Holice (; german: Holitz) is a town in Pardubice District in the Pardubice Region 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 6,500 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Town parts and villages of Kamenec, Koudelka, Podhráz, Podlesí, Roveňsko and Staré Holice are administrative parts of Holice.

Geography

Holice is located about east of Pardubice. It lies in a flat landscape of the East Elbe Table lowland. The highest point is the hill Kamenec at . The Ředický stream flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Holice is from 1336, when it was property of John of Bohemia as a part of the Chvojnov estate. In the 15th century, it was referred to as 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 rural ...

with a fortress and a church. In 1931, it was promoted to a town.

Demographics

Sport

Near Kamenec, there is a

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

track which bears the name of Michael Špaček.

Sights

The African Museum of Dr. Emil Holub is a museum dedicated to

Emil Holub Emil Holub (7 October 1847 – 21 February 1902) was a Czech physician, explorer, cartographer, and ethnographer in Africa. Early life Holub was born in Holice in eastern Bohemia (then within the Austrian Empire, now the Czech Republic), to t ...

, the most notable local native. It was originally a memorial hall opened in 1956 and later a memorial, which was renamed the museum in 2012.

Notable people

(1847–1902), African explorer *

Harry Horner Harry Horner (July 24, 1910 – December 5, 1994) was an Austro-Hungarian-born American art director who made a successful career in Hollywood as an Oscar-winning art director and as a feature film and television director. Biography Horner was ...

(1910–1994), art director and set designer *

Václav Lohniský Václav Lohniský (5 November 1920 – 18 February 1980) was a Czech film actor. He appeared in 120 films and television shows between 1950 and 1980. Selected filmography * '' Případ dr. Kováře'' (1950) * ''September Nights'' (1957) * ...

(1920–1980), actor *

Jan Kačer Jan Kačer (born 3 October 1936) is a Czech actor and film director. He appeared in more than sixty films since 1960. Life He studied acting at DAMU. He was an actor and a director in The Drama Club and later Theatre on the Balustrade. Kačer ...

(born 1936), actor and director

Twin towns – sister cities

Holice is twinned with: * Medzev, Slovakia *

Strzelce Opolskie Strzelce Opolskie (german: Groß Strehlitz, szl, Wielge Strzelce) is a town in southern Poland with 17,900 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Strzelce County. Demographics Strzelce Opolskie is one of the ...

, Poland

References

External links

*
Museum of Emil Holub
{{authority control Populated places in Pardubice District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Shtetls