Náchod
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Náchod (; german: Nachod) is a town 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 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 is protected by law as an urban monument zone.


Administrative parts

Town parts and villages of Babí, Běloves, Bražec, Dobrošov, Jizbice, Lipí, Malé Poříčí, Pavlišov and Staré Město nad Metují are administrative parts of Náchod.


Geography

Náchod is located about 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 ...
, 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 populous ...
. It lies in the northern tip of the Podorlická Uplands. The highest point of the municipal territory is the hill Malinová hora with an altitude of . The town is situated in the valley of the river
Metuje The Metuje (; german: Mettau) is a river in north-eastern Czech Republic. It is a left tributary of the Labe River. It is long, and its basin area is about 610 km2, of which in the Czech Republic. The Metuje flows through several towns, inc ...
. There are two ponds in the northwestern part of the territory, Podborný and Odkaliště.


History

The predecessor of Náchod was a settlement called ''Branka'' (meaning "Gate") near the land gate, located in the area today known as Staré Město ("Old Town") with the Church of Saint John the Baptist from the 13th century. Knight Hron of Načeradec founded a castle and then a town below the castle in the mid-13th century to protect the territory through which an old trade route from Prague to
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 ...
passed. The first written mention of Náchod is from 1254. The town was fortified with walls and bastions in the early 14th century. Owners of the castle included kings
John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...
and
George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad ( cs, Jiří z Poděbrad; german: Georg von Podiebrad), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the ...
. During the
Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...
, Náchod was conquered and owned by the
Hussites The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Hussit ...
. Over time the castle grew into a large fortress. Powerful and rich Smiřický family acquired the domain in 1544 and had the castle rebuilt into a comfortable Renaissance château; the town also flourished at the time, and was endowed with privileges almost equal to royal towns. The
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
put an end to the prosperity of the town. The properties of the Smiřický family, who had been loyal to King
Frederick V Frederick V or Friedrich V may refer to: * Frederick V, Duke of Swabia (1164–1170) *Frederick V, Count of Zollern (d.1289) *Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg (c. 1333–1398), German noble *Frederick V of Austria (1415–1493), or Frederick III ...
, were seized by the imperial treasury after the
Battle of the White Mountain ), near Prague, Bohemian Confederation(present-day Czech Republic) , coordinates = , territory = , result = Imperial-Spanish victory , status = , combatants_header = , combatant1 = Catholic L ...
and sold to the House of Trčka of Lípa in 1623. When Adam Erdman Trčka was assassinated together with his brother-in-law
Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...
in
Cheb Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. Before the 1945 Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of the German-speaking population ...
in 1634, the domain was seized again and donated by the Emperor to his general
Ottavio Piccolomini Ottavio Piccolomini, 1st Duke of Amalfi (11 November 1599 – 11 August 1656) was an Italian nobleman whose military career included service as a Spanish general and then as a field marshal of the Holy Roman Empire. Early life Ottavio was born ...
, later Duke of Amalfi. Thus the town fell into the hands of an Italian family, suffered from military operations and forced re-catholicization, but also enjoyed some development: the château was grandly rebuilt in the Baroque style and the first street in the town was paved in 1638. After the fire of 1663, a new town hall was built and the Church of St. Lawrence on the square was rebuilt. The burgesses were also granted some privileges. The Piccolominis extinct in 1783, the Náchod domain was inherited by the Desfours family and sold in 1792 to Duke
Peter von Biron Peter von Biron (15 February 1724 – 13 January 1800) was the last Duke of Courland and Semigallia, from 1769 to 1795. Life and reign Peter was born in Jelgava (german: Mitau) as the oldest son of Ernst Johann von Biron, future Duke of Courl ...
of Courland and Sagan, who established a theatre on the castle and significantly improved overall the level of cultural life in Náchod. When the duke died in 1800, his eldest daughter Katharina Wilhelmine (1781–1839) inherited Náchod and the
Duchy of Sagan A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between ...
. After her death, the princes of
Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807, a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present day state of Lower Saxony, with its capital at Bück ...
(in today's Lower Saxony) bought Náchod and held the castle till 1945, though the domain system was abolished in the reform of 1849 and succeeded by public administration districts. Beside the district administration and district court, the reform brought about an elected town council, fast development of industry and schools, and a building boom that included the Neo-Renaissance town hall and Art Nouveau theatre. The railway was also built and from 1882, when two factories were established, the textile industry quickly developed. Náchod became the cotton industry centre of
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
and at the beginning of the 20th century, Náchod was nicknamed "
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
of the east". Extensive border fortifications were built in and around Náchod in the years prior to World War II to protect the territory of Czechoslovakia against the threat of German invasion. The border in the area of Náchod did not shift after the
Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, Germany, the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, and Fa ...
, as no German speakers lived next to the border; on the contrary, eleven villages on the Silesian side of the border were populated by Czech speakers, who lived there till 1945 when eastern parts of Germany were ceded to Poland and former German citizens were expelled, ethnic Czechs included. As Náchod had virtually no ethnic German population, it did not suffer from the massive deportations of 1945–46. It became a somewhat peripheral town during the Communist era (1948–89) as cross-border contacts in the Soviet-dominated bloc were not encouraged. The situation changed in the 1990s and especially when both Czech Republic and Poland became part of the Schengen area in 2007.


