Ratboř is a municipality and village 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 600 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Ratboř consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Ratboř (474) *Sedlov (56) *Těšínky (31)

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Ratbor or Ratibor.

Geography

Ratboř is located about southwest 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 the

Upper Sázava Hills Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. The Polepka Stream flows through the municipality and supplies several fishponds there, together with its nameless tributary.

History

The first written mention of Ratboř is from 1352, but there is also an uncertain mention from 1115.

Martin Oderin Martin Oderin was a minor Bohemian nobleman and landowner. He owned the castle and lands of Ratboř from 1393 until it was sacked in 1402. He was influential within the Catholic community of Kutná Hora at the turn of the 14th century. Biography ...

was lord of Ratboř when it was attacked by Emperor

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

during his 1402 conquest of Kutná Hora. The village was thoroughly destroyed during the ensuing .

Demographics

Transport

The I/2 road (the section from Prague to

Kutná Hora Kutná Hora (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The history of Kutná Hora is linked to silver mining, which made it a rich and rapidly developing town. The centre of Kutná Hora, i ...

) runs along the southern municipal border.

Sights

The oldest monument in Ratboř is the Church of Saint Wenceslaus. Originally a Gothic church, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1673. The bell tower was added around 1700. There are two small castles in the municipality. Starý zámek Ratboř ("Ratboř Old Castle") has medieval origin, but it was rebuilt in the Baroque style and then at the end of the 19th century. Nový zámek Ratboř ("Ratboř New Castle") was built next to it in 1911–1915. It was built by the architect

Jan Kotěra Jan Kotěra (18 December 1871 – 17 April 1923) was a Czech architect, artist and interior designer, and one of the key figures of modern architecture in Bohemia. Biography Kotěra was born in Brno, the largest city in Moravia, to a Czech fath ...

for the Mandelík family, owners of the local sugar refinery. Today, the new castle houses a hotel and restaurant. It is a significant example of modern architecture.