Velim is a municipality and village in

Kolín District Kolín District ( cs, okres Kolín) is a district ('' okres'') within Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Kolín. List of municipalities Barchovice - Bečváry - Bělušice - Břežany I - Břežany II - Bý ...

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 2,200 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The village of Vítězov is an administrative part of Velim.

Geography

Velim is located about northwest of

Kolín Kolín (; german: Kolin, Neu Kolin, Collin) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. Administra ...

and east 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 ...

. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape in the

Central Elbe Table Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

History

The first written mention of Velim is in a deed of King

John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...

from 1323. According to legend, Velim was first mentioned in 999, when Duke Boleslaus II donated the area to his son Oldřich. The railway was built in 1843. The construction of the railway started the development of the village and industrialization.

Economy

Velim is known for the Velim test centre, operated by VUZ (Railway Research Institute).

Transport

Velim is located on the Prague–Kolín railway line.

Sights

The main landmarks of Velim are the two churches. The Church of Saint Lawrence was built in the Gothic style in the 13th century and rebuilt in the Baroque style in the mid-18th century. Next to the church is a separate bell tower, built in 1767. The Evangelical church was built at the end of the 18th century and rebuilt into its current form in 1852.

Notable people

* Stanislava Součková (1923–1997), operatic soprano * Vladimír Karbusický (1925–2002), musicologist and folklorist *

Jaroslav Souček Jaroslav Souček (8 December 1935 – 2 January 2006) was a Czech operatic baritone who had an active career in his native country from 1960 through 1997. He sang a broad repertoire that encompassed roles from Czech, English, French, German, Itali ...

(1935–2006), operatic baritone

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Velim Villages in Kolín District