Lázně Bělohrad () is a spa town in

Jičín District Jičín District () is a Okres, district in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Jičín. Administrative division Jičín District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with ...

in the

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...

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 3,700 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Lázně Bělohrad consists of nine municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Lázně Bělohrad (1,924) *Brtev (137) *Dolní Javoří (19) *Dolní Nová Ves (301) *Horní Nová Ves (580) *Hřídelec (97) *Lány (174) *Prostřední Nová Ves (317) *Uhlíře (32)

Geography

Lázně Bělohrad is located about east of

Jičín Jičín (; or ''Gitschin'') is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservatio ...

and northwest of

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

. It lies mostly in the

Jičín Uplands The Jičín Uplands () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Hradec Králové, Liberec and Central Bohemian regions. Geomorphology The Jičín Uplands are a mesoregion of the North Bohemian ...

. The northern part of the municipal territory belongs to the

Giant Mountains Foothills In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 from ...

and includes the highest point of Lázně Bělohrad, the hill Čihadlo at above sea level. The Javorka River flows through the town. There are several small fishponds around the town.

History

The today's town was created from the settlement Nová Ves, first mentioned in 1354. In the 16th century, a new fortress was established nearby and was called Bělohrad after its white walls (derived from ''Bílý hrad'', meaning "White Castle"). In 1626–1643, it was owned by

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

. During the rule of Guillaume de Lamboy, the village was settled by German colonists. From 1669, it was again acquired by the

Waldstein family The House of Waldstein (Valdstejn, Valdonio, or Wallenstein) is an old, wealthy and important noble family from Central Europe (Germany and the Czech Republic). They owned many castles across Europe. Origin The House of Waldstein or House of V ...

. In 1722, it 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 ...

by Charles VI, and Nová Ves became a part of Bělohrad. In 1871, the railway was built and Bělohrad developed rapidly. In 1880, the spa (, now part of the town's name) was founded, and in 1885, first spa buildings were built.

Demographics

Economy

Lázně Bělohrad is known for its sulfur peat spa, which is among the largest employers in the town. The spa focuses on the treatment of

musculoskeletal disorder Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are injuries or pain in the human musculoskeletal system, including the joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, tendons, and structures that support limbs, neck and back. MSDs can arise from a sudden exertion (e.g. ...

s, gynecological, neurological and skin diseases.

Transport

Lázně Bělohrad is located on the railway line

Kolín Kolín (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monume ...

–

Trutnov Trutnov (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Trutnov consists of 21 ...

Sights

The Bělohrad Castle was a Renaissance castle built around 1550. It was rebuilt around 1721, probably by

Jan Santini Aichel Jan Blažej Santini Aichel, also spelled Aichl (, ; 3 February 1677 – 7 December 1723) was a Czechs, Czech architect of Italians, Italian descent, whose major works are representative of the unique Czech Baroque architecture#Baroque G ...

. The castle is surrounded by a freely accessible castle park. In the park is located Memorial to

Karel Václav Rais Karel Václav Rais (January 4, 1859 – July 8, 1926) was a Czech realist novelist, author of the so-called ''country prose'', numerous books for youth and children, and several poems. Biography Rais was born into the family of a simple farm ...

, who is the most notable native. The memorial is located in the

Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 duri ...

building of the former

orangery An orangery or orangerie is a room or dedicated building, historically where orange and other fruit trees are protected during the winter, as a large form of greenhouse or conservatory. In the modern day an orangery could refer to either ...

, which dates from 1831. In the memorial there is a museum with an exhibition about the life and work of Rais, and about the history of the town. The Church of All Saints was first documented in 1354. In 1689–1700, it was replaced by the current early Baroque building.

Notable people

(1859–1926), novelist

Twin towns – sister cities

Lázně Bělohrad is twinned with: *

Belene Belene ( ) is a town in Pleven Province, Northern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Belene Municipality. The town is situated on the right bank of the Danube river, close to the town of Svishtov. Geography Locati ...

, Bulgaria

References

External links

*
Spa in the town
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazne Belohrad Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Jičín District Spa towns in the Czech Republic