Demographics


Economy

The service sector is the major employer in Náchod. The largest employer based in the town is the hospital. Revenues from tourism are crucial for the economy of the town and the whole region. The largest industrial employers is ATAS elektromotory Náchod a.s. and Ametek elektromotory s.r.o., both producers of
electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...
s, and the rubber factory Rubena Náchod. The tradition of textile industry is held by the last surviving cotton-weaving mill BARTOŇ – textil a.s., founded in 1867. Long tradition has also the Primátor Brewery, founded in 1872.


Transport

Náchod lies on the railway line of regional importance from
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 ...
to Broumov. The town is served by three stations and stops. There is the road border crossing ''Náchod / Kudowa Słone''.


Sights


Náchod Castle

Náchod Castle is the main landmark of the town. Since 1945, the castle is owned by the state. The interiors are open to the public, its exhibits include collections from Prince
Ottavio Piccolomini Ottavio Piccolomini, 1st Duke of Amalfi (11 November 1599 – 11 August 1656) was an Italian nobleman whose military career included service as a Spanish general and then as a field marshal of the Holy Roman Empire. Early life Ottavio was born ...
's time (e.g. tapestries) or phaleristic and
numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...
collections. Other sights include Gothic cellars and the observation tower (keep), and a moat with bears, which is the largest bear enclosure in the country.


Ecclesiastical buildings

The Church of Saint Lawrence is located in the middle of Masarykovo Square in the historic town centre. It was first mentioned in 1350 and rebuilt in 1570–1578. The Church of Saint Michael the Archangel was built in 1709–1716 in the Baroque style. The Church of Saint John the Baptist in Staré Město nad Metují was built in the Gothic style in the 13th century and reconstructed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Since 1791, it is only a cemetery church.


Spa

The village of Běloves was known for its spa. The first mention of the healing water is from 1392. The spa was founded in 1818 and closed in 1996. Although the spa complex is in a desolate state, a small colonnade with two mineral springs and permanent exhibition on the history of spa was built by the town and opened in December 2019.


