Jince is a market town in

Příbram District Příbram District () is a Okres, district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Příbram. Administrative division Příbram District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities ...

in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

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 2,500 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Jince consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Jince (2,039) *Běřín (54) *Rejkovice (112) *Velcí (1)

Etymology

The name is derived from the surname Jinec (written as ''Junec'' in the oldest documents, meaning "Jinecs" ("the village of Jinec's family"). The old Czech words ''junec'', ''jinec'', from which the surname arose, meant 'young bull', 'young ox'.

Geography

Jince is located about north of

Příbram Příbram (; or ''Przibram'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It is known for its mining history, and more recently, its new venture into economic restructuring. The town is the t ...

and southwest of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. It lies in the Brdy Highlands. The highest point is at above sea level. The built-up area is situated in the valley of the

Litavka The Litavka is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Berounka River. It flows through the Central Bohemian Region. It is long. Etymology The river was originally called Pstruhový potok (meaning "Trout Stream") and Bohutínský ...

River. There are several fishponds in the town, supplied by small streams. The southern part of the municipal territory lies in the

Brdy Brdy is a range of hills in the Czech Republic, forming a long massif stretching for c. 60 km southwest from Prague. The northern section of the Brdy is called "Hřebeny" and features one narrow ridge (highest elevation Písek - 690 m). The ...

Protected Landscape Area.

History

The first written mention of Jince is from 1352. Iron ore was mined and processed here for several centuries. The first

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...

is documented in 1646. From 1647 to 1805, the Jince estate was owned by the

Wratislaw of Mitrovice The Wratislaw of Mitrovice or Vratislav of Mitrovice (; ) is a Bohemian nobility, Bohemian noble family. The first mentioned member of the family is Wratislaw, who acquired the estate of Mezno, Mitrovice in 1448. The family gradually gained sign ...

family. They were forced to sell the estate due to debts. From 1805, Jince was owned by the Vrbna family, who annexed it to the

Hořovice Hořovice (; ) is a town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,100 inhabitants. The town is known for the Hořovice Castle. Geography Hořovice is located about southwest of Beroun and southwest ...

estate. In 1900, Jince 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 2015, Jince was adjacent to the Brdy Military Training Area. After the military area was abolished on 1 January 2016, part of the area was annexed to Jince. However, the military area was partly replaced by the Jince Crew Training Ground with entry prohibited.

Demographics

Transport

Jince is located on the railway line Prague–

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...

via Příbram.

Sights

The Church of Saint Nicholas belongs to the main landmarks of Jince. There was a small wooden church, which was replaced by the current Baroque building in 1728–1731. The Jince Castle was built in the early Baroque style in 1654–1706 on the site of an old medieval fortress, first documented in 1453. It was rebuilt in 1739–1744, the southern wing was rebuilt in 1766–1771. The castle originally served as an aristocratic residence, but in the mid-19th century, it was modified into a brewery. Today the building is unused. The blast furnace called Barbora was built in 1805–1810. It was the last charcoal blast furnace in Central Europe. It is a technical monument.

Notable people

Josef Slavík Josef Slavík (26 March 1806 – 30 May 1833), also known as Josef Slawjk or Joseph Slawik, was a Bohemian violin virtuoso and composer, who was expected by Viennese musical critics to become Paganini's successor after composing a supposedly unpl ...

(1806–1833), violin virtuoso

References

External links

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