Stráž pod Ralskem (until 1946 Vartenberk; german: Wartenberg (am Rollberg)) is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region 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. Th ...

. It has about 3,800 inhabitants.

Etymology

The local castle was called Wartenberg (''Warte auf Berge'' meant "guard on the hill" in German). Vartenberk was the Czech transcription of the name. The modern Czech name of the town 'Stráž'' means literally "guard", ''pod Ralskem'' refers to its location below Ralsko Mountain.

Geography

Stráž pod Ralskem is located about east of Česká Lípa and southwest of Liberec. It lies in the Ralsko Uplands. The highest point is a hill at above sea level, the mountain of Ralsko is located outside the municipal territory. The Ploučnice River flows through the town. The town lies on the shores of Stráž pod Ralskem Reservoir. It was built in 1911–1913 and is one of the oldest reservoirs in the country. The reservoir has an area of and is used for fish farming and for water sports. There are also several ponds around the town.

History

The first written mention is from 1283, when a castle was built here. The castle and the settlement were called Wartenberg and their owners became known as Wartenberg family. In 1504, the Wartenberg family sold the manor to Bartholomew Hirschpergar, who rebuilt the Gothic castle to a chateau. At the end of the 19th century, tourism began to develop and Stráž pod Ralskem turned into a resort. In 1963, uranium ore was found and tourism has partly given way to industrialization. The uranium ore mining ended in 1996.

Demographics

Economy

Stráž pod Ralskem is known for its jailhouse. It was created in 1973 from the original hostels that were used for uranium mine workers. It employs around 300 people.

Notable people

* Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704), Czech-Austrian baroque composer *

Anton von Jaksch Anton Ritter Jaksch von Wartenhorst (10 April 1810, Stráž pod Ralskem – 2 September 1887, Luhov) was an Austrian-Czech physician. He was the father of internist Rudolf von Jaksch (1855–1947). Biography He studied medicine at the Universi ...

(1810–1887), Czech-Austrian physician, rector of

Charles University ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , underg ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Straz pod Ralskem Populated places in Česká Lípa District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic