Rychnov nad Kněžnou (; german: Reichenau an der Knieschna) is a town in the

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region ( cs, Královéhradecký kraj, ; pl, Kraj hradecki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec ...

of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Villages of Dlouhá Ves, Jámy, Lipovka, Litohrady, Lokot, Panská Habrová and Roveň are administrative parts of Rychnov nad Kněžnou.

Geography

Rychnov nad Kněžnou is located about east of

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as a ...

. The western part of the municipal territory lies in the Orlice Table and includes most of the built-up area. The eastern part lies in the Podorlická Uplands and includes the highest point of Rychnov nad Kněžnou at . The town is situated on the Kněžna River. The streams Liberský and Javornický joins Kněžna in the municipal territory. Near the town there is the Les Včelný Nature Park.

History

The first written mention of Rychnov nad Kněžnou is from 1 February 1258 in a deed of

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in 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 d ...

, where Heřman of Rychnov was mentioned. In 1561, Rychnov was promoted to a royal town by

Ferdinand I Ferdinand I or Fernando I may refer to: People * Ferdinand I of León, ''the Great'' (ca. 1000–1065, king from 1037) * Ferdinand I of Portugal and the Algarve, ''the Handsome'' (1345–1383, king from 1367) * Ferdinand I of Aragon and Sicily, '' ...

. The town hall in Rychnov was first documented in 1596. In 1640, the Rychnov estate was bought by the Kolowrat family. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

, the town was badly damaged. In 1676, František Karel I Kolowrat had a new castle built here. The castle was gradually expanded by other family members. Until 1918, the town was part of the

Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

, and head of the ''Reichenau'' District, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in Bohemia. In 1950, several municipalities were joined to Rychnov nad Kněžnou. On 1 January 1990, four parts of Rychnov nad Kněžnou became three separate municipalities (

Jahodov Jahodov is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Boh ...

, Lukavice and

Synkov-Slemeno Synkov-Slemeno is a municipality in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, ...

Demographics

Sights

Rychnov nad Kněžnou is known for the Baroque Kolowrat's castle. It contains rich collection of arts and books, and it includes the Museum and Gallery of Orlické Mountains and a castle park. The church next to the castle is Church of the Holy Trinity, which is known for the third largest bell in the country. The church is used for religious and cultural purposes. The historic town centre is formed by Staré Square. It comprises preserved burgher houses and Neoclassical former town hall from 1802–1804, which serves today as a tourist information centre. Near the square there is the Church of Saint Gall. It was built in the late 13th century and repaired in pseudo-Gothic style in 1893. The bell tower was built in 1870–1871 in pseudo-Romanesque style. The former synagogue contains Memorial of Karel Poláček, the most notable local native, and a Jewish museum.

Notable people

Jan Antonín Vocásek Jan Antonín Vocásek (February 26, 1706 - June 26, 1757) was a Czech Baroque painter. Vocásek was born in Rychnov nad Kněžnou. He painted still life with fish, birds, flowers and fruit with realistically detailed precision, as well as portrai ...

(1706–1757), painter * Karel Poláček (1892–1945), writer and humourist * Jaroslav Weigel (1931–2019), painter, actor and writer *

Remigius Machura Remigius Machura () (born 3 July 1960 in Rychnov nad Kněžnou) is a retired shot putter who represented Czechoslovakia. His career highlights include a bronze medal at the first World Championships and a gold medal at the first World Indoor Ch ...

(born 1960), shot putter *

Petr Stančík Petr Stančík (; born 9 June 1968 in Rychnov nad Kněžnou Rychnov nad Kněžnou (; german: Reichenau an der Knieschna) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well pre ...

(born 1968), writer and poet *

Dan Vávra Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

(born 1975), video game writer, director and designer

Twin towns – sister cities

Rychnov nad Kněžnou is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Kłodzko Kłodzko (; cz, Kladsko; german: Glatz; la, Glacio) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse river. Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzk ...

, Poland

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rychnov Nad Kneznou Cities and towns in the Czech Republic