Svoboda nad Úpou (german: Freiheit an der Aupa) is a town in
Trutnov District in the
Hradec Králové Region of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...
. It has about 1,900 inhabitants. It lies in the
Giant Mountains
The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Mass ...
in the valley of the
Úpa River.
Geography
Svoboda nad Úpou is located about northwest of
Trutnov and north of
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as a ...
. It lies in the
Giant Mountains
The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Mass ...
. The highest point is at above sea level. The town is situated in the valley of the
Úpa River.
History
Based on the chronicle of Simon Hüttel, Svoboda nad Úpou was founded in 1009, the date is however unsubstantiated. The first written trustworthy mention of Svoboda nad Úpou is from 1533. In 1546, Svoboda nad Úpou was granted the status of
market town
A market town is a Human settlement, settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...
by Emperor
Ferdinand I Ferdinand I or Fernando I may refer to:
People
* Ferdinand I of León, ''the Great'' (ca. 1000–1065, king from 1037)
* Ferdinand I of Portugal and the Algarve, ''the Handsome'' (1345–1383, king from 1367)
* Ferdinand I of Aragon and Sicily, '' ...
, receiving all the privileges of a mining town. In 1580, Svoboda nad Úpou was promoted to a town by Emperor
Rudolf II.
Later the mining stopped in the area, but in Svoboda nad Úpou became an important industrial town when
paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
s were built in the 19th century. In 1871 railway was brought here. From 1938 to 1945 it was annexed by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
and administered as part of
Reichsgau Sudetenland. The local German population was
expelled after World War II.
[
]
Transport
Svoboda nad Úpou is the starting point of the short local railway line to Trutnov.
Sights
The old Church of Saint Adalbert from 1584 was replaced by new Church of Saint John of Nepomuk in 1777 at the behest of Joseph I Adam of Schwarzenberg
Joseph I Adam Prince of Schwarzenberg (15 December 1722, Vienna – 17 February 1782, Vienna), 4th Prince of Schwarzenberg, was a German-Bohemian nobleman.
Biography
Joseph I was born as the son of Adam Franz Karl, 3rd Prince of Schwarzenberg a ...
.
The Church of Saint Joseph in the local part of Dolnà Maršov was built in 1927–1928.
Notable people
* Franz Wende (1904–1968), ski jumper and nordic combined skier
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Svoboda nad Upou
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Trutnov District