Choltice () is a market town in

Pardubice District Pardubice District () is a Okres, district in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Pardubice. Administrative division Pardubice District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with ex ...

in the

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It is named after its capital Pardubice. As an administrat ...

of the

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

. It has about 1,200 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Choltice consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Choltice (1,101) *Ledec (58) *Podhorky (15)

Geography

Choltice is located about southwest of

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

. It lies on the border between the

Svitavy Uplands The Svitavy Uplands or Svitavy Hills () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Pardubice Region and it belongs to the largest mesoregions in the country. Geomorphology The Svitavy Uplands is a ...

and

Iron Mountains The Iron Mountains are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These mountains are located around the common meeting point of Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. A portion of the Appalachian Trail runs the crest of the Iron Mountains ab ...

, within the

Polabí Polabí () is the traditional and informal name for a lowland region located mainly in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Etymology The name comes from Czech ''po Labi'', meaning "along the Elbe". The same linguistic construction g ...

region. The Struha Stream flows through the market town. There is a system of fishponds built on the stream.

History

The first written mention of Choltice is in a deed of King

Wenceslaus II Wenceslaus II Přemyslid (; ; 27 SeptemberK. Charvátová, ''Václav II. Král český a polský'', Prague 2007, p. 18. 1271 – 21 June 1305) was King of Bohemia (1278–1305), Duke of Cracow (1291–1305), and King of Poland (1296–1305 ...

from 1285. The fortress in Choltice was first documented in 1397. Sometime between 1532 and 1541, the village was promoted to 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 rura ...

. Until 1623, the owners of Choltice often changed and included various lower noblemen. In 1623, Choltice was acquired by the

Thun und Hohenstein The House of Thun und Hohenstein, also known as Thun-Hohenstein, belonged to the historical Austrian nobility, Austrian and Bohemian nobility. There is one princely and several count, comital branches of the family. The princely branch of the fami ...

family. Except for a short break in 1721–1731, they owned Choltice until the establishment of a sovereign municipality.

Demographics

Transport

The railway line

Přelouč Přelouč () is a town in Pardubice District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Přelouč consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

–

Heřmanův Městec Heřmanův Městec (; ) is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech ...

runs through the municipal territory, however, the train stop named ''Choltice'' is located in the territory of neighbouring Svinčany.

Sights

The main landmark is the Choltice Castle. It was originally a medieval fortress, rebuilt into a Renaissance castle in 1542–1570. In , the castle was rebuilt in the early Baroque style. The area with historically valuable buildings includes the Chapel of Saint Romedius, a court of honour with statues, farm facilities, a park and a garden with a

gloriette A gloriette (from the 12th-century French meaning "little room") is a building in a garden erected on a site that is elevated with respect to the surroundings. The structural execution and shape can vary greatly, often in the form of a pavili ...

. Today the castle is open to the public. A cultural monument is an unusual wooden belfry, built in the Alpine style in 1863 by the Counts of Thun und Hohenstein. In the cemetery is a Neo-Romanesque cemetery chapel that includes the family tomb of the Thun und Hohenstein family. It was built in 1872–1873.

Notable people

Josef Vojtěch Hellich Josef Vojtěch Hellich (17 April 1807 – 22 January 1880) was a Czech painter and archaeologist known mainly for religious works and historical scenes. Biography Hellich was born in Choltice. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, whe ...

(1807–1880), painter and archaeologist * Olga Richterová (born 1985), politician; grew up here

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places in Pardubice District Market towns in the Czech Republic