Holice (; german: Holitz) is a town in

Pardubice District Pardubice District ( cs, okres Pardubice) is a district (''okres'') within the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Pardubice. Overview Pardubice District is the smallest district of the region but has the highest po ...

in the

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region ( cs, Pardubický kraj; , ; pl, Kraj pardubicki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It ...

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 6,500 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Town parts and villages of Kamenec, Koudelka, Podhráz, Podlesí, Roveňsko and Staré Holice are administrative parts of Holice.

Geography

Holice is located about east of

Pardubice Pardubice (; german: Pardubitz) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 89,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monu ...

. It lies in a flat landscape of the

East Elbe Table East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from ...

lowland. The highest point is the hill Kamenec at . The Ředický stream flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Holice is from 1336, when it was property of

John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...

as a part of the Chvojnov estate. In the 15th century, it was referred to as a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

with a fortress and a church. In 1931, it was promoted to a town.

Demographics

Sport

Near Kamenec, there is a

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

track which bears the name of Michael Špaček.

Sights

The African Museum of Dr. Emil Holub is a museum dedicated to

Emil Holub Emil Holub (7 October 1847 – 21 February 1902) was a Czech physician, explorer, cartographer, and ethnographer in Africa. Early life Holub was born in Holice in eastern Bohemia (then within the Austrian Empire, now the Czech Republic), to t ...

, the most notable local native. It was originally a memorial hall opened in 1956 and later a memorial, which was renamed the museum in 2012.

Notable people

(1847–1902), African explorer *

Harry Horner Harry Horner (July 24, 1910 – December 5, 1994) was an Austro-Hungarian-born American art director who made a successful career in Hollywood as an Oscar-winning art director and as a feature film and television director. Biography Horner was ...

(1910–1994), art director and set designer *

Václav Lohniský Václav Lohniský (5 November 1920 – 18 February 1980) was a Czech film actor. He appeared in 120 films and television shows between 1950 and 1980. Selected filmography * '' Případ dr. Kováře'' (1950) * ''September Nights'' (1957) * ...

(1920–1980), actor *

Jan Kačer Jan Kačer (born 3 October 1936) is a Czech actor and film director. He appeared in more than sixty films since 1960. Life He studied acting at DAMU. He was an actor and a director in The Drama Club and later Theatre on the Balustrade The Theat ...

(born 1936), actor and director

Twin towns – sister cities

Holice is twinned with: *

Medzev Medzev ( hu, Mecenzéf), also known as Metzenseifen (particularly to Americans and the native German-speaking community) is a town and large municipality in Košice-okolie District in the Košice Region of eastern Slovakia. It is one of several tow ...

, Slovakia *

Strzelce Opolskie Strzelce Opolskie (german: Groß Strehlitz, szl, Wielge Strzelce) is a town in southern Poland with 17,900 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Strzelce County. Demographics Strzelce Opolskie is one of th ...

, Poland

References

External links

*
Museum of Emil Holub
{{authority control Populated places in Pardubice District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Shtetls