Hořovice (; german: Horschowitz, Horvitz, Horowitz) is a town in

Beroun District Beroun District ( cs, okres Beroun) is a district ('' okres'') within Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Beroun. Complete list of municipalities Bavoryně - Beroun - Běštín - Březová - Broumy - B ...

in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( cz, Středočeský kraj, german: Mittelböhmische Region) is an administrative unit ( cz, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in ...

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 6,900 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Hořovice is made up of only one administrative part.

History

Hořovice was founded between 1303 and 1322, however archaeological excavations proves existence of an early settlement already in the 10th century. There was a trading post, later rebuilt and expanded into a castle in the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style (the so-called "Old Castle"). Due to frequent fires in the town (in 1540, 1590, 1624, 1639, 1690 and 1694) and reconstructions, almost all documents of Gothic and Renaissance architecture were destroyed. The construction of the Bohemian Western Railroad in around 1862 contributed to the development of industry. Gradually, the traditional handicraft nail production disappeared, and was replaced by machine production in the newly established factories. Thanks to the rich deposits in the area,

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

has been processed here since the 14th century. Cast iron has made the area famous since the 18th century. Stoves, grilles, railings, reliefs and busts were cast in the local foundries.

Jewish legacy

One of the most worldwide spread Jewish surname

Horovitz Horovitz is one of the variants of a surname originating in the Jewish community of Bohemia – bearers of that surname apparently migrated in the middle ages from a small town Hořovice in Bohemia (today the Czech Republic). For detailed historical ...

Horowitz Horowitz ( he, הוֹרוֹביץ, yi, האָראָװיץ) is a Levitical Ashkenazi surname deriving from the Horowitz family, though it can also be a non Jewish surname as well. The name is derived from the town of Hořovice, Bohemia. Other varia ...

Gurvich Gurvich, Gurwich, Gurwitch, Gurwitsch or Gurevich is a Yiddish surname, a Russian form of the surname "Horowitz" (''Гу́рвич''), see the latter article about its etymology. The surname may refer to: Gurvich *Abram Gurvich (1897–1962), Russ ...

Hurwicz Hurwicz ( he, הורביץ), russian: Гурвич: * Leonid "Leo" Hurwicz (1917-2008), a Jewish Russian-American economist and mathematician of Polish-Jewish descent * Angelika Hurwicz (1922-1999), a German actress and theatre director See also ...

Hurwitz Hurwitz is one of the variants of a surname of Ashkenazi Jewish origin (for historical background see the Horowitz page). Notable people with the surname include: *Adolf Hurwitz (1859–1919), German mathematician ** Hurwitz polynomial **Hurwitz m ...

Horvitz Horvitz is one of the variants of an Ashkenazi Jewish surname (for historical background see the Horowitz page). It is also a non Jewish surname as well. It may refer to: * Daniel G. Horvitz (1921-2008), statistician *David Horvitz (born ca 1982), ...

, etc., originates from the town of Hořovice, which during the late Middle Ages had one of the most substantial Jewish populations in the

Bohemian Kingdom The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

and rabbis and communal leaders such as

Isaiah Horowitz Isaiah or Yeshayahu ben Avraham Ha-Levi Horowitz ( he, ישעיה בן אברהם הלוי הורוויץ), (c. 1555 – March 24, 1630), also known as the ''Shelah HaKaddosh'' ( "the holy ''Shelah''") after the title of his best-known work, was ...

Shabtai Sheftel Horowitz Shabtai Sheftel ben Akiva ha-Levi Horowitz (; 1565–1619) was a kabbalistic author, who flourished in Prague in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. His father, named Akiba according to Steinschneider and Benjacob, not Jacob, was the son of ...

traced their lineage from this town.

Demographics

Sights

Hořovice is known for the

Hořovice Castle Hořovice Castle is a castle in the town of Hořovice in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. History It was built in two parts. The so-called "Old Castle" was built in the Gothic architecture, Gothic style in the 14th century, and ...

. The so-called New Castle was built in 1680–1709. It contains the adjacent French-English park and it is open to the public. The Old Castle houses the Police of the Czech Republic, the Municipal Library and the Information Centre, and offices of a family centre and of the Museum of the Bohemian Karst. A gallery and exposition of Hořovice Region Museum are also located there. The second historic centre is Palackého Square with its surroundings. The Baroque Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1674. The town hall is a Neo-Renaissance building from 1905.

Notable people

Elizabeth of Görlitz Elisabeth of Görlitz (1390 or 1380 – 1444 or 2 August 1451) reigned as Duchess of Luxemburg from 1411 to 1443. Life Elisabeth was the only daughter and heiress of John of Görlitz, the third son of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. He was Du ...

(1390–1451), Duchess of Luxemburg *

Josel of Rosheim Josel of Rosheim (alternatively: Joselin, Joselmann, Yoselmann, german: Josel von Rosheim, he, יוסף בן גרשון מרוסהים ''Joseph ben Gershon mi-Rosheim'', or ''Joseph ben Gershon Loanz''; c. 1480 – March, 1554) was the great advoca ...

(1480–1554), advocate of the German Jews; lived here *

Josef Labor Josef Paul Labor (29 June 1842 – 26 April 1924) was an Austrian pianist, organist, and composer of the late Romantic era. Labor was an influential music teacher. As a friend of some key figures in Vienna, his importance was enhanced. Biogr ...

(1842–1924), musician * Alfred Seifert (1850–1901), Czech-German painter; grew up here *

Jaroslav Panuška Jaroslav Panuška (3 March 1872 – 1 August 1958) was a Czech painter and illustrator. Biography Born in 1872 in Hořovice, Jaroslav Panuška was the son of a land surveyor. He studied art in Prague under Julius Mařák, becoming one of th ...

(1872–1958), painter and illustrator *

Otto Hönigschmid Otto Hönigschmid (13 March 1878 in Hořovice – 14 October 1945 in Munich) was a Czech/Austrian chemist. He published the first widely accepted experimental proof of isotopes along with Stefanie Horovitz. Throughout his career he worked to ...

(1878–1945), chemist * Libor Capalini (born 1973), modern pentathlete, Olympic medalist *

Jan Prušinovský Jan Prušinovský () (born 3 July 1979 in Hořovice) is a Czech director and screenwriter. In 2013, he was nominated for Czech Lion award as Best Director for '' Okresní přebor - Poslední zápas Pepika Hnátka'' and the film itself was nomin ...

(born 1979), director and screenwriter * Jiří Fischer (born 1980), ice hockey player *

Jan Skopeček Jan Skopeček (19 September 1925 – 27 July 2020) was a Czech actor and playwright. Born in Litoměřice, Skopeček began his acting career in 1949, appearing in numerous plays. He was married to actress Věra Tichánková Věra Tichánk ...

(born 1980), politician * Petr Koukal (born 1985), badminton player

Twin towns – sister cities

Hořovice is twinned with: *

Gau-Algesheim Gau-Algesheim is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Gau-Algesheim, a kind of collective municipality. Geography Location Gau-Algesheim lies roughly 20 km ...

, Germany

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Horovice Populated places in the Beroun District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Historic Jewish communities in Europe