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Hradec Králové

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

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River running through the city
Petrof Piano Makers
White tower detail

Hradec Králové (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɦradɛts ˈkraːlovɛː] ⓘ; 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, electronics manufacture and IT. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos. The University of Hradec Králové is located in the city, the University of Defense has its only medical faculty in Hradec Králové and Charles University in Prague also has its Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové[1] and Faculty of Pharmacy [2] there.

Geography

The city lies at the confluence of the Elbe and the Orlice river close to Krkonoše (Giant Mountains), the highest Czech mountains, with its peak, Sněžka (Snowhill), of 1602m.

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 there 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 dowry town until 1620.

Hradec Králové was the first town to declare for the national cause during the Hussite Wars in the first half of the 15th century. 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 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. This battle also showed the age of the fortifications and they were finally destroyed in 1884.

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 of the Holy Spirit 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 thanks to decisions made by the heads of the city to develop a modern city, which included razing the fortress and opening the town for expansion. During this era many buildings of modern architecture were built and Hradec Králové became known as the Salon of the Republic. This nickname was given to the city by its citizens who were enamoured by the architectures of Josef Gočár and Jan Kotěra.

Airport

Hradec Králové Airport is a public domestic and private international airport located about 3 km (1.9 mi) from the city centre. There are currently no scheduled flights operating to the airport. It is sometimes visited by private jet traffic.

Culture

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.

Music

Since 2004 the city hosts Hip Hop Kemp, one of the biggest European hip hop festivals in August.

Since 2007 the city hosts Rock for People, the biggest rock festival in the Czech Republic in July.

"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.

The city is home to one of the Czech Republic's leading orchestras, the Hradec Králové Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sport

The ice hockey club of Hradec Králové is Mountfield HK, which plays in the Czech Extraliga.

The most successful football club is FC Hradec Králové, which plays in the Czech National Football League.

The women's basketball team, Hradecké Lvice, plays in the national women basketball league.

Notable people

International relations

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

Twin towns – Sister cities

Hradec Králové is twinned with:

Cooperating towns

There are two cooperating towns:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Medical School". Archived from the original on 7 August 2004. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Pharmacy School". Archived from the original on 12 September 2007.
  3. ^ "Gießen: Städtepartnerschaften" [Giessen: Twin towns] (in German). Stadt Gießen. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Königgrätz".
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