Kunvald (german: Kunewalde, Kunwald) is a market town in

Ústí nad Orlicí District Ústí nad Orlicí District ( cs, okres Ústí nad Orlicí) is a district (''okres'') within Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Ústí nad Orlicí. The district has borders with Pardubice District to the west, Sv ...

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 900 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Bubnov, Končiny, Kunačice, Záhory and Zaječiny are administrative parts of Kunvald.

Geography

Kunvald is located about northeast of

Ústí nad Orlicí Ústí nad Orlicí (; german: Wildenschwert) is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The town lies in the Orlické Mountains on the confluence of the rivers Tichá Orlice and Třebovka. The town ce ...

and 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 the Podorlická Uplands. The highest point of the municipal territory is the hill Homole, at . The Horský Brook flows through the market town.

History

The first written mention of Kunvald is from 1363. It was founded in the second half of the 13th century. The

Moravian Church The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

was founded in Kunvald in "Na Sboru" House in 1457, when followers of the martyred

Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the inspir ...

found refuge on the estate 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 ...

Sights

"Na Sboru" House is open to the public and contains an exposition on the history of the

(Unity of the Brethren). Other memorable places, reminiscent of the work of the Moravian Church, are the Brethren Linden, which was planted here by members before leaving their homeland; a place called Jordán, where there used to be a well where the new members were baptized; a praying mine where the brothers hid and gathered for worship in times of oppression; a monument to

John Amos Comenius John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considere ...

from 1910, which stands in the original burial ground; and a smithy, from which the first bishop of the Unity allegedly came.

Notable people

Jan Černý-Nigranus Jan Černý-Nigranus (1500 or 1510 – 5 February 1565) was a Czech historian, preacher and bishop of the Moravian Church. Life He was born in Kunvald. In 1537 he was ordained bishop and worked in the congregation of Moravian Church in Brandýs n ...

(c. 1500–1565), historian and priest

Twin towns – sister cities

Kunvald is twinned with: * Lititz, United States

References

External links

* {{authority control Market towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Ústí nad Orlicí District History of the Moravian Church