Chvaletice

Chvaletice
Town
Chvaletice harbor
Flag Coat of arms
Chvaletice Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°2′3″N 15°25′0″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Pardubice
District	Pardubice
Municipality	Chvaletice
First mentioned	1143
Government
• Mayor	Zdeňka Marková
Area
• Total	8.49 km2 (3.28 sq mi)
Elevation	222 m (728 ft)
Population  (2006-07-03)
• Total	3,289
• Density	390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	533 12
Website	www.chvaletice.cz

Chvaletice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈxvalɛcɪtsɛ]) is a small town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic.

History

Archaeologists find earliest traces of humans in this area around 10,000 BCE. Since 1200 - 600 BCE the place is inhabited permanently. The first written record comes from 1393. Ownership of the place has changed several times between king, monastery and local nobles. The Thirty Years' War followed by forced conversion to Catholicism depopulated the area but the tradition of Protestantism survived. The Railway Pardubice - Prague built in 1845 brought the village into the modern age. In 1981 Chvaletice obtained city rights.

Industry

Since ancient times iron ore was mined here, until the Thirty Years' War; then again since the end of 18th century. Mining of pyrite-manganium ore started in the 20th century. The mines got exhausted and were finally closed in 1975. In 1973 - 1979 a huge power station (4 x 200 MW) was built; with the coal being moved in from mines in northern Bohemia by ships on the Elbe river. To make such shipping possible large excavation works (Elbe Waterway project, Labská vodní cesta) on the riverbed were carried out. Use of ships stopped in 1996. The power station is desulphurized since 1997.

External links

• Municipal website (in Czech)
• Power station details