Smečno () is a town in

Kladno District Kladno District ( cs, okres Kladno) is a district ('' okres'') within the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The capital of the district is the city of Kladno. List of municipalities Běleč - Běloky - Beřovice - Bílichov - Ble ...

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 2,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Czech word ''smyk'', i.e. 'skid'. There was probably a dreaded steep road where there was a risk of slipping.

Geography

Smečno is located about northwest of

Kladno Kladno (; german: Kladen) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 67,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and together with its adjacent suburban areas has a population of more than 110,000. ...

and northwest of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. The eastern part of the municipal territory with the built-up area lies in the

Prague Plateau The Prague Plateau ( cs, Pražská plošina) is a plateau and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the area of Prague and in the Central Bohemian Region. Geomorphology The Prague Plateau is a mesoregion of the B ...

, the western part lies in the Džbán range. The highest point is at above sea level.

History

The first written mention of a fortress in Smečno is from 1252. In 1510, Smečno became 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 rural ...

and in 1515 it became a town.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads running through the municipal territory.

Sights

Smečno Military Open-Air Museum shows fortifications built in 1935–1938. It is fully equipped and armed fortress, one of the few preserved objects of the External Defense of Prague (so-called Prague Line). The fortress in Smečno was rebuilt into a late Gothic castle in 1460, and in the 16th century, it was rebuilt into a Renaissance arcaded castle with a Gothic tower. Nowadays the Smečno Castle serves as a retirement home and the Institute of Social Care. Its park is open to the public.

Notable people

Jaroslav Bořita of Martinice Jaroslav Hrabě Bořita z Martinic (; ) (6 January 1582 – 21 November 1649) was a Czech nobleman and a representative of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor who, along with Vilém Slavata of Chlum, was a victim in the 1618 Defenestration of Prag ...

(1582–1649), nobleman and a representative of Ferdinand II *

Heinrich Clam-Martinic Heinrich Karl Maria Graf von Clam-Martinic (1 January 1863 in Vienna – 7 March 1932 in Klam) was an Austrian statesman. He was one of the last Prime Ministers in the Austrian half of the Austro-Hungarian empire, he was called during World War I t ...

(1863–1932), Austrian statesman, prime minister of Austro-Hungary in 1916–17 *

Zdeněk Liška Zdeněk Liška (16 March 1922 – 13 August 1983) was a Czech composer who produced a large number of film scores across a prolific career that started in the 1950s. He was revelatory in his contribution to the development of electronic music. Hi ...

(1922–1983), film score composer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smecno Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Kladno District