Mnichovo Hradiště (; german: Münchengrätz) is a town in Mladá Boleslav District 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 8,700 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Villages of Dneboh, Dobrá Voda, Hněvousice, Hoškovice, Hradec, Kruhy, Lhotice, Olšina, Podolí, Sychrov and Veselá are administrative parts of Mnichovo Hradiště.

Geography

Mnichovo Hradiště is located about north of

Mladá Boleslav Mladá Boleslav (; german: Jungbunzlau) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 inhabitants. Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region and a major centre of the Czech automotive ind ...

. It lies in the

Jičín Uplands Jičín (; german: Jitschin or ''Gitschin'') is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. T ...

. The town is situated on the left bank of the Jizera River, which forms the western municipal border. The streams Veselka and Nedbalka, tributaries of the Jizera, flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Mnichovo Hradiště is from 1279. It was founded by monks from the nearby Cistercian monastery in Klášter Hradiště nad Jizerou. The town was named the same as the monastery, Hradiště (meaning " gord"). From the 19th century, the town is called Mnichovo Hradiště ("Monk's Gord"). Until 1918, ''Münchengrätz – Mnichovo Hradiště'' 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 ...

(Austria side after the

compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...

), in the district with the same name, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

Demographics

Economy

In 2010 a factory producing

cola Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imi ...

-based drink Kofola was opened in Mnichovo Hradiště.

Transport

The D10 motorway runs next to the town.

Sights

The landmark of the town is Mnichovo Hradiště Castle. The original Gothic fortress was rebuilt into a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

residence in 1606 by Václav Budovec of Budov. In 1621, it was acquired by

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...

. His family, the Waldstein family, owned the castle until 1945. In 1945 it was confiscated by state. Today the castle is still owned by the state and is open to the public. The castle is connected to the baroque complex of the Capuchin monastery from the 1690s, founded by the Waldsteins. The complex include the Church of the Holy Three Kings, the convent and the burial chapel of the Waldsteins. The remains of

were moved from Jičín to the chapel in 1723.

Notable people

Leopold Kompert Leopold Kompert (15 May 182223 November 1886) was a Bohemian Jewish writer. He was born in Mnichovo Hradiště (german: Münchengrätz), Bohemia, and died in Vienna, Austria. He studied at the universities of Prague and Vienna, and was for sever ...

(1822–1886), Jewish writer *

Jan Šverma Jan Šverma (23 March 1901, Mnichovo Hradiště – 10 November 1944, Mt. Chabenec, Low Tatras) was a Czech journalist, communist activist and resistance fighter against the Nazi-backed Slovak State, considered a national hero in the Czechoslovak ...

(1901–1944), journalist, communist activist, resistance fighter *

Jiří Tancibudek Jiří Tancibudek AM (5 March 19211 May 2004) was a Czech-born Australian oboist, conductor and teacher of great renown in his adopted country and elsewhere. His obituary in the ''Adelaide Review'', titled "Prince of the oboe", said of his play ...

(1921–2004), Czech-Australian oboist

Twin towns – sister cities

Mnichovo Hradiště is twinned with: *

Chojnów Chojnów (german: Haynau, Silesian German: Hoyn, Silesian language: ''Chojnůw'') is a small town in Legnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is located on the Skora river, a tributary of the Kaczawa at an averag ...

, Poland *

Erzhausen Erzhausen is a village and a municipality in southern Hesse, Germany. It is part of the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg. It has about 7,900 inhabitants (2020). Wixhausen, a borough of the City of Darmstadt, is just South of Erzhausen. History S ...

, Germany *

Figline e Incisa Valdarno Figline e Incisa Valdarno is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence. It has been created on January 1, 2014 with the union of the municipalities of Figl ...

, Italy

Gallery

Kostel sv. Jakuba Většího, Mnichovo Hradiště.JPG, Church of Saint James the Great from the 18th century Bývalý kapucínský klášter, Mnichovo Hradiště 1.jpg, Former Capuchin monastery

References

External links

*
Mnichovo Hradiště Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mnichovo Hradiste Cities and towns in the Czech Republic