Jindrichuv Hradec
Encyclopedia
Jindřichův Hradec (ˈjɪndr̝ɪxuːf ˈɦradɛts; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region
South Bohemian Region
South Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia...

 of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

. It has approximately 22,700 inhabitants.

History

The first written mention of the town is in 1220. Before that, it was probably a Slavic settlement. At the end of the 12th century more people arrived. At the beginning of the 13th century a Gothic castle was built (it was gradually rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau in the 16th century). In the census following the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....

, Jindřichův Hradec was the second largest city in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Between 1831-1935 it was the first city in the area to get electricity for lighting, in 1888 the water mill was converted to electricity.

Main sights

The city castle and palace is the third largest in the country after those in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 and Český Krumlov
Český Krumlov
Český Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle...

. It covers three ha. and contains 320 rooms. More than 10,000 works of art and a similar number of books may be found there.

The district museum, which is in a renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

 building that was once the Jesuit seminary appeared in the city in 1882 and is one of the oldest regional museums in Bohemia. The most well-known item in the museum is the Kryza, the largest mechanical Christmas manger
Manger
A manger is a trough or box of carved stone or wood construction used to hold food for animals . Mangers are mostly used in livestock raising. They are also used to feed wild animals, e.g., in nature reserves...

 scene in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
  • Preserved Jewish Cemetery (Dates back from 1400's)
  • The Church of Ascension
  • The Chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene
    Mary Magdalene
    Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...

  • The Church of Saint Jan Křtitel
    John the Baptist
    John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...

     with the nearby building that once housed minorite monk
    Monk
    A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...

    s and was later an infirmary.
  • The Church of the Most Holy Trinity
    Trinity
    The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...

  • The Church of Saint Catherine
  • The Church of Saint Jacob
  • The Church of Saint Wenceslas


Houses in the marketplace (Friendensplatz) with the pristine gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

 city hall

Surroundings

Jindřichův Hradec's neighbourhood includes sites such as Červená Lhota Castle
Cervená Lhota Castle
Červená Lhota is a château situated about 20 km north-west of Jindřichův Hradec in south Bohemia, Czech Republic. It stands at the middle of a lake on a rocky island. Its picturesque Renaissance building is a destination of thousands of tourists every year. Its name Červená Lhota meaning "red...

, the historical town of Třeboň
Trebon
Třeboň is a historical town in South Bohemian Region of Czech Republic. The population stands at 8,862 .-History:Třeboň was established around the middle of the 12th century. In 1366 the House of Rožmberk become owner of the estate...

 and Stráž nad Nežárkou
Stráž nad Nežárkou
Stráž nad Nežárkou is a town in Jindřichův Hradec District, South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It has a population of 846 . It lies on the Nežárka river.- External links :...

. The UNESCO World Heritage town of Telč
Telc
Telč is a town in southern Moravia, near Jihlava, in the Czech Republic. The town was founded in 13th century as a royal water fort on the crossroads of busy merchant routes between Bohemia, Moravia and Austria....

 lies 40 km to the east.

People

  • Kurt Adler
    Kurt Adler
    Kurt Adler was an Austrian classical music conductor, chorus master and pianist with a European musical education. He was best known as the chorus master and conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1943 to 1973...

     (1907 - 1977), Chorus Master and Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, United States and Author. Forced to flee under Nazism.
  • Adam Michna (1600 - 1676), a Bohemian organist, composer, singer and poet
  • Karel Berman
    Karel Berman
    Karel Berman was a Jewish Czech opera singer, composer and opera director.- Life :...

     (1919 - 1995), a Jewish opera singer and composer
  • Aleš Kotalík
    Aleš Kotalík
    Aleš Kotalík is a professional ice hockey right winger playing for HC Mountfield České Budějovice of the Czech Extraliga.-Playing career:...

    , an ice hockey player
  • Milan Michálek
    Milan Michálek
    Milan Michálek is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing left wing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League . He was drafted sixth overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft...

    , an ice hockey player
  • Zbyněk Michálek
    Zbynek Michalek
    Zbyněk Michálek is a Czech professional ice hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .-International career:...

    , an ice hockey player
  • Jan Marek, an ice hockey player
  • Stanislaus von Prowazek
    Stanislaus von Prowazek
    Stanislaus Josef Mathias von Prowazek, Edler von Lanow , born Stanislav Provázek, was a Czech zoologist and parasitologist, who along with pathologist Henrique da Rocha Lima discovered the pathogen of epidemic typhus.Prowazek had studied epidemic typhus in Serbia and Istanbul...

  • Vladimír Špidla
    Vladimír Špidla
    Vladimír Špidla is a Czech politician. He served as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from July 2002 to June 2004. Then Vladimír Špidla was appointed to the European Commission as Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.-Biography:Špidla studied history at Charles...

    , European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities, 4th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
  • Renáta Tomanová
    Renáta Tomanová
    Renáta Tomanová is a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia.In 1976, Tomanová reached the singles final at both the French Open and the Australian Open. She lost at the French Open to Sue Barker 6–2, 0–6, 6–2 and at the Australian Open to Evonne Goolagong Cawley 6–2, 6–2...

    , tennis player

Trivia

  • Asteroid 21873 Jindřichůvhradec
    21873 Jindrichuvhradec
    21873 Jindřichůvhradec is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 2040.8659598 days . The asteroid was discovered on October 29, 1999....

    is named in honour of city
  • Gymnasium Vitězslava Nováka was founded in 1595, making it one of the oldest non-university schools in Central Europe

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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