Kostelec nad Labem (; german: Elbekosteletz) is a town 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 4,200 inhabitants. It is situated on the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

River. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

The village of Jiřice is an administrative part of Kostelec nad Labem.

History

Kostelec was probably founded by

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his deat ...

in the second half of the 13th century. The first known owners of Kostelec were the Borš family from Osek, which the settlement was took over by Ottokar II in 1270. The market town later belonging to Queen

Elizabeth of Bohemia Elizabeth Stuart (19 August 159613 February 1662) was Electress of the Palatinate and briefly Queen of Bohemia as the wife of Frederick V of the Palatinate. Since her husband's reign in Bohemia lasted for just one winter, she is called the Win ...

became the

dowry town Dowry town ( cs, věnné město) was a town that had been devoted by a Bohemian king to his wife – the queen consort. This was sometimes indicated by the name of the town, as in the case of Hradec Králové (''Castle of the Queen''), Dvůr Krá ...

of Czech queens. The queen granted privileges to the town and the mill, relieved the town of some duties. There were many ponds around Kostelec. To the northwest stood a water fortress, which well fortified served as a castle. Charles IV pawned Kostelec to his wife

Elizabeth of Pomerania Elizabeth of Pomerania ( pl, Elżbieta pomorska, cs, Eliška Pomořanská; – 15 April 1393) was the fourth and final wife of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia. Life Elizabeth was the daughter of Bogislaw V, Duk ...

. She gave the town other privileges, which Charles IV confirmed. Around 1364, the town was hit by a great fire, destroying many houses, after which it lost its town privileges. In the 15th century, Kostelec was owned by Berka of Dubá, from whom the Queen

Joanna of Rožmitál Joanna of Rožmitál ( cs, Johana z Rožmitálu; c. 1430 – 12 November 1475) was Queen of Bohemia as the second wife of George of Poděbrady. Life She was a daughter of John of Rožmitál and his wife Ludmila of Strakonice. Marriage Joanna ma ...

, the widow of King

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad ( cs, Jiří z Poděbrad; german: Georg von Podiebrad), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the ...

, purchases it. Under the rule of King Vladislaus II in 1486, Kostelec gained the title of a town. The Jewish community was established in Kostelec around 1505. It came to an end in 1940. Jews were mostly buyers, they bought houses in the town, the municipal council also reserved a cemetery for them. They introduced a school for children around 1717. In 1886, the granary was rebuilt into a synagogue, which was demolished after 1948.

Sights

The originally a Gothic town hall was rebuilt in the Renaissance style after a fire in 1551, and heavily modified in 1727 and 1820. it is a foot corner building with a prismatic tower, divided by rectangular windows with a pillar in the corner. Church of Saint Vitus is a late Gothic building with a presbytery built until 1492, and three-nave from the beginning of the 16th century. In 1566–1567, the church was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, modified in the 17th century and in 1728. South vestibule is from the middle of the 18th century, and the bell tower was modified in 1829. Church of Saint Martin is a cemetery church, originally a parish church built at the latest in 1361. It was rebuilt in late Gothic style, and its chapel was renovated in the 17th century. In 1769, it was extended by the western tower and a

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

was built. The old Jewish cemetery was founded in 1594 and is one of the oldest in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. Only newer tombstones from the second half of the 19th century are preserved. It has around 300 tombstones. Kostelec nad Labem Castle was built at the end of the 13th century, but lately was destroyed and transformed into private residence.

Notable people

Teresa Stolz Teresa Stolz (born 2 June 1834, Elbekosteletz (Czech: Kostelec nad Labem), Bohemia – died 23 August 1902, Milan) was a Bohemian soprano, long resident in Italy, who was associated with significant premieres of the works of Giuseppe Verdi, an ...

(1834–1902), operatic soprano

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Mělník District