Kunvald () is a market town in

Ústí nad Orlicí District Ústí nad Orlicí District () is a Okres, district in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Ústí nad Orlicí, but the most populated town is Česká Třebová. Administrative division Ústí nad Orlicí District ...

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 900 inhabitants. It is known as the place where the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...

was founded.

Administrative division

Kunvald consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Kunvald (789) *Bubnov (8) *Končiny (70) *Kunačice (14) *Záhory (3) *Zaječiny (6)

Etymology

The German name Kunwald means "Kun's forest". The Czech name is a transcription of the German one.

Geography

Kunvald is located about northeast of

Ústí nad Orlicí Ústí nad Orlicí (; ) is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument z ...

and east 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 in the Orlické Foothills. The highest point of the municipal territory is the Homole hill at above sea level. The brook Horský potok flows through the market town.

History

The first written mention of Kunvald is from 1363. It was founded in the second half of the 13th century. The

was founded in Kunvald in "Na Sboru" House in 1457, when followers of the reformator Gregory the Patriarch found refuge on the estate of 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 ...

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

"Na Sboru" House is open to the public and contains an exposition on the history of the

(Unity of the Brethren). Other memorable places, reminiscent of the work of the Moravian Church, are the Brethren Linden, which was planted here by members before leaving their homeland; a place called Jordán, where there used to be a well where the new members were baptized; a praying mine where the brothers hid and gathered for worship in times of oppression; a monument to

John Amos Comenius John Amos Comenius (; ; ; ; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considered the father of modern education. He served as the last bishop of the Unit ...

from 1910, which stands in the original burial ground; and a smithy, from which the first bishop of the Unity allegedly came.

Notable people

* Jan Černý-Nigranus (–1565), historian and priest * Matthias of Kunwald (died 1500), priest

Twin towns – sister cities

Kunvald is twinned with: *

Lititz Lititz is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Lancaster. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 9,370. History Lititz was ...

, United States

References

External links

* {{authority control Market towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Ústí nad Orlicí District History of the Moravian Church