Žamberk (; ) is a town in

Ústí nad Orlicí District Ústí nad Orlicí District () is a Okres, district in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Ústí nad Orlicí, but the most populated town is Česká Třebová. Administrative division Ústí nad Orlicí District ...

in the

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It is named after its capital Pardubice. As an administrat ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It has about 5,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.

Geography

Žamberk is located about northeast of

Ústí nad Orlicí Ústí nad Orlicí (; ) is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument z ...

and east of

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

. It lies in the Orlické Foothills. The highest point is the hill Hůrka at above sea level. The

Divoká Orlice The Divoká Orlice (, ) is a river in the Czech Republic and Poland. It flows through Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland and through the Hradec Králové and Pardubice regions. It is the upper and middle course of the Orlice, but usually it is c ...

River flows through the town.

Climate

Žamberk's climate is classified as

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfb''; Trewartha: ''Dcbo''). Among them, the annual average temperature is , the hottest month in July is , and the coldest month is in January. The annual precipitation is , of which July is the wettest with , while April is the driest with only . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on 28 January 1942 to on 7 August 2015.

History

Žamberk was founded in the second half of the 13th century, during the colonization of this region. Its predecessor was a

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

settlement on a trade route from

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

Kłodzko Land Kłodzko Land (; ; ) is a historical region in southwestern Poland. The subject of Czech–Polish rivalry in the High Middle Ages, it became a Bohemian domain since the 12th century, although with periods of rule of the Polish Piast dynasty in th ...

. The first written mention of Žamberk is from 1332, under its German name Senftenberg. Soon after, the Czech name began to be used, which testifies to the majority of the Czech population. In the middle of the 14th century, Žamberk was divided between the estates of Litice and Žampach with different owners. As a part of the Litice estate, it was owned by the

Pernštejn family The House of Pernštejn () was one of the oldest and most important (uradel) families originating from Moravian nobility, along with the House of Rosenberg, that played an important role in the medieval history of Bohemian nobility from the 13th ...

and

Ernest of Bavaria Wittelsbach- Hapsburg aristocrat Ernest of Bavaria () (17 December 1554 – 17 February 1612) was Prince-Elector-Archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne and, as such, Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Westphalia, from 158 ...

. In 1563, it was acquired by Mikuláš of

Bubna of Litice The House of Bubna-Litic () or Bubna of Litice, () is a Czechs, Czech noble family dating back to the 14th century. History Originally members of lower nobility (vladyka) from the castle of Buben in western Bohemia. The house rose to prominence fo ...

. In 1575, he bought the second part of Žamberk and merged the two parts. In 1575–1600, he had a castle built here and since then it was known as the Žamberk estate. The Bubna of Litice family owned the estate until 1809.

Demographics

Economy

The largest industrial employer based in the town is Bühler CZ, a manufacturer of food processing machines with more than 250 employees.

Transport

The I/11 road from

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

Šumperk Šumperk (; ) is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. It is an industrial town, but it also contains valuable historical and architectural monuments. The historic town centre is well preserved and i ...

runs through the town. The railway station named ''Žamberk'', which serves the town, is located in the territory of the neighbouring

Dlouhoňovice Dlouhoňovice is a municipality and village in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants. Etymology According to one theory, the name is derived from the personal name Dlúhoň, meaning ...

. It lies on the railway line heading from

Letohrad Letohrad (; until 1950 Kyšperk; ) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Admi ...

Sights

The historic centre is formed by Masarykovo Square and adjacent streets. The main landmark of the square is the town hall. It is a Neoclassical building from 1810. In the middle of the square are a Marian column from the late 17th century and a fountain with sculptures of a

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

and a

centaur A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...

. The Church of Saint Wencleslaus is the highest building in the town. Its existence was first mentioned in 1348. The Žamberk Castle is a Renaissance building that includes the Chapel of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and a castle park, probably founded in the 19th century. The castle is inaccessible to the public. The Jewish cemetery was established in around 1700 and today there is a small exposition on Jewish population in the town.

Notable people

Prokop Diviš Prokop Diviš Premonstratensian, O.Praem. (; 26 March 1698 – 21 December 1765) was a Czech people, Czech canon regular, theologian and natural scientist. In an attempt to prevent thunderstorms from occurring, he inadvertently constructe ...

(1698–1765), inventor, catholic priest *

Theodor Brorsen Theodor Johan Christian Ambders Brorsen (29 July 1819 – 31 March 1895) was a Danish astronomer. He is best known for his discovery of five comets, including the lost periodic comet, 5D/Brorsen, and the periodic comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf. ...

(1819–1895), Danish astronomer and botanist; worked here * Eduard Albert (1841–1900), Austrian surgeon, professor and historian * Václav F. Kumpošt (1846–1874), founder of the ''Vesmír'' magazine * August Seydler (1849–1891), astronomer, theoretical physicist and professor *

Jan Vilímek Jan Vilímek (; 1 January 1860 – 15 April 1938) was a illustrator and Painting, painter from Boehmia who eventually became a Czechoslovak national. Vilímek was born on 1 January 1860 in Žamberk, Bohemia, Austrian Empire. He created many port ...

(1860–1938), illustrator and painter * Josef Ježek (1884–1969), politician *

Oldřich Marek Oldřich Marek (3 April 1911 – 26 December 1986) was a Czechs, Czech entomologist and teacher. He was a member of Czechoslovak entomological society in Prague starting in 1940. Life Oldřich Marek was born on 3 April 1911 in Ústí nad Orlicí. ...

(1911–1986), entomologist and teacher; worked here *

Petr Eben Petr Eben (22 January 1929 – 24 October 2007) was a Czech composer of modern and contemporary classical music, and an organist and choirmaster. Life and career Born in Žamberk in northeastern Bohemia, Eben spent most of his childhood an ...

(1929–2007), composer

Twin towns – sister cities

Žamberk is twinned with: * Fresagrandinaria, Italy *

Nowa Sól Nowa Sól is a city on the Oder River in Lubusz Voivodeship, western Poland. It is the capital of Nowa Sól County and had a population of 38,763 (2019). History The territory became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century, and foll ...

, Poland *

Püttlingen Püttlingen () is a town in Saarland, Germany, 10 km northwest of Saarbrücken. Geography The town lies in the Köller Valley, approximately 20 km to the northwest of Saarbrücken and 5 km north of Völklingen. Going in a clockwis ...

, Germany * Rice Lake, United States *

Saint-Michel-sur-Orge Saint-Michel-sur-Orge (, literally ''Saint-Michel on Orge'') is a commune in the Essonne ''département'' of France. It is in the southern suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris. Inhabitants of Saint-Michel-sur-Orge are known as ''Saint-M ...

, France *

Senftenberg Senftenberg ( German, ) or (Lower Sorbian, ) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district. Geography Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at t ...

, Germany *

, Austria *

Veszprém Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name. Etymology The city's name derives ...

, Hungary Žamberk also has friendly relations with Miharu in Japan.

Gallery

MMŽbk-Žamberský zámek.JPG, Žamberk Castle Divisovo divadlo zamberk.jpg, Diviš Theatre Židovský hřbitov, Žamberk, okres Ústí nad Orlicí (02).jpg, Jewish cemetery Rozhledna Rozalka.jpg, Tyrš observation tower on Rozálka hill Pomnik I. sv. valka.jpg, World War I memorial

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zamberk Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Ústí nad Orlicí District