Libice nad Cidlinou (german: Libitz an der Cidlina) is a municipality and village in

Nymburk District Nymburk District ( cs, okres Nymburk) is a district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Nymburk. Administrative division Nymburk District is divided into three administrative districts of municipaliti ...

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 1,200 inhabitants. It is one of the oldest settlements in Bohemia.

Geography

Libice nad Cidlinou is located about southeast of

Nymburk Nymburk (; german: Nimburg, Neuenburg an der Elbe) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

and east of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

. It lies in the Central Elbe Table lowland within the Polabí region. The village is situated on the right bank of the Cidlina River, near its confluence with 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 Re ...

History

According to pottery finds, a Slavic settlement was established here in the 6th century. Libice emerged in the 9th century as the capital gord of the Slavník family. The first written mention of Libice is from 981 and relates to a mention from the ''

Chronica Boemorum The ''Chronica Boemorum'' (Chronicle of the Czechs, or Bohemians) is the first Latin chronicle in which the history of the Czech lands has been consistently and relatively fully described. It was written in 1119–1125 by Cosmas of Prague. The ...

''. In 995, Libice was stormed by Bohemian Duke Boleslaus II ( Přemyslid) and the

Vršovci The Vršovci (also Vrshovici; singular: Vršovec) were a Czech noble family in the Duchy of Bohemia. History In Bohemia First noted in the power struggles of the 10th–12th centuries in Bohemia. The Vršovci were the third most powerful politi ...

clan, who killed most of the Slavník family and annexed Libice to

Adalbert of Prague Adalbert of Prague ( la, Sanctus Adalbertus, cs, svatý Vojtěch, sk, svätý Vojtech, pl, święty Wojciech, hu, Szent Adalbert (Béla); 95623 April 997), known in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia by his birth name Vojtěch ( la, ...

and his brother, Archbishop

Radim Gaudentius Radim Gaudentius ( cs, Svatý Radim, pl, Radzim Gaudenty) (c. 970 – c. 1020) was Archbishop of Gniezno and the first Polish archbishop. Background Radim was an illegitimate son of White Croatian Prince Slavník, and thus the half-broth ...

, survived by taking refuge in land of the Polans under rule of Boleslaus II. In the 11th century, the gord survived and continued to function as an important administrative centre of Bohemia. In 1108, Božej of the Vršovci family lived here as a castellan. In 1130, Libice was destroyed by a large fire. The village was renewed, but the gord disappeared, and the stones from it served as building material for the villagers. According to deeds from 1228 and 1233, the village was then owned by the St. George's Convent in Prague. In 1336, the convent sold Libice to Ješek of Všechlapy.

Transport

The D11 motorway runs through the municipality.

Sights

On the western edge of the village lies the area of Slavník gord with models of the foundations of the

Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the ...

church from the 10th century and the palace from the 11th century. A bronze statue of Saint Adalbert of Prague and Radim Gaudentius stands in front of the foundations of the church. In 1961, the area was declared an archaeological monument reserve. Since 1989, the acropolis of the gord has been a national cultural monument. Other sights in Libice include the Church of St. Adalbert and the Evangelical church. The Church of St. Adalbert dates from the 14th century, but was rebuilt to its current form in 1836.

Notable people

(c. 956–997), bishop, missionary, and martyr

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Nymburk District Archaeological sites in the Czech Republic