Křivoklát () is a market town in

Rakovník District Rakovník District () is a district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Rakovník. Administrative division Rakovník District is formed by only one administrative district of municipality with extended ...

in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known for the medieval Křivoklát Castle, protected as national cultural monument.

Administrative division

Křivoklát consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Křivoklát (623) *Častonice (35) *Písky (25)

Etymology

The initial name of Křivoklát was Krivoplát. It was derived from Czech words (i.e. 'crooked plate') and probably referred to the non-flat terrain where the castle was founded. In the 14th century, the name was distorted to Křivoklát.

Geography

Křivoklát is located about southeast of

Rakovník Rakovník (, ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Rakovník consists o ...

and west of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. It lies in the

Křivoklát Highlands Křivoklát () is a market town in Rakovník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known for the medieval Křivoklát Castle, protected as national cultural monument. Administrative d ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. The market town is situated in the meander of the

Berounka The Berounka () is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Vltava River. It flows through the Plzeň Region, Plzeň and Central Bohemian Region, Central Bohemian regions to Prague. It is formed by the confluence of the Mže and Radbu ...

River at its confluence with the stream

Rakovnický potok The Rakovnický potok is a stream in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Berounka River. It flows through the Central Bohemian Region. It is long. Etymology The name means "Rakovník stream". Characteristic The Rakovnický potok origina ...

, which flows west of Křivoklát below the castle. The entire municipal territory lies within the Křivoklátsko Landscape Protected Area.

History

The castle was founded at the beginning of the 11th century. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, the first cottages appeared below the castle and the hamlet became known as Budy. Nearby hamlet Čamrdoves grew up, and during the 17th and 18th centuries they became one village. In 1886 the hamlets Budy, Amalín, Čamrdoves, and Častonice created a single administrative unit, the municipality of Křivoklát. In 1896, the municipality was promoted to 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 rura ...

Demographics

Transport

Křivoklát is located on the railway line

Beroun Beroun (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers. Beroun creates a conurbation with Králův Dvůr, former part of Beroun. ...

–Rakovník.

Sights

Křivoklát is a popular tourist destination known for the Křivoklát Castle. It is an importance medieval royal castle from the 13th century. From the 1470s to the 1520s, it was extensively rebuilt. It is protected as national cultural monument. Today the castle is owned by the state. It is open to the public and offers guided tours. A notable building is the Church of Saint Peter. It was originally a late Gothic church from 1522, rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style in the 1880s according to the design by

Josef Mocker Josef Mocker (22 November 1835 in Cítoliby – 15 November 1899 in Prague) was a Bohemian architect and restorer who worked in a purist Gothic Revival style. Overview Mocker was responsible for restoring many Bohemian castles and ancient bui ...

Notable people

Irma Reichová Irma Reichová (14 March 1859 – 5 June 1930) was a Czech operatic soprano who had an active career appearing in European opera houses during the latter half of the nineteenth century. A dramatic soprano, she was admired for both her musical ...

(1859–1930), operatic soprano

References

External links

*
Křivoklát Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krivoklat Market towns in the Czech Republic