Městec Králové (; ) is a town in

Nymburk District Nymburk District () is a Okres, 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 Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with e ...

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 2,900 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Městec Králové consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Městec Králové (2,649) *Nový (59) *Vinice (86)

Etymology

The name means "small town of the King". The original name of the town was ''Královo Městce'', later it changed to ''Králův Městec'' and then to the current form.

Geography

Městec Králové is located about east of

Nymburk Nymburk (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Mo ...

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 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 highest point is a place called Kostelíček at above sea level. The stream Štítarský potok flows through the municipal territory.

History

Městec Králové was established as a walled town on the 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 ...

in the 13th century. According to legends, Queen Kunigunde, the wife of King Wenceslaus I, was returning from Červený Hradec (today Hradec Králové) to Prague and abruptly gave birth to Ottokar II, the most powerful king of the Přemyslid dynasty, in Městec Králové. Ottokar II rewarded his assumed birthplace by a lion on its coats of arms and some privileges reserved for royal towns. The town was almost destroyed 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 ...

and by large fires in 1680, 1746, 1776 and 1792.

Demographics

Transport

Městec Králové is the terminus and start of a railway line from/to

Chlumec nad Cidlinou Chlumec nad Cidlinou (; ) is a town in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,600 inhabitants. Administrative division Chlumec nad Cidlinou consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets popu ...

Sights

The main landmark of Městec Králové is the Church of Saint Margaret. It was built in 1793, after a fire in 1792 burned down the old building. In the 19th century, the church was repaired and the Romanesque tower was added. Among the most valuable buildings is the town hall, built in 1799.

Notable people

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 ...

(1233–1278), King of Bohemia * František Xaver Pokorný (1729–1794), composer and violinist * Karel Kněžourek (1857–1920), naturalist *

Otakar Zich Otakar Zich (25 March 1879, Městec Králové – 9 July 1934 Ouběnice u Benešova) was a distinguished Czech composer and aesthetician. Biography In his music education he studied as a self-taught man. Years later, he became a pupil of the ...

(1879–1934), composer and aesthetician *

Karel Schulz Karel Schulz (6 May 1899 – 27 February 1943) was a Czech novelist, theatre critic, poet and short story writer, whose best known work is the historical novel ''Stone and Pain'' (1942; ).Prokop, Vladimír. ''Přehled české literatury 20. stol ...

(1899–1943), writer * Ivan Hašek (born 1963), football player and manager * Aleš Hruška (born 1985), footballer * Bořek Dočkal (born 1988), footballer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mestec Kralove Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places established in the 13th century