Kostelec Nad Orlicí
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Kostelec nad Orlicí (; ) is a town in
Rychnov nad Kněžnou District Rychnov may refer to places in the Czech Republic: *Rychnov, a village and part of Krouna in the Pardubice Region *Rychnov, a village and part of Verneřice in the Ústí nad Labem Region * Rychnov na Moravě, a municipality and village in the Pa ...
in the
Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...
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 6,100 inhabitants.


Administrative division

Kostelec nad Orlicí consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Kostelec nad Orlicí (5,675) *Koryta (84) *Kostelecká Lhota (282) *Kozodry (66)


Etymology

The name Kostelec means "fortified church". In 1568, the attribute ''nad Orlicí'' ("upon the Orlice river") was added to distinguish it from other places with the same name.


Geography

Kostelec nad Orlicí is located about southwest of
Rychnov nad Kněžnou Rychnov nad Kněžnou (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban m ...
and southeast of
Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...
. It lies in the
Orlice Table The Orlice (, ) is a river in the Czech Republic, with a brief stretch in Poland. It is a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is formed by the confluence of the Divoká Orlice and Tichá Orlice rivers. ...
. The highest point is at above sea level. The town is situated on the
Divoká Orlice The Divoká Orlice (, ) is a river in the Czech Republic and Poland. It flows through Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland and through the Hradec Králové and Pardubice regions. It is the upper and middle course of the Orlice, but usually it is c ...
River.


History

The first written mention of Kostelec nad Orlicí is from 1316, when there was a fortified church. In 1341, it was 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 rura ...
for the first time. Until the 17th century, it was part of the
Potštejn Potštejn () is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Potštejn consists of two municipal parts (in brackets popul ...
estate and shared its destinies and owners. In 1454, the estate was bought by King
George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad (; ), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the Hussites, but moderate and tolerant toward the ...
, who gave the town its coat of arms. The next owners were the
Pernštejn family The House of Pernštejn () was one of the oldest and most important (uradel) families originating from Moravian nobility, along with the House of Rosenberg, that played an important role in the medieval history of Bohemian nobility from the 13th ...
, and from 1558, the Hrzán of Harasov family. During their rule, Kostelec na Orlicí acquired many privileges. In 1629, the Potštejn estate was sold to the Belgian family of Gramb. Kašpar of Gramb bequeathed all his properties to the
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
college in Prague, but in 1667 Kostelec was acquired by Václav Záruba of Hustířany (the husband of Františka of Gramb), who won the court case. From 1746, Kostelec and Potštejn ceased to have the same owners. In 1796, Kostelec was bought by Josef Kinsky, and his family were the last owners of the town until it gained self-government.


Demographics


Transport

Kostelec nad Orlicí is located on the railway line
Týniště nad Orlicí Týniště nad Orlicí () is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Týniště nad Orlicí consists of six municipal parts (in brackets ...
Doudleby nad Orlicí Doudleby nad Orlicí () is a market town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,800 inhabitants. Administrative division Doudleby nad Orlicí consists of two municipal parts (in brack ...
. The town is served by two train stations.


Sights

The principal landmark of the town is the New Kostelec nad Orlicí Castle. It was built in the
Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 duri ...
in 1829–1833 for the
Kinsky The House of Kinsky (formerly Vchynští, sg. ''Vchynský'' in Czech; later (in modern Czech) Kinští, sg. ''Kinský''; ) is a prominent Bohemian noble family originating in the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the Thirty Years' War, the Kinsky fam ...
family. Following its return to the ownership of the Kinsky family in 1992, it was restored and opened to the public. The building houses the Kinsky Gallery and an exhibition of the history of the town. The castle complex includes a large park, which is protected as a
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
. The Old Castle was originally a Renaissance fortress built before 1620 and reconstructed in 1668 and 1770. After the New Castle was built, it was transformed into a manor house and served the needs of officials. Existence of the Church of Saint George is first documented in 1323. In 1769–1773, the original Gothic church was replaced by the current late Baroque building.


Notable people

*
František Tůma František Ignác Antonín Tůma (2 October 1704, in Kostelec nad Orlicí, Bohemia – 3 February 1774, in Vienna) was a Czech composer of the Baroque era. He lived the greater part of his life in Vienna, first as director of music for Franz Jose ...
(1704–1774), Baroque composer *
Egon Ledeč Egon Ledeč (16 March 1889, Kostelec nad Orlicí – October 1944, Auschwitz) was a Czechoslovak violinist and composer of Jewish origin. Ledeč was one of the artists sent to Theresienstadt and is shown as concertmaster in Karel Ančerl’s orche ...
(1889–1944), violinist and composer


Twin towns – sister cities

Kostelec nad Orlicí is twinned with: *
Bielawa 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 January 1, 2023, it has a population of 28 34 ...
, Poland *
Myjava Myjava (; historically also Miava, , ) is a town in Trenčín Region, Slovakia. Geography It is located in the Myjava Hills at the foothills of the White Carpathians and nearby the Little Carpathians. The river Myjava flows through the town. It ...
, Slovakia *
Zeulenroda-Triebes Zeulenroda-Triebes () is a German town in the district of Greiz in the state of Thuringia. Zeulenroda-Triebes is situated in the south of Greiz in the mountains of the Thuringian Slate Mountains (Thüringer Schiefergebirge), on the border with S ...
, Germany


References


External links

*
Official tourist portalNew Kostelec nad Orlicí Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostelec nad Orlici Populated places in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic