Velká Dobrá is a municipality and village in

Kladno District Kladno District () is a Okres, district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Kladno. Administrative division Kladno 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 1,800 inhabitants.

Etymology

Velká Dobrá literally means 'great good' or 'large good' in Czech. The name refers to "good water" or "fertile land". There were formerly two separate municipalities, Malá Dobrá and Velká Dobrá, earlier called Hořejší Dobrá and Dolejší Dobrá (i.e. 'upper' and 'lower').

Geography

Velká Dobrá is located about southwest of

Kladno Kladno (; ) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 70,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and has a rich industrial history. Administrative division Kladno consists of six municipal parts ...

and northwest 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

Křivoklát Highlands Křivoklát () is a market town in Rakovník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known for the medieval Křivoklát Castle, protected as national cultural monument. Administrative d ...

. The highest point is the hill Veselov at above sea level.

History

There is evidence of human inhabitation in the region of Velká Dobrá since

prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...

. A late 19th century

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

investigation led by Josef Szombathy discovered a large middle

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

( BCE) grave site near the village in the forest of Hora. A monument constructed over 50 years stood over the largest grave mound. Around sixty graves were investigated, yielding bronze weapons, tools and utensils, several of which were sent for display at museums in

and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. The first written mention of Dobrá is from 1328, when two strongholds existed in the area, the lower at the site of the modern school on Komenského Square and the upper stronghold (still standing) at the junction of the main roads. The longest ruling owners of the area were the noble families of Kladenský of Kladno (1412–1543) and Žďárský of Žďár (1543–1688). After that, the owners changed frequently. In 1548, Malá Dobrá had eight inhabitants and Velká Dobrá nine inhabitants. The area sustained extensive damage during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. After 1648, 6 out of 14 farms in Velká Dobrá were abandoned. Gradually, the number of houses and inhabitants increased. After 1700, the former upper defensive stronghold was converted into a granary. In 1929, the

Unhošť Unhošť is a town in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,200 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Etymology The initial name of the ...

administrative district was abolished and Malá and Velká Dobrá became parts of Kladno District. In 1935, the municipalities of Malá Dobrá and Velká Dobrá were merged.

Demographics

Transport

The D6 motorway from Prague to

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

runs through the municipality. Kladno Airport is located in the municipality. It is a public domestic civil airport.

Sights

The most valuable monument of Velká Dobrá is the Chapel of the Finding of the Holy Cross. It was built in 1765. In 1816, it was demolished and rebuilt in its current form. Next to the chapel is a statue of Saint

John of Nepomuk John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) (; ; ) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393) was a saint of Bohemia (a western part of what is now the Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. Later accounts st ...

dating from 1753.

Notable people

* Václav Nosek (1892–1955), communist politician, Minister of the Interior in 1945–1953 *

Mirek Smíšek Miroslav Smíšek (2 February 1925 – 19 May 2013) was a Czechoslovakian-born New Zealand pottery, potter. After fleeing the Czech coup and eventually arriving in New Zealand he started work for Crown Lynn and later established his own pottery ...

(1925–2013), Czech-New Zealand potter *

Tomáš Kaberle Tomáš Kaberle (; born March 2, 1978) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL), most notably for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as for the Boston Bruins, with whom he won the Stanley C ...

(born 1978), ice hockey player

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Velka Dobra Villages in Kladno District