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Mladá Boleslav (; ) is a city 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 47,000 inhabitants. It lies on the left bank of the Jizera River. Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region. It is a major centre of the Czech automotive industry thanks to the
Škoda Auto Škoda Auto Akciová společnost, a.s. (), often shortened to Škoda, is a Czech automobile manufacturer established in 1925 as the successor to Laurin & Klement and headquartered in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. Škoda Works became State ow ...
company and therefore the centre of Czech industry as a whole. The city was named after Duke Boleslaus II, who founded a gord here. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.


Administrative division

Mladá Boleslav consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Mladá Boleslav I (1,237) *Mladá Boleslav II (26,057) *Mladá Boleslav III (9,409) *Mladá Boleslav IV (857) *Bezděčín (356) *Čejetice (1,145) *Čejetičky (1,094) *Chrást (260) *Debř (912) *Jemníky (187) *Michalovice (514) *Podchlumí (124) *Podlázky (384) The core municipal parts Mladá Boleslav I–IV are often referred to by their historical names: Staré Město ("Old Town"), Nové Město ("New Town"), Podolec and Pták.


Etymology

Mladá Boleslav was named after its founder, Duke Boleslaus II, who was called "the Young One", to distinguish him from his father. Because there was already a town known as Boleslav near Prague, this new town was called "Město Boleslava Mladého" ("the town of Boleslav the Young"), later abbreviated to Mladá Boleslav ("young Boleslav"), to distinguish it from the older town of Boleslav, which in the 15th century became known as Stará Boleslav ("old Boleslav").


Geography

Mladá Boleslav is located about northeast 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 ...
. The eastern part of the municipal territory lies in the
Jičín Uplands The Jičín Uplands () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Hradec Králové, Liberec and Central Bohemian regions. Geomorphology The Jičín Uplands are a mesoregion of the North Bohemian ...
and the western part lies in the Jizera Table. The highest point is located on the slopes of the Chlum hill at above sea level. The city is situated on the left bank of the Jizera River, at its confluence with the Klenice River. The historic city centre is situated on a promontory above the confluence.


History


Early history

In the second half of the 10th century, a gord was founded by Duke Boleslaus II on a
promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the s ...
, in the area of today's historic centre. The first trustworthy written mention of the gord is from 1130, when it was also called "New Boleslav" for the first time. Probably in the 11th century, a settlement was founded below the promontory in an area called Podolec, on an important site on the road from Prague to northern
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
,
Lusatia Lusatia (; ; ; ; ; ), otherwise known as Sorbia, is a region in Central Europe, formerly entirely in Germany and today territorially split between Germany and modern-day Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the eas ...
and
Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
. During the 13th century, the settlement in Podolec grew, acquired an urban character and even some privileges of the town. A new stone royal castle was built on top of the promontory next to the gord in the middle of the 13th century and the gord was abandoned. In 1318, Lords of Michalovice acquired Mladá Boleslav from King
John of Bohemia John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...
. In 1334, the market village was moved to the area in front of the castle and was promoted to a town. From that times, the town was called Mladá Boleslav.


15th–16th centuries

In 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 ...
, Mladá Boleslav adhered to the
Taborites The Taborites (, ), were a faction within the Hussite movement in the medieval Lands of the Bohemian Crown. The Taborites were sometimes referred to as the Picards, a term used for groups which were seen as extreme in their rejection of traditi ...
. In the mid-15th century, the town has about 2,000 inhabitants. Lords of Michalovice died out in 1468 and Mladá Boleslav was acquired by the Tovačovský of Cimburk family. Before the end of the 15th century, they left the desolated Minorite monastery to the Unity of the Brethren, which settled there and thus began the period of the town's greatest prosperity. At the beginning of the 16th century, Mladá Boleslav was inherited by the Krajíř of Krajek family. In the 16th century, Mladá Boleslav was a leading centre of the Unity of the Brethren, hosting the Brethren's
bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
, a Renaissance church and a printing house. In 1518, the first map of Bohemia was printed by
Mikuláš Klaudyán Mikuláš Klaudyán (died 1521/1522) was a physician and scholar in Mladá Boleslav, Bohemia and member of the Unity of the Brethren. He printed the oldest map of Bohemia (1518). He was in close contact with printers in Nürnberg Nuremberg ...
in Mladá Boleslav. After death of Adam Krajíř of Krajek in 1588, Mladá Boleslav became property of the Hasištejnský branch of the Lobkowicz family. They invited a large Lutheran community from Germany to the city and thus began the Germanization of the city. In 1595, Mladá Boleslav became a free city. In 1600, Mladá Boleslav was promoted to a royal city by Emperor
Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...
.


17th–20th centuries

At the beginning of the 17th century, Mladá Boleslav has about 3,100 inhabitants. During 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 ...
in the first half of the 17th century, the city was twice burned, in 1631 by the imperialists, and in 1640 by the
Swedish army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...
. After the war, the city's population declined by 40% and the castle was in ruins. The castle remained unrestored for several decades and the city lost its former importance. Other disasters were the
Silesian Wars The Silesian Wars () were three wars fought in the mid-18th century between Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia (under King Frederick the Great) and Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Austria (under Empress Maria Theresa) for control of the Central European ...
and a large fire in 1761. A new stage of development and prosperity began only in 1784. In the 19th century, new prosperity came: the city became an important regional centre as new schools, theatres, museums and factories (including the
automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
factory Laurin & Klement, today
Škoda Auto Škoda Auto Akciová společnost, a.s. (), often shortened to Škoda, is a Czech automobile manufacturer established in 1925 as the successor to Laurin & Klement and headquartered in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. Škoda Works became State ow ...
) were founded. Since the 1990s, the factory has made it one of the richest and most prosperous Czech cities.


Jewish community

The first written mention of the presence of Jewish community in Mladá Boleslav is from 1471. In 1634, Jacob Bassevi von Treuenberg, the first ennobled Jew in the Habsburg monarchy, was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Mladá Boleslav. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Mladá Boleslav (called ''Bumsla'' by Jews) was an important
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
centre. The synagogue was demolished in 1962.


Demographics

The population rapidly increased between 1960 and 1980 because of the rapid growth of production in the Škoda Auto factory and the construction of housing estates for its employees.


Economy

Mladá Boleslav became an industrial centre already in the 19th century. The main factor of its success was its location next to the Jizera River, which was a water source for the newly founded factories. The most significant was the textile industry – its largest representative, the Česana factory, had more than 2,000 employees at the end of the 19th century. Another industry in the Jizera valley included mills, breweries, distillery, soaps and perfumes factory, and production of artificial fertilizers. Most of the factories were gradually shut down during the 20th century, mainly due to World War II and politics of the socialist republic. In 1895, the Laurin & Klement company (the predecessor of
Škoda Auto Škoda Auto Akciová společnost, a.s. (), often shortened to Škoda, is a Czech automobile manufacturer established in 1925 as the successor to Laurin & Klement and headquartered in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. Škoda Works became State ow ...
) was founded and the automotive industry became the main pillar of the city's economy. In 1925, Laurin & Klement was acquired by
Škoda Works The Škoda Works (, ) was one of the largest European industrial conglomerates of the 20th century. In 1859, Czech engineer Emil Škoda bought a foundry and machine factory in Plzeň, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary that had been established ten ye ...
. During the 20th century, many car parts manufacturers were established in the city, including the producer of accumulators for motor vehicles Akuma (founded in 1903), from 1998 part of the FIAMM company. However, the Akuma factory was closed in 2009. Since its inception, Škoda Auto is the most important and most influential industrial company in the Czech Republic. As of 2017, the company had 32,000 employees worldwide, of which 23,000 worked in Mladá Boleslav. The Mladá Boleslav agglomeration was defined as a tool for drawing money from the
European Structural and Investment Funds The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds, ESIFs) are financial tools governed by a common rulebook, set up to implement the regional policy of the European Union, as well as the structural policy pillars of the Common Agricultu ...
. It is an area that includes the city and its surroundings, linked to the city by commuting and migration. It has about 107,000 inhabitants.


Transport

The D10 motorway passes next to the city. Mladá Boleslav lies on the railway lines Mladá Boleslav–
Turnov Turnov (; ) is a town in Semily District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is a traditional centre for gemstone polishing, glass craftsmanship and arts. The historic town centre is well preserved and ...
,
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 ...
Rumburk Rumburk (; ) is a town in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. It lies on the border with Germany. Administrative division Rumburk consists of three municipal parts (in brackets ...
and TanvaldVšetaty.


Education

Škoda Auto University is a private university, founded by the company in 2000. The Secondary Industrial School in Mladá Boleslav was founded in 1867 as one of the first vocational schools in the
Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands (, ) is a historical-geographical term which denotes the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia out of which Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic and Slovakia, were formed. ...
. The development of the school was closely connected with the boom of the Škoda Auto factory. Before the World War II and the first decade after it, the school was the only specialized industrial school in the country.


Sport

The football team
FK Mladá Boleslav FK Mladá Boleslav is a Czech professional football club based in the city of Mladá Boleslav. Since 2004, the club has been participating in the Czech First League. In the Czech First League, Mladá Boleslav were runners up in 2005–06 and o ...
has played in the
Czech First League The Czech First League () also known as the Chance Liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Czech Republic and the highest level of the Czech Republic football league system. Seasons typically run from A ...
since 2004. They were runners-up in 2005–06, have been Czech Cup winners twice (2011 and 2016) and have qualified for the European cups for multiple times. The
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
team
BK Mladá Boleslav BK Mladá Boleslav () is a professional ice hockey team which plays in the Czech Extraliga, the country's highest level. They were promoted into the league on 18 April 2014 after a two-year absence. They play their home games at Ško-Energo Aréna ...
has been playing in the top-tier
Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga () is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created in 1993 following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia midway through the 1992–93 Czechoslovak Extraliga season (which all Slovak and ...
without interruption since 2014. The city's floorball team, Florbal MB, belongs to the most successful Czech teams of the modern era. The team is a three-time national champion.


Sights

The main landmark of the city is the Mladá Boleslav Castle. It was built in the first half of the 14th century. In the 16th century, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. The castle was a ruin after the Thirty Years' War, but at the beginning of the 18th century, it was rebuilt into
barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...
. During World War II, it was an internment centre of Jews. Today it houses the district archive and the Regional Museum with historical, cultural and social history collections. The Old City Hall in the historic centre is a Renaissance house built in 1554–1559. It is decorated with ornamental and figurative sgraffiti. In the second half of the 19th century and in 1939–1941, the building was reconstructed and other wings were completed. It has two towers, the higher of them was built in 1779 and is open to the public as a lookout tower. The nearby New City Hall was built in the neo-Romanesque style in 1865–1867 and still serves its original purpose. The Gothic building of Templ Palace comes from 1488–1493. It includes a historic exhibition and also serves cultural purposes. The history and products of Škoda Auto are exhibited in Škoda Museum. It was opened in the reconstructed premises of the old factory in 1995. An important architectural monument, protected as a national cultural monument, is the building of the Secondary Industrial School. It was designed by Jiří Kroha in the Functionalist and Constructivist styles and built in 1923–1927. It is an exceptionally large building, still serving its original purpose. The sculptural decoration of the interiors is also valuable.


Religious monuments

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is located next to the Old City Hall and is the main parish church of the city. It has a Gothic core from the mid-15th century. Baroque modifications were made in 1701–1702 and in 1761. The Church of Saint John of Nepomuk is located on the eastern edge of the historic city centre and form the dominant feature of Míru Square. It was originally a Gothic church from the 14th century, built outside the city gates. It was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1727. The Church of Saint Gall is located on a former cemetery, currently converted into a park. It is a Baroque church with a Gothic-Renaissance core. The tower dates from 1735. The former Church of Saint Bonaventure served as a Benedictine monastery in the mid-14th century, but it is probably much older. A school of Moravian Church was established in the monastery in the 15th–17th centuries. After the
Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain (; ) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the next three hundred years. It was fought on 8 November 16 ...
, the monastery complex was acquired by the Catholic Church, which rebuilt it in the Baroque style. In 1784–1785, the
Piarists The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the Catholic Church founded in 1617 by Spanish priest Joseph Calasanz ...
established a gymnasium and college here. The church was completely devastated in the 20th century and was only repaired in 2007. Today it is used for social and cultural purposes.


Notable people

*
Mikuláš Klaudyán Mikuláš Klaudyán (died 1521/1522) was a physician and scholar in Mladá Boleslav, Bohemia and member of the Unity of the Brethren. He printed the oldest map of Bohemia (1518). He was in close contact with printers in Nürnberg Nuremberg ...
(died 1521/1522), scholar * Elijah Landsofer (died 1702), rabbi * Siegfried Kapper (1821–1879), writer * Václav Laurin (1865–1930), engineer and industrialist; lived and worked here * Václav Klement (1868–1938), entrepreneur and industrialist; lived and worked here * Alfréd Meissner (1871–1950), politician *
František Gellner František Gellner (19 June 1881 – disappeared September 1914) was a Czech poet, short story writer, artist and anarchist. Biography František Gellner was born to a poor Jewish family in Mladá Boleslav (''Jungbunzlau''), Bohemia. His fathe ...
(1881 – ), poet * Frantisek Schubert (1894–1942), chess master *
Adina Mandlová Adina Mandlová (28 January 1910 – 16 June 1991) was a Czech stage and film actress. She was one of the leading stars of 1930s and 1940s Czech cinema. She was involved in a number of scandals and love affairs. Life and career Early days Sh ...
(1910–1991), actress *
Josef Ludwig Holub Josef Ludwig Holub (5 February 1930 – 23 July 1999) was a Czech botanist. He described a number of new species, worked on systematic reorganization of botanical groups, and contributed greatly to the study of European flora. Biography Josef ...
(1930–1999), botanist * Mila Rechcigl (born 1930), scientist, long-term president of the SVU * Zdenek Sekanina (born 1936), Czech-American astronomer *
Přemysl Sobotka Přemysl Sobotka (born 18 May 1944 in Mladá Boleslav) is a Czech Republic, Czech physician and politician who served as the President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, President of the Senate from 2004 to 2010. Sobotka was a candidate in 201 ...
(born 1944), politician *
Jiří Hrdina Jiří Hrdina (born January 5, 1958) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. He spent 10 seasons in the Czechoslovak First League with Sparta ČKD Praha and HK Dukla Trenčín and five in the National Hockey League (NH ...
(born 1958), ice hockey player *
Jan Železný Jan Železný (; born 16 June 1966) is a Czech former track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He is a IAAF World Championships in Athletics, World and Olympic Games, Olympic champion and holds the Javelin throw#Men, world reco ...
(born 1966), javelin thrower, three-time Olympic winner * Miroslav Bobek (born 1967), natural scientist and manager * Jiri Vlcek (born 1978), Italian rower * Radim Vrbata (born 1981), ice hockey player * Martin Havlát (born 1981), ice hockey player * Marek Schwarz (born 1986), ice hockey player * Radim Šimek (born 1992), ice hockey player * Filip Salač (born 2001), motorcycle rider


Twin towns – sister cities

Mladá Boleslav is twinned with: *
Dieburg Dieburg () is a small town in southern Hesse, Germany. It was formerly the seat of the district ("Kreis") of Dieburg, but is now part of the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg. History Early mentions of Dieburg date back to the early 13th century, with ...
, Germany *
Fano Fano () is a city and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by pop ...
, Italy *
Pezinok Pezinok (; in the local dialect ''Pezinek''; ; ; ) is a town in southwestern Slovakia. It is roughly northeast of Bratislava and, as of December 2023, had a population of 24,443. Pezinok lies near the Little Carpathians and thrives mainly on vi ...
, Slovakia *
Vantaa Vantaa (; , ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the north of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population of Vantaa is approximately . It is the most populous municipality in Finland. Vantaa is part of the Helsinki Metropoli ...
, Finland


References


External links

*
Regional MuseumYoutube channel about the history of Mladá Boleslav
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mlada Boleslav Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Mladá Boleslav District