saint-Michel-sur-Orge are known as ''Saint-M ...

, France *

Senftenberg Senftenberg ( wen, Zły Komorow) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district. Geography Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony. It ...

, Germany *

, Austria *

Veszprém Veszprém (; german: Weißbrunn, sl, Belomost) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county (comitatus or 'megye') of ...

, Hungary Žamberk also has friendly relations with Miharu in Japan.

Gallery

MMŽbk-Žamberský zámek.JPG, Žamberk Castle Divisovo divadlo zamberk.jpg, Diviš's Theatre Židovský hřbitov, Žamberk, okres Ústí nad Orlicí (02).jpg, Jewish cemetery Rozhledna Rozalka.jpg, Tyrš's observation tower on Rozálka hill Pomnik I. sv. valka.jpg, World War I memorial

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zamberk Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Ústí nad Orlicí District