Kouřim (; german: Kaurzim, Kaurzin, Kaurim) is a town in

Kolín District Kolín District ( cs, okres Kolín) is a district (''okres'') within Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Kolín. List of municipalities Barchovice - Bečváry - Bělušice - Břežany I - Břežany II - ...

in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( cz, Středočeský kraj, german: Mittelböhmische Region) is an administrative unit ( cz, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in ...

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 1,900 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

The village of Molitorov is an administrative part of Kouřim.

Geography

Kouřim is located about east of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape of the

Central Elbe Table Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center (disambiguation), center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa ...

History

The first written mention of Kouřim is in a deed of

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...

from 1261. The royal town of Kouřim was probably founded by Wenceslaus I between 1223 and 1250. At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, the town experienced an unprecedented prosperity, and at the end of the 16th century there were over 2,000 inhabitants (which is more than today). A great disaster for the town was the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...

, which ended Kouřim's status as one of the most important towns in the Czech Kingdom. The population declined by 75% and it lost the town privileges until 1740, when it was renewed by Emperor Charles VI. In 1881, the railway to

Pečky Pečky is a town in Kolín District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. Administrative parts The village of Velké Chvalovice is an administrative part of Pečky. Geography Pečky is located abou ...

was built. At the end of the 19th century, Kouřim was with about 3,000 inhabitants at its peak. In the 20th century, especially at the end of the 1960s, the town stagnated and has become a periphery. It completely lost its cultural identity, originally determined by an extremely strong historical tradition. Thanks to this, however, the town has preserved its "genius loci", which has become an advantage for tourism and filmmaking.

Sights

Stará Kouřim ("Old Kouřim") are remains of a gord of the

Slavník dynasty The Slavniks/Slavníks or Slavnikids ( cs, Slavníkovci; german: Slawnikiden; pl, Sławnikowice) was a dynasty in the White Croatia during the 10th century. It is considered to be of White Croats origin. The center of the semi-independent princi ...

on a hill east of town. It dates from the 9th–10th century. With an area of , it was one of the largest fortified settlements in period from the late Stone Age to the early Middle Ages. An educational trail leads through the remains of the gord. Archaeological finds from the site are on display in the Kouřim Museum. The Church of Saint Stephen dates from the second half of the 13th century. It is a prominent example of early

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

Town wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

s in Kouřim dates from the 13th–16th century. They are long in circumference. In addition to a large part of the walls, one of the four original gates, called the Prague Gate, has been preserved. It is considered to be the best preserved early Gothic town gate in the Czech Republic.

Open-air Museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

Kouřim shows various regional types of vernacular architecture from the 17th to the 19th century. The museum is administered by the Regional Museum in Kolín.

In popular culture

Kouřim is a popular place for Czech filmmakers. The films shot here include '' Patrimony,

Hastrman Hastrman (also known as The Hastrman) is a 2018 Czech romantic thriller film directed by Ondřej Havelka. It is based on a novel of the same name by Miloš Urban. It is Havelka's first film as director. It premiered at the Finále Plzeň Film Fes ...

'' or ''

Nesmrtelná teta ''Nesmrtelná teta'' is a 1993 Czech film written and directed by Zdeněk Zelenka. References External links CSFD.cz - Nesmrtelná teta* 1993 films Czech fantasy comedy films Czechoslovak fantasy films 1990s Czech-language films Film ...

''.

Notable people

František Vejdovský František Vejdovský (born 24 October 1849 in Kouřim - died 4 December 1939 in Prague) was a Czech zoologist. In 2007 the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature ruled that the family "Tubificidae" was a junior synonym of Naidi ...

(1849–1939), zoologist *

Evžen Linhart Evžen Linhart (20 March 1898, Kouřim – 29 December 1949, Prague) otherwise known as Eugen Linhart was a Czech architect and designer of furniture, exponent of Czech functionalism and purism Purism, referring to the arts, was a movement ...

(1898–1949), architect and designer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kourim Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Kolín District