Dobruška (; german: Gutenfeld) is a town in the

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region ( cs, Královéhradecký kraj, ; pl, Kraj hradecki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec ...

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. Th ...

. It has about 6,500 inhabitants. The town is known as the birthplace of Czech patriotic writer

František Ladislav Hek František () is a masculine given name of Czech origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, François, and Franz. People with the name include: *Frank Daniel (František Daniel) (1926–1996), Czech film director, producer, and screenwriter ...

, whose career was described in

Alois Jirásek Alois Jirásek () (23 August 1851, Hronov, Kingdom of Bohemia – 12 March 1930, Prague) was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a high school history teacher in Litomyšl and later in Prague until his retirement ...

's novel ''F. L. Věk''. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Villages of Běstviny, Chábory, Domašín, Křovice, Mělčany, Pulice and Spáleniště are administrative parts of Dobruška.

Geography

Dobruška is located about northeast of

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as a ...

. It lies mostly in the

Orlice Table Orlice (german: Adler) is a river in the Czech Republic. It is tributary of the Labe (''Elbe'') river, which it enters in the city of Hradec Králové. Its main tributaries are Divoká Orlice and Tichá Orlice. Part of the Divoká Orlice acts as t ...

. The eastern part extends into the Podorlická Uplands and includes the highest point of Dobruška, the hill Tábor at . The town is situated at the confluence of two watercourses, river Dědina (also called Zlatý Brook) and Brtevský Brook.

History

The predecessor of Dobruška was a market settlement Lešno, located on the crossroads of two trade routes. The first written mention is from 1320. In 1495, with the arrival of the noble family of Trčka of Lípa, the town began to develop. The houses were reconstructed in the Renaissance style and a representative town hall was built. The prosperity and importance of the town ended with the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

. The large fires in 1806 and 1866 damaged Dobruška and the reconstructions changed the character of the town. At the end of the 19th century, the industry developed, especially the textile industry. In 1908 Dobruška was connected with

Opočno Opočno (; german: Opotschno) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,100 inhabitants. Opočno is known for the Opočno Castle, one of the most magnificent examples of Rena ...

by railway.

Demographics

Economy

The Military Geographical and Hydrometeorological Office is located in Dobruška.

Culture

The International Music Festival of F. L. Vek is organized in Dobruška.

Sights

The historic centre is formed by F. L. Věka Square and adjacent streets. Its main landmark is the Renaissance town hall with a -high tower. In the tower there is the town museum and gallery with early works of F. Kupka. In the middle of the square is a Marian column from 1733. The Church of Saint Wenceslaus was first mentioned in 1350. Its part is an early Baroque belltower. The cemetery Church of Holy Spirit was built in Renaissance style in the 16th century. The former Jewish synagogue in Dobruška is nowadays part of the town museum. The synagogue was originally built in the 18th century and then rebuilt in the Neogothic style in 1867 after it was damaged by a fire. There is also the Jewish cemetery with the oldest preserved tomb from 1688.

Notable people

(1769–1847), patriotic writer *

Alois Beer Alois Beer (February 27, 1833 – October 10, 1897) was a writer and painter born in Bohemia in the Austrian Empire. Information After his apprenticeship in 1849 he went to Vienna, Prague and Styria, all areas in the Austrian Empire. He brief ...

(1833–1897), painter *

František Kupka František Kupka (23 September 1871 – 24 June 1957), also known as ''Frank Kupka'' or ''François Kupka,'' was a Czech painter and graphic artist. He was a pioneer and co-founder of the early phases of the abstract art movement and Orphic ...

(1871–1957), painter and graphic artist; lived here in 1872–1889 *

Radim Drejsl Radim Drejsl (29 April 1923 – 20 April 1953) was a Czech composer, pianist and conductor. He is considered an important composer of politically engaged songs promoting visions of Czechoslovak communist regime in the 1950s. Drejsl applied the ...

(1923–1953), composer, pianist and conductor

Twin towns – sister cities

Dobruška is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Ábrahámhegy, Hungary *

Hnúšťa Hnúšťa ( hu, Nyustya) is a town and municipality in the Rimavská Sobota District of the Banská Bystrica Region of southern Slovakia. It is the birthplace of the well-known 19th-century Slovak writer and member of the Štúr generation, Já ...

, Slovakia * Miejska Górka, Poland *

Piława Górna Piława Górna (german: before 1928: Ober-Peilau, then ''Gnadenfrei'') is a town in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, in the western part of the Wzgórza Strzelińskie hills. It lies approximately east o ...

, Poland *

Radków Radków (german: Wünschelburg) is a town in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Radków, close to the Czech border. As at 2019, the town has ...

, Poland *

Veľký Meder Veľký Meder (1948–1990 ''Čalovo'', hu, Nagymegyer, yi, Magendorf) is a town in the Dunajská Streda District, Trnava Region in southwestern Slovakia. Etymology The name is derived from the name of the ancient Hungarian ''Megyer'' tribe. ...

, Slovakia

Gallery

Dobruška from air 4.jpg, Aerial view of the centre Dobruška - radnice.jpg, Town hall

References

External links

*
The International Music Festival of F. L. Věk in DobruškaVirtual show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobruska Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District