Úpice () is a town in Trutnov District in the

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It has about 5,400 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Úpice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Úpice (4,992) *Radeč (346)

Etymology

The name is a diminutive form of

Úpa The Úpa () is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is long. Etymology The name is of the Illyrian language, Illyrian or Celtic languages, Celtic origin, from the wor ...

Geography

Úpice is located about southeast of

Trutnov Trutnov (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Trutnov consists of 21 ...

and northeast of

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

. It lies in the

Giant Mountains Foothills In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 from ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. The

River flows through the town.

History

It is proven that Úpice existed already in the 11th century, however the first written mention is from 1358. It was a small town until the second half of the 19th century, when the textile and machinery industries developed. In 1975, the village of Radeč was joined to Úpice.

Demographics

Economy

The largest employer based in the town is Kasper Kovo, a metal processor.

Transport

The I/14 road (the section from

Náchod Náchod (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and i ...

) passes through the town.

Sights

The Church of the Saint James the Great was built in 1698–1705, after the old wooden church from the 14th century was burned down in 1625. The altar from 1730 includes an image of Saint

James the Great James the Great ( Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles t ...

painted by Petr Brandl. The most valuable monument is Dřevěnka Inn. It is an excellently preserved half-timbered house from the beginning of the 17th century. It is a former homestead, which served as an inn from 1739 to 1990. Since 2018, it has been a museum. The house is protected as a national cultural monument. A notable building is the Old Town Hall. It is an early Baroque house, built in 1677–1678. The tower was added in 1752. Since the 1960s, it has been used as the town museum and gallery. The gallery is named after a local native, painter Julie Winterová Mezerová, whose paintings are exhibited here.

Notable people

* Philipp Oberländer (1875–1911), hunter and traveller * Josef Čapek (1887–1945), artist and writer; lived here *

Karel Čapek Karel Čapek (; 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright, critic and journalist. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel '' War with the Newts'' (1936) and play '' R.U.R.'' (''Rossum' ...

(1890–1938), writer; lived there * Richard Sacher (1942–2014), politician

Twin towns – sister cities

Úpice is twinned with: *

Piechowice Piechowice is a town in Karkonosze County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Jelenia Góra, and west of the regional capital Wrocław. , the town has a population of 6,194. History The a ...

, Poland

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Upice Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Trutnov District