Mnichovo Hradiště

Mnichovo Hradiště
Town
1. máje Street in the town centre
Flag Coat of arms
Mnichovo Hradiště Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°31′17″N 14°58′25″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Central Bohemian
District	Mladá Boleslav
First mentioned	1279
Government
• Mayor	Jiří Plíhal
Area
• Total	34.32 km^2 (13.25 sq mi)
Elevation	240 m (790 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	8,950
• Density	260/km^2 (680/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	294 11, 294 13, 295 01
Website	www.mnhradiste.cz

Mnichovo Hradiště (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɲɪxovo ˈɦraɟɪʃcɛ]; German: Münchengrätz) is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

The villages of Dneboh, Dobrá Voda, Hněvousice, Hoškovice, Hradec, Kruhy, Lhotice, Olšina, Podolí, Sychrov and Veselá are administrative parts of Mnichovo Hradiště.

Etymology

The town was initially named Hradiště (i.e. "gord"), after the monastery of the monks who founded the town. Later the town was called Hradiště nad Jizerou and Hradiště Mnichové. From the 19th century, the town is called Mnichovo Hradiště ("monk's gord").^[2]

Geography

Mnichovo Hradiště is located about 12 kilometres (7 mi) north of Mladá Boleslav and 26 km (16 mi) south of Liberec. It lies in the Jičín Uplands. The highest point is at 406 m (1,332 ft) above sea level. The town is situated on the left bank of the Jizera River, which forms the western municipal border. The streams Veselka and Nedbalka, tributaries of the Jizera, flow through the town.

History

Former Capuchin monastery

The first written mention of Hradiště is from 1279. It was founded by monks from the nearby Cistercian monastery in Klášter Hradiště nad Jizerou. The monastery owned the town until 1420, when both the monastery and the town were burned down by the Orebites. After the Hussite Wars, properties of the monastery were divided among various noble families. Since then, the owners of Hradiště have often changed. The owners included Jan Čapek of Sány, Mikuláš Berka of Dubá, Old Town of Prague and Jan of Vartenberk.^[2]

From the end of the 16th century, the town was owned by the Budovec of Budov family. Václav Budovec of Budov was executed in 1621. After his death, the Hradiště estate was acquired by Albrecht von Wallenstein, who soon gave it to his relative Maxmilián of Waldstein. At the end of the 17th century, Hradiště became the centre of an extensive estate. In the 18th century, the town developed rapidly. New houses and representative buildings were built, culture and education were supported and a Jewish community was established. The Waldstein family owned the estate until 1945.^[2]

Until 1918 the town was part of Austria-Hungary and was the centre of a district, which was one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 5,493 —     1880 6,042 +10.0% 1890 5,918 −2.1% 1900 6,080 +2.7% 1910 6,372 +4.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 6,393 +0.3% 1930 6,424 +0.5% 1950 5,733 −10.8% 1961 6,706 +17.0% 1970 6,920 +3.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 8,009 +15.7% 1991 8,435 +5.3% 2001 8,393 −0.5% 2011 8,245 −1.8% 2021 8,737 +6.0%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Economy

In 2010, a factory producing the Czech cola-based drink Kofola opened in Mnichovo Hradiště.

Transport

The D10 motorway from Prague to Turnov runs next to the town.

Mnichovo Hradiště is located on the railway line Prague–Turnov.^[6]

Sights

Mnichovo Hradiště Castle

Church of Saint James the Great

The main landmark of the town is Mnichovo Hradiště Castle. The original Gothic fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence in 1606 by Václav Budovec of Budov. In 1945, it was confiscated by the state. Today the castle is still owned by the state and is open to the public.^[7] It is protected as a national cultural monument.^[8]

The castle is connected to the Baroque complex of the Capuchin monastery from the 1690s, founded by the Waldsteins. The complex include the Church of the Holy Three Kings, the convent and the burial chapel of the Waldsteins. The remains of Albrecht von Wallenstein were moved from Jičín to the chapel in 1723.^[9]

The Church of Saint James the Great is among the most valuable buildings of the town. It was built in the Baroque style in 1726–1727.^[10]

Notable people

• Leopold Kompert (1822–1886), Jewish writer
• Jan Šverma (1901–1944), journalist, communist activist, resistance fighter
• Jiří Tancibudek (1921–2004), Czech-Australian oboist

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Mnichovo Hradiště is twinned with:^[11]

• Chojnów, Poland
• Erzhausen, Germany
• Figline e Incisa Valdarno, Italy

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. "Historie Mnichova Hradiště" (in Czech). Město Mnichovo Hradiště. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
3. Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm Klein, 1967
4. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
5. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
6. "Detail stanice Mnichovo Hradiště" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
7. "History". Mnichovo Hradiště Castle. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
8. "Zámek Mnichovo Hradiště" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
9. "Kapucínský klášter" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
10. "Kostel sv. Jakuba Většího" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
11. "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Mnichovo Hradiště. Retrieved 2019-08-25.

External links

• Official website
• Mnichovo Hradiště Castle