Semily (; german: Semil) is a town in the Liberec Region 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 8,100 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Town parts of Bítouchov and Podmoklice and the village of Spálov are administrative parts of Semily.

Geography

Semily is located about southeast of

Liberec Liberec (; german: Reichenberg ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants and it is the fifth-largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well prese ...

. It lies on the confluence of rivers Jizera and its left tributary Oleška. There is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...

called Jizera Valley. Most of the municipal territory lies in the Giant Mountains Foothills. In the southwest, it extends into the

Ještěd–Kozákov Ridge The Ještěd–Kozákov Ridge (; cs, Ještědsko-kozákovský hřbet) is a ridge and geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is part of the Western Sudetes. The vast majority lies in the Liberec Region. Geomorphology Ještěd–Koz ...

. The highest peak of the territory is Medenec hill with an altitude of .

History

The first written mention of Semily is from 1352, when existence of a church is mentioned. In the middle of the 19th century, the settlement transformed into a wealthy town when the industrialization arrived and the development of rail transport occurred. Semily also profited from an advantageous location near the Jizera River.

Demographics

Sights

The main landmark is the neo-Romanesque Church of Saints Peter and Paul. It was built in 1908, after the old church was torn down. The town has two museums: the Museum and Regional Gallery and the Museum of Raspers.

Notable people

* František Ladislav Rieger (1818–1903), politician * Antal Stašek (1843–1931), writer and lawyer, lived and worked here in 1877–1913 *

Bohumil Kučera Bohumil Kučera (March 22, 1874 in Semily – April 16, 1921 in Prague) was a Czech physicist. Biography Kučera studied physics at the Charles University in Prague and was the first scientist in Czech lands to examine the newly discovered effect ...

(1874–1921), physicist *

Ivan Olbracht Ivan Olbracht, born Kamil Zeman (6 January 1882, Semily, Bohemia – 20 December 1952, Prague) was a Czech writer, journalist and translator of German prose. Biography The son of writer Antal Stašek and his Jewish-born Catholic convert wife K ...

(1882–1952), writer * Magdalena Jetelová (born 1946), artist

Twin towns – sister cities

Semily is twinned with: * Kolochava, Ukraine * Schauenburg, Germany

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Semily District