Hronov () is a town in Náchod District in the

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region ( cs, Královéhradecký kraj, ; pl, Kraj hradecki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec K ...

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. It is known as the birthplace of writer Alois Jirásek.

Administrative parts

Villages of Malá Čermná, Rokytník, Velký Dřevíč, Žabokrky and Zbečník are administrative parts of Hronov. Malá Čermná forms an exclave of the municipal territory.

Geography

Hronov is located about north of

Náchod Náchod (; german: Nachod) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The town centre with the castle complex is well preserved ...

and northeast of

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

. The Malá Čermná exclave lies on the border with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. Most of the municipal territory lies in the

Broumov Highlands Broumov (; german: Braunau) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative ...

, but the southern part with the town proper lies in the Podorlická Uplands. The highest point is the Turov hill with an altitude of . Hronov is situated on the river Metuje. The Zbečník Stream flows through the western part of the territory an joins the Metuje in the urban area. In Hronov there are Hronovka and Regnerka mineral springs.

History

The first written mention of Hronov is from 1359. It was founded during the colonization of this territory between 1241 and 1285. In 1415, Hronov is 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 ...

. Until 1848, it was part of the

domain. In 1859, it was promoted to a town. Until 1918, the ''Hronow – Hronov'' town was a part of the

Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

(Austria side after the

compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...

), in the ''Nachod'' (Náchod) District, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in Bohemia. In 1949, the neighbouring municipalities of Velké Poříčí, Zbečník, Velký Dřevíč, Rokytník and Žabokrky were merged with Hronov. In 1960, Malá Čermná joined Hronov. In 1990, Velké Poříčí became a separate municipality.

Demographics

Transport

Hronov lies on the railway line leading from

to Broumov. There is the pedestrian border crossing with Poland ''Malá Čermná / Czermna''.

Culture

The Jiráskův Hronov festival of amateur theatre takes place here every year. The festival is named after the significant Czech writer and local native Alois Jirásek.

Sights

The landmark of the town centre is the theatre which bears the name of Alois Jirásek. It was opened in 1930. The birthplace of Jirásek is a house from the 18th century and is a preserved example of folk architecture. The oldest monument in Hronov is the Church of All Saints. The originally Gothic church was baroque rebuilt in 1713–1717 and 1736. The late Renaissance bell tower was built in 1610.

Notable people

* Alois Jirásek (1851–1930), writer, author of historical novels and plays * Paula Gans (1883–1941), painter *

Josef Čapek Josef Čapek (; 23 March 1887 – April 1945) was a Czech artist who was best known as a painter, but who was also noted as a writer and a poet. He invented the word "robot", which was introduced into literature by his brother, Karel Čapek. ...

(1887–1945), painter, writer and poet * Egon Hostovský (1908–1973), writer, editor and journalist

Twin towns – sister cities

Hronov is twinned with: *

Bielawa Bielawa (german: Langenbielau; szl, Bielawa) is a town in southwestern Poland. Since 1999, it has been situated in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of the Wałbrzych Voivodeship. As of December 2 ...

, Poland * Kudowa-Zdrój, Poland * Nowa Ruda (rural gmina), Poland *

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

, England, United Kingdom

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Náchod District