Nové Město nad Metují (; ) is a town in
Náchod District
Náchod District () is a district in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Náchod.
Administrative division
Náchod District is divided into four administrative districts of municipalities with extended ...
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 9,200 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an
urban monument reservation.
Administrative division
Nové Město nad Metují consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Nové Město nad Metují (6,716)
*Krčín (1,477)
*Spy (235)
*Vrchoviny (445)
Etymology
The name literally means 'new town on the
Metuje
The Metuje (; ) is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is long.
Etymology
The river was originally named Medhuje. It was derived from the Illyrian language, Illyrian ...
' in Czech.
Geography
Nové Město nad Metují is located about south of
Náchod
Náchod (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and i ...
and northeast 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 on the border between the
Orlice Table
The Orlice (, ) is a river in the Czech Republic, with a brief stretch in Poland. It is a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is formed by the confluence of the Divoká Orlice and Tichá Orlice rivers. ...
and
Orlické Foothills. The highest point is at above sea level. The old town and the castle lie on a rocky promontory in a meander of the
Metuje
The Metuje (; ) is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is long.
Etymology
The river was originally named Medhuje. It was derived from the Illyrian language, Illyrian ...
River, hence the name.
History

The oldest inhabited part of Nové Město nad Metují is Krčín. An old
Slavic
Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to:
Peoples
* Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia
** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples
** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples
** West Slav ...
settlement was in the territory of Krčín in the 7th and 8th centuries. The Krčín village was probably founded in the 13th century and first documented in the first half of the 14th century. After Nové Město nad Metují was founded, it became part of the Nové Město nad Metují manor.
Nové Město nad Metují was founded by Jan Černčický of Kácov on 10 August 1501. It was destroyed by fire in 1526. In 1527, the manor was acquired by the
Pernštejn family
The House of Pernštejn () was one of the oldest and most important (uradel) families originating from Moravian nobility, along with the House of Rosenberg,
that played an important role in the medieval history of Bohemian nobility from the 13th ...
. In 1527–1548, most of the houses on the square were then reconstructed in uniform Renaissance and late Gothic design. The elementary ground plan was kept. The connected gables, so-called swallow tails, gave the town the appearance of the northern Italian Renaissance. The castle was also rebuilt.
From 1548 to 1621, the manor was owned by Lords of Stubenberk, who expanded the castle.
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...
purchased the town in 1623, then it passed to the Trčkas of Lípa. After the assassination of Albrecht von Wallenstein and Adam Erdman Trčka in 1634, their properties were confiscated and Nové Město nad Metují manor received
Walter Leslie, the main initiator of the assassination.
Walter Leslie has rebuilt the castle in the Baroque style. The Leslie family owned the manor until 1802, when the last member of the family died, and Nové Město nad Metují was inherited by the Dietrichstein family. The Dietrichstein family owned it until 1858.
[
After the revolution and administrative reform of the ]Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
in 1848, Nové Město nad Metují became independent of the nobility.[ From 1849 to 1949, Krčín was a separate municipality.][
]
Demographics
Economy
Nové Město nad Metují is a town with tradition in engineering, printing, textile and food industry. The town is known for watch
A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...
-making production under the brand PRIM
Prim may refer to:
People
* Prim (given name)
* Prim (surname)
Places
* Prim, Virginia, unincorporated community in King George County
*Dolní Přím, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic
*Přím, a village and part of Javornice in ...
. The largest employers based in the town are Ammann Czech Republic, manufacturer of construction machinery, and Hronovský s.r.o., manufacturer of car parts.
Transport
Nové Město nad Metují is located on the railway lines Náchod
Náchod (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and i ...
–Choceň
Choceň (; ) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,600 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Choceň consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 c ...
and Meziměstí
Meziměstí () is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Meziměstí consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 c ...
–Týniště nad Orlicí
Týniště nad Orlicí () is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,300 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Týniště nad Orlicí consists of six municipal parts (in brackets ...
.
Sights
The main landmark is the Nové Město nad Metují Castle. The castle mixes Renaissance and early Baroque styles and is open to the public. It includes a castle garden with unique wooden covered bridge statues of dwarves by Matthias Braun
Matthias Bernard Braun (Czech: ''Matyáš Bernard Braun'', 24 February 1684 in Sautens near Innsbruck – 15 February 1738 in Prague) was a sculptor and carver active in the Kingdom of Bohemia, one of the most prominent late baroque style scu ...
, and the high Máselnice tower with an accessible gallery at a height of .[
The castle forms a unified architectural unit with Husovo Square. The most significant monuments are Church of the Holy Trinity from 1519, the northern row of Renaissance houses, or the well in the middle of the square from the 16th century. The historic centre is surrounded by preserved town fortifications. The Zázvorka guarding tower serves nowadays as a gallery.][
Outside the historic centre is the monastery complex. The Monastery of the Merciful Brothers with Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and Loreta Chapel was founded by Walter Leslie in 1692. Other notable building is Church of the Holy Spirit in Krčín, built in the early Gothic style in the 13th century.][
]
Notable people
*Philipp Josef Pick
Philipp Josef Pick (14 October 1834, Neustadt an der Mettau - 3 June 1910, Prague) was a dermatologist from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Biography
He studied medicine at the University of Vienna as a pupil of Josef Hyrtl and Carl von Rokitansky. ...
(1834–1910), Austrian dermatologist
*Karel Klapálek
Karel Klapálek, CBE, DSO (25 May 1893 – 18 November 1984) was a Czechoslovak Army general and a veteran of the Czechoslovak Legion in the Russian Empire. He fought in both World Wars and was decorated with numerous national honours.
Early ...
(1893–1984), general
*Jan Milíč Lochman
Jan Milíč Lochman (sometimes written as Jan Milič Lochman or Jan Milic Lochman; 3April 192221January 2004) was a Czech-Swiss Protestant theologian.
Life
Lochman came from a family with reformed tradition. He graduated from high school in Nách ...
(1922–2004), Czech-Swiss theologian
*Vladimír Suchánek
Vladimir Suchánek (12 February 1933 – 25 January 2021) was a Czech graphic artist and postage stamp designer.
Early life and career
Suchánek was born on 12 February 1933 in Nové Město nad Metují. He studied at Charles University in Prague ...
(1933–2021), graphic designer
* Jiří Macháně (1940–2023), cinematographer
* Pavel Černý (born 1962), footballer
Twin towns – sister cities
Nové Město nad Metují is twinned with:
* Duszniki-Zdrój
Duszniki-Zdrój (; ; ), often simplified to Duszniki, is a spa town in Kłodzko Valley and Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in southwestern Poland. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 4,329. Situated on the Bystrzyca Rive ...
, Poland
* Gârnic
Gârnic (; ; ) is a commune in Caraș-Severin County, western Romania. It is composed of two villages, Gârnic and Padina Matei (''Mátévölgye'').
At the 2021 census, the commune had a population of 975; of those, 63.28% were Romanians and 1 ...
, Romania
* Hilden
Hilden () is a town in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is situated in the Mettmann (district), District of Mettmann, west of Solingen and east of Düsseldorf on the right side of the Rhine. It is a middle sized industrial town ...
, Germany
* Warrington
Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
, England, United Kingdom
References
External links
*
Official website
Nové Město nad Metují Castle official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nove Mesto Nad Metuji
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places established in 1501