Velenice () is a municipality and village in
Česká Lípa District
Česká Lípa District () is a Okres, district in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Česká Lípa.
Administrative division
Česká Lípa District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities ...
in the
Liberec Region
Liberec Region () is an administrative unit (Czech language, Czech: ''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located in the northernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Liberec. The region shares international bor ...
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 200 inhabitants.
Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name Velen, meaning "the village of Velen's people".
Geography
Velenice is located about northeast of
Česká Lípa
Česká Lípa (; ) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 37,000 inhabitants, making it the most populated Czech town without city status. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monume ...
and west of
Liberec
Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...
. It lies in the
Ralsko Uplands
The Ralsko Uplands () are highland, uplands and a Geomorphological division of the Czech Republic, geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Liberec Region, Liberec, Ústí nad Labem Region, Ústí nad Labem and Centr ...
. The highest point is the hill Velenický kopec at above sea level. The
Svitavka
The Svitavka (also called Svitávka; ) is a river in the Czech Republic and Germany, a right tributary of the Ploučnice. It flows mostly through the Liberec Region in the Czech Republic, but it originates in Saxony in Germany. It is long.
Etym ...
River flows through the municipality.
History
The first written mention of Velenice is from 1399. In 1479, Velenice was bought by the
Berka of Dubá
Berka of Dubá () was a cadet branch of a Bohemian noble family of Lords of Dubá established by Hynek Berka of Dubá (1249–1306). It held estates in what is today the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany throughout the Middle Ages.
Ancestors ...
family. They annexed Velenice to the
Sloup estate in 1502. In 1616, the Berkas of Dubá sold the village to the Salhauz family. Their properties were confiscated as a result of their participation in the
Bohemian Revolt
The Bohemian Revolt (; ; 1618–1620) was an uprising of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemian Estates of the realm, estates against the rule of the Habsburg dynasty that began the Thirty Years' War. It was caused by both religious and power dispu ...
. Velenice then often changed hands, which lasted until 1710, when the village was acquired by the
Kinsky
The House of Kinsky (formerly Vchynští, sg. ''Vchynský'' in Czech; later (in modern Czech) Kinští, sg. ''Kinský''; ) is a prominent Bohemian noble family originating in the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the Thirty Years' War, the Kinsky fam ...
family. They owned the village until the establishment of an independent municipality in 1850.
Demographics
Transport
There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.
Sights
The main landmark of Velenice is the Church of the Holy Trinity. It was built in the Baroque style in 1735. In the second half of the 20th century, the church fell into disrepair and the valuable Baroque interior was damaged.
The entire built-up area is protected as a
village monument zone for its set of well-preserved timbered, half-timbered and brick houses, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Velenice (Ceska Lipa District)
Villages in Česká Lípa District