Česká Kamenice (; german: Böhmisch Kamnitz) is a town in

Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region ( cs, Ústecký kraj, , ), is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad La ...

of the

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

. It has about 5,200 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Villages of Dolní Kamenice, Filipov, Horní Kamenice, Huníkov, Kamenická Nová Víska, Kerhartice, Líska, Pekelský Důl and Víska pod Lesy are administrative parts of Česká Kamenice.

Geography

Large part of the municipal territory lies in the

Lusatian Mountains The Lusatian Mountains ( cs, Lužické hory; german: Lausitzer Gebirge; pl, Góry Łużyckie) are a mountain range of the Western Sudetes on the southeastern border of Germany with the Czech Republic. They are a continuation of the Ore Mountains ...

and the eponymous protected landscape area. The highest peak is Studenec with above sea level. The river Kamenice and several brooks flow through Česká Kamenice.

History

The first written mention of Česká Kamenice is from 1352. The town was founded at the crossroads of two paths, the so-called " Bohemian Road" and the "

Lusatia Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...

n Road", probably in the area of an older Slavic settlement. It was founded before 1283, probably in the 1270s during the reign of King Ottokar II, when the colonization of the region culminates mainly in settlers from neighbouring

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Concentration camp

In spring 1944, the Rabstein sub-camp of

Flossenbürg concentration camp Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office. Unlike other concentration camps, it was located in a remote area, in the Fichtel Mountains of Bavaria, adjacent to the town of Flo ...

was created here, with a capacity of 600 prisoners. At the end of the war, 1,500 inmates were incarcerated in the camp. The camp provided workers for the nearby underground aircraft factory in the town of Janská, 3 km west of Česká Kamenice. The number of inmate deaths is not known due to the destruction of all camp documentation. The foundations of the camp buildings remain visible, along with a memorial and historical overview.

Sights

Míru Square and its surroundings form the historic town centre. The stone renaissance fountain on the square is from 1574. The main landmarks of the centre are Church of Saint James the Great, Evangelical church, Pilgrimage Chapel of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Kamenice Chateau and Salhausen Chateau. There are many preserved houses in Neoclassical and Art Nouveau styles. Due to the natural conditions, there are several rocky lookouts in the area. On Studenec, there is an iron observation tower from 1888, a technical monument. A ruin of Česká Kamenice Castle is preserved on the Zámecký hill, in its premises there is a wooden observation tower. The remains of the concentration camp and the underground aircraft factory contains an exposition and under certain conditions are open to the public.

Notable people

* Joseph Rothe (1759–1808), operatic singer *

Johann Baptist Emanuel Pohl Johann Baptist Emanuel Pohl (23 February 1782, Česká Kamenice (german: Böhmisch Kamnitz) – 22 May 1834, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, entomologist, geologist, mineralogist, and physician. Biography Johann Emanuel Pohl grew up in ''Politz ...

(1782–1834), botanist, entomologist, geologist and physician *

Hannes Hegen Hannes Hegen (real name ''Johannes Eduard Hegenbarth''; 16 May 1925 – 8 November 2014) was a German illustrator and caricaturist and is most famous for creating the East Germany, East German comic book Mosaik and its original protagonists, ...

(1925–2014), illustrator and caricaturist Antonín Dvořák took further organ and music-theory lessons at Česká Kamenice with Franz Hanke.

Twin towns – sister cities

Česká Kamenice is twinned with: *

Bad Schandau Bad Schandau (; hsb, Žandow) is a spa town in Germany, in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district of Saxony. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the valley of the Kirnitzsch and in the area often described as S ...

, Germany

Gallery

Česká Kamenice - Dean Church of St James the Greater.jpg, Church of Saint James the Great Česká Kamenice - kaple Narození PM z ul. U Kaple.jpg, Chapel of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Saalhausen-Schloss-BöhmischKamnitz.jpg, Salhausen Chateau Kamenický hrad.jpg, Kamenice Castle 20170527 Rabštejn Underground Factory 01.jpg, Rabštejn underground factory Rozhledna na Studenci 2014 01.jpg, Observation tower on Studenec

References

External links

* (in Czech)
Microregion Českokamenicko
(in Czech)
Historical postcards of Česká KameniceVirtual show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceska Kamenice Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Děčín District