Městec Králové (; german: Königstädtel meaning “King’s town”) is a town in

Nymburk District Nymburk District ( cs, okres Nymburk) is a district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Nymburk. Administrative division Nymburk District is divided into three administrative districts of municipaliti ...

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 2,800 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Nový and Vinice are administrative parts of Městec Králové.

Geography

Městec Králové is located about east of

Nymburk Nymburk (; german: Nimburg, Neuenburg an der Elbe) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

and east of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

. It lies in the Central Elbe Table. The highest point is a place called Kostelíček with an altitude of . The Štítarský Stream flows through the municipal territory.

History

Městec Králové was established as a walled town on the road from

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 an ...

in the 13th century. According to legends, Queen

Kunigunde Kunigunde, Kunigunda, or Cunigunde, is a European female name of German origin derived from "kuni" (clan, family) and "gund" (war). In Polish this is sometimes Kunegunda or Kinga. People with such names include: * Kunigunde of Rapperswil (c. early ...

, the wife of King

Wenceslaus I of Bohemia Wenceslaus I ( cs, Václav I.; c. 1205 – 23 September 1253), called One-Eyed, was King of Bohemia from 1230 to 1253. Wenceslaus was a son of Ottokar I of Bohemia and his second wife Constance of Hungary. Marriage and children In 1224, Wencesl ...

, was returning from Červený Hradec (today Hradec Králové) to Prague and abruptly gave birth to

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 dea ...

, the most powerful king of the Přemyslid Dynasty, in Městec Králové. Ottokar II rewarded his assumed birthplace by a lion on its coats of arms and some privileges reserved for royal towns. The town was almost destroyed 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 battle ...

and by large fires in 1680, 1746, 1776 and 1792.

Transport

Městec Králové lies on a railway line of local importance Městec Králové–

Chlumec nad Cidlinou Chlumec nad Cidlinou (; german: Chlumetz an der Zidlina) is a town in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,600 inhabitants. Administrative parts The town is made up of town parts of Chlume ...

Sights

The Church of Saint Margaret was built in 1793, after a fire in 1792 burned down the old building. In the 19th century, the church was repaired and a Romanesque tower was added. In 1799, the town hall was built.

Notable people

(1233–1278), King of Bohemia *

František Xaver Pokorný František Xaver Pokorný (20 December 1729, Městec Králové – 2 July 1794, Regensburg) was a Czech composer and violinist of the classical period. While young, he left his hometown for Regensburg where he studied violin playing with Joseph R ...

(1729–1794), composer and violinist *

Otakar Zich Otakar Zich (25 March 1879, Městec Králové – 9 July 1934 Ouběnice u Benešova) was a distinguished Czech composer and aesthetician. Biography In his music education he studied as a self-taught man. Years later, he became a pupil of the p ...

(1879–1934), composer and aesthetician *

Karel Schulz Karel Schulz (6 May 1899 – 27 February 1943) was a Czech novelist, theatre critic, poet and short story writer, whose best known work is the historical novel ''Stone and Pain'' (1942; cs, Kámen a bolest).Prokop, Vladimír. ''Přehled česk ...

(1899–1943), writer *

Ivan Hašek Ivan Hašek (born 6 September 1963) is a Czech professional football coach and former player. Hašek played as a central midfielder, and spent 11 years of his career with Sparta Prague, appearing in more than 300 official games with the club, ...

(born 1963), football player and manager *

Aleš Hruška Aleš Hruška (born 23 November 1985) is a Czech football goalkeeper. International career In May 2011 he received his first call-up for the Czech national football team. He was called up again in May 2015 for a friendly against Iceland ...

(born 1985), footballer * Bořek Dočkal (born 1988), footballer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mestec Kralove Cities and towns in the Czech Republic