Notable people

*
Jan Letzel Jan Letzel (April 9, 1880 – December 26, 1925) was a Czech architect, most famous for designing a building in Hiroshima whose ruins are now the A-Bomb Dome or Peace Memorial. Biography Jan Letzel was born in the town of Náchod, Bohemia. ...
(1880–1925), architect *
Jan Roth Jan Roth (10 November 1899 – 4 October 1972) was a Czech cinematographer. During World War I he served in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Roth started his career as a lighting technician at the New German theatre in Prague. In 1926 he became a chie ...
(1899–1972), cinematographer *
Václav Černý Václav Černý (26 March 1905, Jizbice – 2 July 1987, Prague) was a Czechoslovak literary scholar, writer and philosopher. He was an enthusiast of Spanish literature and philosophy and translated into Czech a number of literary and philosophi ...
(1905–1987), literary scholar and writer * Josef Týfa (1913–2007), type designer *
Luba Skořepová Luba Skořepová (21 September 1923 – 23 December 2016) was a Czech actress.Zemř ...
(1923–2016), actress *
Josef Škvorecký Josef Škvorecký (; September 27, 1924 – January 3, 2012) was a Czech-Canadian writer and publisher. He spent half of his life in Canada, publishing and supporting banned Czech literature during the communist era. Škvorecký was awarded the ...
(1924–2012), writer *
Petr Skrabanek Petr Skrabanek (October 27, 1940 – June 21, 1994) was a doctor, physician, professor of medicine, and author of several books and many articles. Skrabanek was described by Ben Goldacre as "a lifelong champion of clear thinking, scepticism, and ...
(1940–1994), physician *
Josef Tošovský Josef Tošovský () (born 28 September 1950) is a Czech economist and former governor of Czech National Bank (from 1993 to 2000). From 17 December 1997 to 22 July 1998 he was the prime minister of the Czech Republic in a caretaker government. ...
(born 1950), economist and former prime minister * Václav Kotal (born 1952), football player and manager * Libor Michálek (born 1968), economist and politician *
Vratislav Lokvenc Vratislav Lokvenc (, born 27 September 1973) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a striker. After playing youth football for Náchod and Hradec Králové, he began his senior club career with the latter team. After moving to ...
(born 1973), footballer *
Pavel Bělobrádek Pavel Bělobrádek (; born 25 December 1976) is a Czech politician who was the leader of the KDU-ČSL from 2010 to 2019. He served as the deputy prime minister and minister of Science and Research in Bohuslav Sobotka's Cabinet Cabinet of Bohus ...
(born 1976), politician * Martin Štěpánek (born 1977), freediver * Petr Schwarz (born 1991), footballer


Twin towns – sister cities

Náchod is twinned with: *
Bauska Bauska () is a town in Bauska Municipality, in the Zemgale region of southern Latvia. Bauska is located from the Latvian capital Riga, 62 km (38.5 mi) from Jelgava and from the Lithuanian border on the busy European route E67. The to ...
, Latvia *
Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...
, Germany *
Kudowa-Zdrój Kudowa-Zdrój (german: Bad Kudowa, cz, Chudoba), or simply Kudowa, is a town located below the Table Mountains in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in the southwestern part of Poland. It has a population of around 10,000 and is loca ...
, Poland *
Kłodzko Kłodzko (; cz, Kladsko; german: Glatz; la, Glacio) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse river. Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzko Co ...
, Poland *
Partizánske Partizánske (, meaning “partisan town” formerly: ''Baťovany'', hu, Simony) is a town in Trenčín Region, Slovakia. Geography Partizánske is located in the northern part of the Danubian Hills around from Nitra and from the capital Bra ...
, Slovakia * Persan, France *
Tiachiv Tiachiv ( uk, Тячів; rue, Тячово; hu, Técső; yi, טעטש, translit=Tetch) is a city located on the Tisza River in Zakarpattia Oblast (region) in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Tiachiv Raion (district). Today ...
, Ukraine *
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


Gallery

Nachod castle1.jpg, Náchod Castle Nachod castle.jpg, Náchod Castle Nová radnice (New townhall), Náchod 01.JPG, The New Town Hall Nachod Hotel U Beranka.jpg, Hotel and theatre "U Beránka" Náchod, kostel sv. Michala 02.jpg, Church of Saint Michael the Archangel


References


External links

*
Náchod Castle official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nachod Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Náchod District Czech Republic–Poland border crossings