Hradec Králové

	Hradec Králové
	City
Flag	Coat of arms
	Nickname: The Salon of the Republic
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Hradec Králové
District	Hradec Králové
Rivers	Elbe, Orlice
Elevation	235 m (771 ft)
Coordinates	50°12′34″N 15°50′00″E / 50.20944°N 15.8333333°E
Area	105.61 km2 (40.78 sq mi)
Population	94,255 (As of 2007)
Density	892 / km2 (2,310 / sq mi)
Founded	1225
Mayor	Zdeněk Fink
Postal code	500 00
	Location in the Czech Republic
	Wikimedia Commons: Hradec Králové
	Website: www.hradeckralove.org

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"Königgrätz" redirects here. For the battle fought near the town in 1866, see Battle of Königgrätz.

Coordinates: 50°12′34″N 15°50′00″E / 50.20944°N 15.8333333°E

River running through the city

Petrof Piano Makers

White tower detail

Hradec Králové (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɦradɛts ˈkraːlovɛː] ( listen); German: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos. The University of Hradec Králové is located in the city, and Charles University in Prague has a medical school^[1] and a pharmaceutical department^[2] there.

[edit] Geography

The city lies at the confluence of the Elbe and the Orlice river.

[edit] History

The original name of one of the oldest settlements in the Czech Republic was Hradec (the Castle); Králové (of the queen) was affixed when it became one of the dowry towns of Elisabeth Richeza of Poland (1286–1335), who lived here for thirty years having been the second wife of two Bohemian Kings, Wenceslaus II and then Rudolph I of Habsburg. In Latin, the Castle of the Queen was called Grecz Reginae, the original German Königingrätz was shortened to Königgrätz by 1800. It remained a dower town till 1620.

Hradec Králové was the first of the towns to declare for the national cause during the Hussite Wars. After the Battle of White Mountain (1620) a large part of the Protestant population left the place. In 1639 the town was occupied for eight months by the Swedes. Several churches and convents were pulled down to make way for the fortifications erected under Joseph II. The fortress was finally dismantled in 1884. The Battle of Königgrätz, the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War took place, on 3 July 1866 near Hradec Králové. This event is commemorated in the famous Königgrätzer Marsch.

The city is situated in the centre of a very fertile region called the Golden Road on the confluence of Elbe and Orlice and contains many buildings of historical and architectural interest. The cathedral was founded in 1303 by Elizabeth, and the church of St. John, built in 1710, stands on the ruins of the old castle. During the 1920s and 1930s the city grew rapidly and due to many buildings of modern architecture Hradec Králové became known as the Salon of the Republic. This was a nickname given to it by citizens who were spellbound by the unique architecture of Josef Gočár.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Culture

[edit] Theatre

Every May, an Air Ambulance Show is held for both the general public and Air Ambulance personnel. Every June the Theatre of European regions, an international theatre festival, takes place.

[edit] Music

Since 2004, Hip Hop Kemp, one of the biggest European hip hop festivals, has been held every year in August. "Jazz goes to town", an international jazz festival, is held in Hradec Králové every October.

The city's museum currently holds one of the oldest surviving collections of Czech Renaissance polyphony, the Codex Speciálník manuscript.

[edit] Famous people

Markéta Bělonohá, Czech model.
Josef Čapek, painter, writer and poet.
Avigdor Dagan, Israeli diplomat
Josef Gočár, architect.
Jiří Horák, 1st Chairman of Czech Social Democratic Party
Ondřej Kraják, footballer
Jiří Petr, Rector Emeritus Czech University of Agriculture Prague
Baron Carl von Rokitansky, doctor
Jan Šindel, mathematician
Otakar Vávra, film director
Alice Roubalová, table tennis player, participating in 3 European and World Championships and 5 times Czech Championship winner