Rychnov nad Kněžnou

Rychnov nad Kněžnou (Czech pronunciation: [ˈrɪxnof ˈnat kɲɛʒnou]; German: Reichenau an der Knieschna) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Rychnov nad Kněžnou
Town
Aerial view
Flag
Coat of arms
Rychnov nad Kněžnou
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°9′47″N 16°16′28″E
Country Czech Republic
RegionHradec Králové
DistrictRychnov nad Kněžnou
First mentioned1258
Government
 • MayorJan Skořepa (ODS)
Area
 • Total34.99 km2 (13.51 sq mi)
Elevation
320 m (1,050 ft)
Population
 (2021-01-01)[1]
 • Total10,899
 • Density310/km2 (810/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
516 01
Websitewww.rychnov-city.cz

Administrative parts
Staré Square with the former town hall
Rychnov nad Kněžnou Castle

Villages of Dlouhá Ves, Jámy, Lipovka, Litohrady, Lokot, Panská Habrová and Roveň are administrative parts of Rychnov nad Kněžnou.

Geography

Rychnov nad Kněžnou is located about 32 km (20 mi) to the west from Hradec Králové. It lies on the Kněžna River. Streams Liberský and Javornický joins Kněžna in the municipal territory.

Near the town there is the Les Včelný nature park, which includes the highest point of the municipal territory with an altitude of 417 metres (1,368 ft).

History

The first written mention of Rychnov nad Kněžnou is from 1 February 1258 on a deed of Ottokar II of Bohemia, where Heřman of Rychnov was mentioned. In 1561, Rychnov was promoted to a royal town by Ferdinand I. The town hall in Rychnov is first documented in 1596.[2]

Until 1918, the town was part of the Austrian monarchy, and head of the Reichenau District, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.[3]

In 1950, several municipalities was joined to Rychnov nad Kněžnou. On 1 January 1990, four parts of Rychnov nad Kněžnou became three separate municipalities (Jahodov, Lukavice and Synkov-Slemeno).[2]

Demography
Historical population
YearPop.±%
18696,548—    
18806,493−0.8%
18906,449−0.7%
19006,882+6.7%
19106,936+0.8%
YearPop.±%
19216,365−8.2%
19306,425+0.9%
19507,207+12.2%
19617,248+0.6%
19707,936+9.5%
YearPop.±%
198010,069+26.9%
199111,552+14.7%
200111,736+1.6%
201111,241−4.2%
202110,899−3.0%
Source: Historical lexicon of municipalities of the Czech Republic[4]

Sights
Former synagogue

Rychnov nad Kněžnou is known for the Baroque Kolowrat's castle. It contains rich collection of arts and books, and it includes the Museum and Gallery of Orlické Moutanins and a castle park. The church next to the castle is Church of the Holy Trinity, which is known for the third largest bell in the country. The church is used for religious and cultural purposes.[5]

The historic town centre is formed by Staré Square. It comprises preserved burgher houses and Neoclassical former town hall from 1802–1804, which serves today as a tourist information centre. Near the square there is the Church of Saint Gall. It was built in the late 13th century and repaired in pseudo-Gothic style in 1893. The bell tower was built in 1870–1871 in pseudo-Romanesque style.[6]

The former synagogue contains Memorial of Karel Poláček, the most notable local native, and a Jewish museum.[5]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Rychnov nad Kněžnou is twinned with:[7]

References
  1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2021". Czech Statistical Office. 2021-04-30.
  2. "Historie města Rychnova nad Kněžnou" (in Czech). Město Rychnov nad Kněžnou. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  3. Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm Klein, 1967
  4. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Rychnov nad Kněžnou" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 13–14.
  5. "Informace o městě" (in Czech). Město Rychnov nad Kněžnou. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  6. "Kostel sv. Havla (Panny Marie)" (in Czech). Hrady.cz. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  7. "Miasta partnerskie" (in Polish). Kłodzko. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.