Dobřany () is a municipality and village in

Rychnov nad Kněžnou District Rychnov may refer to places in the Czech Republic: *Rychnov, a village and part of Krouna in the Pardubice Region *Rychnov, a village and part of Verneřice in the Ústí nad Labem Region * Rychnov na Moravě, a municipality and village in the Pa ...

in the

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...

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 100 inhabitants.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Czech adjective ''dobrá'' (i.e. 'good'). It referred to good (fertile) land.

Geography

Dobřany is located about north of

Rychnov nad Kněžnou Rychnov nad Kněžnou (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban m ...

and east of

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 ...

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

Dědina The Dědina (also called Zlatý potok) is a river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another riv ...

River flows along the western municipal border.

History

The first written mention of Dobřany is from 1361. Until the establishment of a sovereign municipality in 1848, the village belonged to the

Opočno Opočno (; ) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,100 inhabitants. Opočno is known for the Opočno Castle, one of the most magnificent examples of Czech Renaissance archi ...

estate.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Dobřany is the Church of Saint Nicholas. It was built in the Baroque style in 1738–1740 on the site of an older church. A cultural monument is also the nearby rectory, dating from 1776. The wooden house is an example of local folk architecture. At the beginning of the 19th century, the patriotic priest Josef Liboslav Ziegler worked here. The rectory then became an important regional centre of the

Czech National Revival The Czech National Revival was a cultural movement which took place in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this movement was to revive the Czech Czech language, language, culture and national identity. The most pro ...

, where notable personalities met, such as

Josef Dobrovský Josef Dobrovský (17 August 1753 – 6 January 1829) was a Czech philologist and historian, one of the most important figures of the Czech National Revival along with Josef Jungmann. Life and work Dobrovský was born at Balassagyarmat, N� ...

František Vladislav Hek František Vladislav Hek (11 April 1769 – 4 September 1847) was a Czech writer, composer, and patriot active in the early phases of the Czech National Revival. He was a major inspiration behind the fictionalized novel '' F. L. Věk'' (1906) ...

and

Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová (31 January 1785 – 5 August 1845) was a Czech writer known for her famous cookery book. Biography Rettigová, née Artmann, was born in Všeradice, into a German-speaking family. Her childhood was not happy and h ...

. Today the house serves as a recreational facility. On a hill above the Dědina River in the western part of the municipality there is a ruin of the Dobřany Castle. The castle was founded at the end of the 13th century at the earliest, but more likely at the beginning of the 14th century. No written records have been preserved about the castle. It was probably abandoned already in the 14th century and disappeared during the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

in 1425, when it was conquered by the

Orebites The Orebites (), also called Lesser Taborites and later known as Sirotci ("Orphans"; ), officially Orphans' Union (), were followers of a radical wing of the Hussites in Bohemia. The founders took part in the procession on Mount Oreb, near T ...

. It was a two-part

bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Italian: ''torrione''; Castilian: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries an ...

-type castle. It is a tourist destination, but only a little of the castle has survived to this day.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobrany Villages in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District