Smiřice (; ) is a town in

Hradec Králové District Hradec Králové District () is a district in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Hradec Králové. Administrative division Hradec Králové District is divided into two administrative districts of munici ...

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 3,100 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Smiřice consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Smiřice (2,590) *Rodov (192) *Trotina (14)

Geography

Smiřice is located about north 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 an agricultural landscape of the

East Elbe Table The East Elbe Table () is a plateau and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Hradec Králové, Pardubice and Central Bohemian region. The Elbe River flows through the territory, after which the plateau is nam ...

. The highest point is the flat hill Lískovec at above sea level. The town is situated on the right bank of the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

River.

History

The first written mention of Smiřice is from 1361. It was originally a settlement between two branches of the Elbe with a fortress, which was later rebuilt to a castle. Smiřice was the centre of a large estate owned by various noble families, most notably by the Smiřickýs of Smiřice (until 1476), the Trčkas of Lípa (1498–1636) and the Sternbergs (1685–1780). In 1659, the village was promoted to a town.

Demographics

Transport

The D11 motorway runs next to the town. Smiřice is located on the railway line heading from

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

and Hradec Králové to

Jaroměř Jaroměř (; ) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. It is known for the Josefov Fortress. Josefov is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repu ...

Sights

The main landmark of the town is the Smiřice Castle. The fortress, which formerly stood on the site of the castle, was most likely rebuilt in the first third of the 17th century. Artistic modifications were made around 1700 by the Sternbergs. Today the castle is privately owned and is gradually reconstructed. A notable monument is the castle chapel of the Epiphany. This large Baroque chapel was probably built according to design by

Christoph Dientzenhofer Christoph Dientzenhofer (; 7 July 1655 in St. Margarethen – 20 June 1722 in Prague)

between 1699 and 1711.

Twin towns – sister cities

Smiřice is twinned with: * Boguszów-Gorce, Poland

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smirice Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Hradec Králové District Populated riverside places in the Czech Republic Populated places on the Elbe