Poděbrady (; german: Podiebrad) is a spa 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 14,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Poděbrady is made up of town parts of Poděbrady I–V and villages of Kluk, Polabec, Přední Lhota and Velké Zboží.

Etymology

An ancient community and a small fortress originated near the

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

. It is most likely that the position of this community is reflected in the present name of the town: ''pode brody'' = "below the ford".

Geography

Poděbrady is located about southeast 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 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 the

Central Elbe Table Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center (disambiguation), 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 ...

lowland within the Polabí region. The

River flows through the town. South of the town is located Poděbrady Lake. It is a large lake, created by the flooding of an excavated sandstone quarry. It is mainly used for recreational purposes.

History

The first written mention of Poděbrady is from 1223, the first unverified mention is from 1199. A long-distance trade route running from Prague to eastern

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 ...

and then on to

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

passed through the then-forested landscape interwoven with a dense network of river branches. This important communication intersected the Elbe River to the west of the present town, at a place called Na Vinici. The Poděbrady estate was private, but between 1262 and 1268, it became the property of King Ottokar II as

escheat Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...

, and he built a stone water castle in Poděbrady. The place has become a popular destination for rulers due to its proximityto Prague and the possibility of hunting in local forests. Emperor Charles IV handed over the estate to Lords of Kunštát, who later became known as Lords of Poděbrady. During their presence, Poděbrady achieved its greatest prosperity. In 1472, Poděbrady obtained the town privileges from King

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad ( cs, Jiří z Poděbrad; german: Georg von Podiebrad), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the ...

. During the reign of Ferdinand I, Poděbrady flourished further, however in the 17th century, the town suffered from

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 batt ...

and fires. The biggest fire hit Poděbrady in 1681, when the town hall and most of the wooden houses completely burned down. After this event, only the construction of brick houses was allowed on the square. The town walls were demolished and the town changed its character in a short time. A historic milestone of the history of the town was the year 1905, when it was visited by the German estate owner Prince von Bülow. This well-known

water diviner ''The Water Diviner'' is a 2014 drama film starring and directed by Russell Crowe, in his directorial debut, and written by Andrew Anastasios and Andrew Knight. The film is loosely based on the book of the same name written by Andrew Anastasio ...

marked the place of a strong spring in the castle's inner courtyard, which was later bored to a depth of . The discovery of carbonic

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. T ...

resulted in the opening of the first spa in 1908. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Poděbrady rapidly changed into a spa town which from 1926 specialized in the treatment of

cardiovascular diseases Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

, rapidly gaining renown not only in the Czech Republic, but also abroad.

Demographics

Spa

The mineral water that was found in the early 1900s is better known as Poděbradka. The water contains iron deposits. There are twelve free public taps where people are able to obtain Poděbradka. The refined version of Poděbradka that is not as heavy is bottled and headed to shops in the whole country. Lázně Poděbrady, a. s. (Spa Poděbrady, Inc.) is a Czech spa provider in Poděbrady. The spa is focused mainly on the treatment of heart problems and the musculoskeletal system.

Transport

The D11 motorway runs south of the town. An important railroad from

Lysá nad Labem Lysá nad Labem (; german: Lissa an der Elbe) is a town in Nymburk District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,700 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected ...

and Kolín crosses here at a railway station.

Sights

Libenského kolonáda, Poděbrady (2008) 02

The historic centre is made up of Jiřího Square and its surroundings. The main landmark is Poděbrady Castle. It was rebuilt to its current form in 1752–1757 at the behest of

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

. Today it serves as a museum and monument of George of Poděbrady. The square is made up of terraced houses of Renaissance and Baroque origin and former Renaissance town hall from the 16th century, nowadays a library. The Neo-Renaissance building of the Civic Bank from 1898 is also valuable. The Baroque

Marian column Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places * Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queenslan ...

dates from 1765. A significant element of the square is the Monument of King George from 1896 with his equestrian statue. The large spa park with a modern

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

is also a part of the urban monument zone. The oldest part of the park was created on the site of a former manor park according to the project of architect František Janda. Gradually, more parts were added and the park expanded. The glass colonnade of Professor Libenský was built in 1938. The colonnade was built above a spring of mineral water. The most valuable technical monument is the Poděbrady

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

power plant. It is a Neoclassical building designed by Antonín Engel in 1913, built in 1914–1919. It is valued for still functional technology and its architectural solution. It is one of the oldest

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

in the Middle Elbe and at the same time a valuable example of technological and operational solutions for this type of waterworks.

Notable people

(1420–1471), King of Bohemia *

Kunigunde of Sternberg Kunigunde of Sternberg ( cs, Kunhuta ze Šternberka; 18 November 1425, Konopiště – 19 November 1449, Poděbrady) was the first wife of George of Poděbrady, who later became King of Bohemia. Life Kunigunde's parents were the Bohemian noble ...

(1425–1449), wife of George of Poděbrady; buried here *

Ludvík Kuba Ludvík Kuba (April 16, 1863 in Poděbrady, Bohemia – November 30, 1956 in Prague) was a Czech landscape painter, musician, writer, professor in the Academy of Fine Arts Prague, Academy of Fine Arts. He was a representative of the Late-Impre ...

(1853–1956), painter, musician and writer * Jan Trampota (1889–1942), painter; died here * Josef and Ctirad Mašín, resistance fighters; attended a high school here *

Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...

(1932–2018), filmmaker *

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...

(1936–2011), first president of the Czech Republic *

Hans Janowitz Hans Janowitz (2 December 1890 – 25 May 1954) was a German author. Janowitz was an officer in World War I, but returned from it as a pacifist. Shortly after the war ended, he met the similarly minded Carl Mayer in Berlin, who suggested he work ...

(1890–1954), German author * Marta Kubišová (born 1942), singer and signatory to

Charter 77 Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech and Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Jiří Něm ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Poděbrady is twinned with: *

Netanya Netanya (also known as Natanya, he, נְתַנְיָה) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between Poleg stream and Wingate ...

, Israel *

Piešťany Piešťany (; german: Pistyan, hu, Pöstyén, pl, Pieszczany , cs, Píšťany ) is a town in Slovakia. It is located in the western part of the country within the Trnava Region and is the seat of its own district. It is the biggest and best kno ...

, Slovakia *

Tharandt Tharandt () is a municipality in Saxony, Germany, situated on the Weißeritz, 9 miles southwest of Dresden. It has a Protestant Church and the oldest academy of forestry in Germany, founded as the Royal Saxon Academy of Forestry by Heinrich Co ...

, Germany *

Vertou Vertou (; br, Gwerzhav) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. It is located on the river Sèvre Nantaise, and was a historical town of Brittany. Today, Vertou is a component of the Nantes Métropole and is the fift ...

, France

Gallery

Poděbrady Castle.jpg, Jiřího Square Poděbrady - Stará radnice.JPG, Old town hall Kolonáda prof. Libenského s kioskem 3.JPG, Spa park Nam. TGM, Poděbrady (2008) 03.jpg, Spa park Antonín Engel - Zdymadlo a vodní elektrárna v Poděbradech 2.jpg, Hydroelectric power plant LabeA JezeroZeZámkuPdy.JPG, Elbe and Poděbrady Lake

References

External links

*
Poděbrady SpaCulture in Poděbrady
{{DEFAULTSORT:Podebrady Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Nymburk District Spa towns in the Czech Republic