Přelouč () is a town in

Pardubice District Pardubice District () is a Okres, district in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Pardubice. Administrative division Pardubice District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with ex ...

in the

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It is named after its capital Pardubice. As an administrat ...

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 10,000 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Přelouč consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Přelouč (8,160) *Klenovka (184) *Lhota (169) *Lohenice (276) *Mělice (190) *Škudly (94) *Štěpánov (133) *Tupesy (70) Tupesy forms an

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of the municipal territory.

Etymology

The name is derived from Czech ''přes louku'', i.e. "across the meadow". It refers to the place where people walked across the meadows.

Geography

Přelouč is located about west of

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 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 monument (Czech Repub ...

. It lies on the border between the

Svitavy Uplands The Svitavy Uplands or Svitavy Hills () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Pardubice Region and it belongs to the largest mesoregions in the country. Geomorphology The Svitavy Uplands is a ...

and

East Elbe Table The East Elbe Table () is a plateau and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Hradec Králové, Pardubice and Central Bohemian region. The Elbe River flows through the territory, after which the plateau is nam ...

, in the

Polabí Polabí () is the traditional and informal name for a lowland region located mainly in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Etymology The name comes from Czech ''po Labi'', meaning "along the Elbe". The same linguistic construction g ...

region. The highest point is at above sea level. The town is situated on the left bank of the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...

. There are several water bodies in the municipal territory. North of the town are flooded

gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...

quarries, which are used mainly for recreation and water sports. North of the town is also the fishpond Buňkov, the largest water body of Přelouč. In the urban area is the small Račanský Pond.

History

Přelouč is one of the oldest historically documented settlements in the region. A settlement for probably founded here in the 10th century. The first written mention of Přelouč dates back to 1086 when the village became a part of the Benedictine monastery in

Opatovice nad Labem Opatovice nad Labem is a municipality and village in Pardubice District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. Administrative division Opatovice nad Labem consists of two municipal parts (in brackets populat ...

. It was owned by the monastery for 300 years. In 1261, Přelouč 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 King

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II (; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Austria, 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 death in 1278 ...

. Since then, the town has used its coat of arms which consists of a black gridiron in the golden field. This symbol is associated with

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...

who lived in the 3rd century in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and was burnt alive on a gridiron. Because of the town's affiliation with the Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Lawrence, the town coat of arms includes the gridiron. Thanks to its location, Přelouč was an important strategic transit place in the 13th and 14th centuries. During the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

, Přelouč was conquered and badly damaged. As a result, its importance declined and it became a small agricultural market town. In 1518, it was joined to the Pardubice estate. New economical and cultural development occurred in the second half of the 16th century and in 1580, it was promoted to a town by

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...

. The

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

again damaged the town, which again became a small agricultural town. It was not until the first half of the 19th century, thanks to the construction of a new imperial road and then the railway, that Přelouč became the second most economically important town in the region. From 1850 to 1960, Přelouč was a district town.

Demographics

Economy

The largest employer is the industrial company Kiekert-CS. The production plant of the multinational company was founded in Přelouč in 1993 and focuses on the production of closure systems for the automotive industry.

Transport

The I/2 road (the section from

Kutná Hora Kutná Hora (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The history of Kutná Hora is linked to silver mining, which made it a rich and rapidly developing town. The centre of Kutná Hora, i ...

) passes through the town. Přelouč is located on the railway line

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 ...

–Pardubice, further continuing to

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

and

Luhačovice Luhačovice (; ) is a spa town in Zlín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. It is known for the largest spa in Moravia and for architecturally valuable buildings designed by the architect Dušan Jurko ...

. It is also the terminus and starting point of the short local line from/to

Heřmanův Městec Heřmanův Městec (; ) is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech ...

Culture

František Filipovský Award is a film and television dubbing ceremony award held in Přelouč since 1994. This ceremony aims to increase the prestige of this artistic discipline and to popularize artists who excel in this field. It commemorates the actor and voice actor

František Filipovský František Filipovský (23 September 1907 – 26 October 1993) was a Czechoslovak stage, television, and film actor. Life and career Early life and theatre Filipovský was born on 23 September 1907 in the Czech town of Přelouč, then part of ...

, a local native.

Sights

The most significant building is the Church of Saint James the Great. It was originally built in the

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

. After it was damaged by fire in 1641, it was renovated in the

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

in 1646. A landmark is the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. This cemetery church was built in the Baroque style in 1684. Its interior is decorated with paintings by Josef Kramolín. The former Civil Savings Bank is a

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

building from 1899–1901 and the

building of the primary school from 1880–1881 are landmarks of the town square and whole town. The Hydroelectric Power Station on the Elbe has been working since 1924 and is a technical monument. It has an installed capacity of 2,340 kW.

Notable people

* Ladislav Quis (1846–1913), poet and writer; lived here * František Dvořák (1862–1927), painter *

Rudolf Bruner-Dvořák Rudolf Bruner-Dvořák (2 July 1864, Přelouč – 30 October 1921, Prague) was a Czechs, Czech photographer of the late 19th and early 20th century. He was an important figure in Czech photojournalism and known for his use of Autochrome Lumièr ...

(1864–1921), photographer *

František Flos František Flos (27 July 1864, Přelouč – 8 January 1961, 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, locate ...

(1864–1961), writer *

(1907–1993), actor and voice actor *

Jiřina Petrovická Jiřina Petrovická (30 January 1923 – 10 October 2008) was a Czechoslovak film actress. She appeared in 20 films and television shows between 1943 and 1985. Selected filmography * '' Fourteen at the Table'' (1943) * '' Men Without Wings' ...

(1923–2008), actress; raised here * Stanislav Brebera (1925–2012), chemist,

Semtex Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. Semtex was developed and manufactured in Czechoslovakia, originally under the name B 1 a ...

inventor * Olga Hudlická (1926–2014), Czech-British physiologist

Gallery

Prelouc CZ old school 01.jpg, Old school Vodní elektrárna s mostem (Přelouč) 06.JPG, Hydro-electric power plant

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prelouc Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Pardubice District