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Kouřim (; ) is a town in
Kolín District Kolín District () is a Okres, district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Kolín. Administrative division Kolín District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with extend ...
in the
Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...
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 2,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.


Administrative division

Kouřim consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Kouřim (1,901) *Molitorov (69)


Etymology

There are two theories about the origin of the name. Either it was derived from the personal name Kouřim, similar to how the names of the nearby localities
Vlašim Vlašim (; ) is a town in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. Vlašim is known for the Vlašim Castle and its English landscape garden, English park. Administrative division Vla� ...
and Radim arose. According to the second theory, the name was derived from the word ''kouřit'' ('to smoke') and originally referred to a mountain that "smoked" (from which water evaporated after rains).


Geography

Kouřim is located about west of
Kolín Kolín (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monume ...
and east of
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape in the
Central Elbe Table The Central Elbe Table () is a plateau and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Central Bohemian Region, but due to its size, it also extends to other regions. The axis of the plateau is the Elbe River, ...
. The Výrovka River flows through the town. The astronomical centre of Europe is located in the territory of Kouřim. It is marked by a monument. It is used for astronomical calculations, e.g. to determine the Central European time zone and the sunrise and sunset in the Czech Republic.


History

The first written mention of Kouřim is in a deed of
Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II (; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Austria, 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 death in 1278 ...
from 1261. The royal town of Kouřim was probably founded by Wenceslaus I between 1223 and 1250. At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, the town experienced an unprecedented prosperity, and at the end of the 16th century, there were over 2,000 inhabitants (which is more than today). A great disaster for the town was the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, which ended Kouřim's status as one of the most important towns in the Czech Kingdom. The population declined by 75% and it lost the town privileges until 1740, when they were renewed by Emperor Charles VI. In 1881, the railway to
Pečky Pečky is a town in Kolín District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Pečky consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Pečky ...
was built. At the end of the 19th century, Kouřim had about 3,000 inhabitants at its peak. In the 20th century, especially at the end of the 1960s, the town stagnated and has become a periphery. It completely lost its cultural identity, which was originally determined by an extremely strong historical tradition. Thanks to this, however, the town has preserved its ''genius loci'', which has become an advantage for tourism and filmmaking.


Demographics


Transport

Kouřim is the terminus and start of a short railway line of local importance heading from/to
Pečky Pečky is a town in Kolín District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Pečky consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Pečky ...
.


Sights

Stará Kouřim ("Old Kouřim") are remains of a gord of the Slavník dynasty on a hill east of town. It dates from the 9th or 10th century. With an area of , it was one of the largest fortified settlements in period from the late Stone Age to the early Middle Ages. An educational trail leads through the remains of the gord. Archaeological finds from the site are on display in the Kouřim Museum. The Church of Saint Stephen dates from the second half of the 13th century. It is a prominent example of early
Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...
. Town walls in Kouřim dates from the 13th–16th century. They are long in circumference. In addition to a large part of the walls, one of the four original gates, called the Prague Gate, has been preserved. It is considered to be the best preserved early Gothic town gate in the Czech Republic.
Open-air Museum An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...
Kouřim shows various regional types of vernacular architecture from the 17th to the 19th century. The museum is administered by the Regional Museum in Kolín.


In popular culture

Kouřim is a popular place for Czech filmmakers. The films shot here include '' Patrimony, Hastrman'' and '' Nesmrtelná teta''.


Notable people

* František Vejdovský (1849–1939), zoologist * Evžen Linhart (1898–1949), architect and designer


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kourim Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Kolín District