Poděbrady
| Poděbrady | |||
| Town | |||
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| Country | Czech Republic | ||
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| Region | Central Bohemian | ||
| District | Nymburk | ||
| Commune | Poděbrady | ||
| River | Elbe | ||
| Elevation | 185 m (607 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | 50°08′N 15°07′E / 50.133°N 15.117°E | ||
| Area | 33.70 km2 (13.01 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 13,255 (2006) | ||
| Density | 393 / km2 (1,018 / sq mi) | ||
| First mentioned | 12th century | ||
| Mayor | Ladislav Langr | ||
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 290 01 | ||
   Location in the Czech Republic
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| Wikimedia Commons: Poděbrady | |||
| Statistics: statnisprava.cz | |||
| Website: www.mesto-podebrady.cz | |||
- "Podiebrad" redirects here. For the castle of this name, see Schloss Podiebrad. For the family of this name, see Podiebrad family.
Poděbrady (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpoɟɛbradɪ]; German: Podiebrad) is a historical spa town in the Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It lies on the river Labe 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of Prague on the D11 highway. A historic milestone in the life of the town was the year 1905, when it was visited by the German estate owner Prince von Bülow. This well-known water diviner found in the inner courtyard signs of a strong spring, which was later bored to a depth of 97.6 metres (320 ft). The discovery of carbonic mineral water resulted in the opening of the first spa in 1908. After World War I Poděbrady rapidly changed into a spa town which from 1926 specialized in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, rapidly gaining renown not only in the Czech Republic, but also abroad.[where?]
The history of Poděbrady reaches back to medieval times. A long-distance trade route running from Prague to eastern Bohemia and then on to Silesia and Poland passed through the then forested landscape interwoven with a dense network of river branches. This important communication intersected the River Labe to the west of the present town, at a place called Na Vinici.
An ancient community and a small fortress originated near the ford. It is most likely that the position of this community is reflected in the present name of the town: Poděbrady – "pode brody" = below the ford.
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[edit] Points of interests
- Near Podebrady, there is a longwave transmitter used for transmitting meteorological reports. It uses a T-antenna mounted on two 150 m-tall guyed masts. The local golf course is located on the site of the transmitter.
- The mineral water that was found in the early 1900s is better known as Poděbradka. The water contains iron deposits; if left over the course of a few days a rust-like deposit will settle at the bottom and will stain plastic bottles. There are four free public taps where people are able to obtain Poděbradka. There is also a refined version of Poděbradka that is not as heavy with the iron deposits that can be purchased from most stores in the Czech Republic.
[edit] People connected with Poděbrady
- George of Podebrady, King of Bohemia
- Václav Havel, first democratic president of Czech Republic
- Miloš Forman, filmmaker
- Hans Janowitz, author
- the Mašín brothers
- Marta Kubišová, singer and signatory to Charter 77
[edit] International relations
[edit] Twin towns — Sister cities
Poděbrady is twinned with:
[edit] External links
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