Nová Paka (, ) is a town in

Jičín District Jičín District () is a Okres, district in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Jičín. Administrative division Jičín District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with ...

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 9,000 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Nová Paka consists of 13 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Nová Paka (6,672) *Heřmanice (356) *Kumburský Újezd (209) *Podlevín (171) *Přibyslav (68) *Pustá Proseč (15) *Radkyně (55) *Štikov (308) *Studénka (106) *Valdov (125) *Vlkov (64) *Vrchovina (355) *Zlámaniny (26)

Etymology

The name Paka appeared in its initial form as Paká. The meaning of the adjective ''paká'' is unclear. It probably meant 'opposite' (''opačná'' in modern Czech), and probably referred to its location on the shady slopes, away from the sun. Already from the 14th century, two settlements ( Stará Paka – 'old Paka' and Nová Paka – 'new Paka') were distinguished.

Geography

Nová Paka is located about northeast of

Jičín Jičín (; or ''Gitschin'') is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservatio ...

and northwest 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 a hilly landscape of the

Giant Mountains Foothills In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 from ...

. The highest point is at above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Nová Paka is from 1357 with regard to the installation of new vicar to the Church of Saint Nicholas. During these times the town was called Mladá Paka ("Young Paka"). In 1563, the almost entire town was destroyed by fire. In 1586, the plague killed approximately half of the citizens. Another 450 people died of plague in 1625. In 1643, 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 ...

, the town was pillaged 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 ...

. A fire in 1666 destroyed the northern part on the town square.

Demographics

Economy

Nová Paka is known for the Nová Paka Brewery.

Transport

The I/16 road (the section from

Trutnov Trutnov (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Trutnov consists of 21 ...

) runs through the town. Nová Paka is located on the railway line

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 ...

–Trutnov. The town is served by two train stations, ''Nová Paka'' and ''Nová Paka město''.

Sights

The Church of Saint Nicholas was first mentioned in 1357 and rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style in 1872. The Marian

Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

column is from 1716 and is the oldest statue in the town. On the square there is a fountain from 1814 and monument to

Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1369 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czechs, Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and t ...

from 1898. Thanks to the legend of finding a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary, the Minim monastery was established in the second half of the 17th century. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built in 1709–1724 and made Nová Paka a pilgrimage site. After the religious reform of

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

, the monastery was closed in 1785. From 1872, the premises served as a hospital. Today it houses social services. Cemetery Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows comes from 1700–1709. The wooden

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

Church of the Transfiguration of Jesus and Saint Nicholas was transferred from

Carpathian Ruthenia Transcarpathia (, ) is a historical region on the border between Central and Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast. From the Hungarian Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, conquest of the Carpathian Basin ...

in 1930. Sucharda's House is a Neorenaissance house from 1895–1896. It belonged to the Sucharda family, from which many notable sculptors, woodcarvers and painters came. Nowadays there is a historic exposition and a gallery of artists from the region.

Notable people

Stanislav Sucharda

Stanislav Sucharda (12 November 1866 in Nová Pa ...

(1866–1916), sculptor and professor of arts * Anna Boudová Suchardová (1870–1940), artist *

Bohumil Kafka Bohumil Kafka (14 February 1878 in Nová Paka – 24 November 1942 in Prague) was a Czech sculptor and pedagogue. He studied in Prague with sculptor Josef Václav Myslbek before moving to Vienna and then Paris to continue his studies. He worked ...

(1878–1942), sculptor *

Vojtěch Sucharda Vojtěch Sucharda (6 January 1884, in Nová Paka – 31 October 1968, in Prague) was a Czech sculptor, woodcarver and puppeteer. Life Sucharda was born into an artistic family as the son of sculptor Antonín Sucharda, Jr. (1843–1911). He was ...

(1884–1968), sculptor, woodcarver and puppeteer *

Ladislav Zívr Ladislav Zívr (23 May 1909 – 4 September 1980) was a Czech sculptor. Zívr was born in Nová Paka and died in Ždírec (a hamlet in Levínská Olešnice), Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). Because of family tradition he attended potter ...

(1909–1980), sculptor *

Miroslav Hák Miroslav Hák (9 May 1911, in Nová Paka, Bohemia – 29 June 1978, in Prague) was a Czechoslovak photographer. He was one of the members of Group 42. Miroslav Hak was one of the most outstanding figures in the history of Czech modern photography ...

(1911–1978), photographer * Naďa Urbánková (1939–2023), singer and actress * Jiří Horáček (born 1945), theoretical physicist

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nova Paka Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Jičín District