Hradec Králové is a statutory city in East Bohemia and the capital of the Hradec Králové Region.[6][2] It lies at the confluence of the Elbe (Labe) and the Orlice.[1] According to the Czech Statistical Office, it had 93,534 inhabitants on 1 January 2026.[5]*
History
The oldest mention of Hradec castle is in a forged foundation charter of the Opatovice monastery, which purports to date from 1073 but was actually written about a hundred years later. The Chronicle of Cosmas mentions Hradec castle under the year 1091.[1] Hradec is first recorded as a town (civitas) in a charter of 1225, the first undisputed evidence of its existence. The epithet Králové ("of the Queen") appears only from the 14th century.[1] In the Middle Ages Hradec was a dowry town of the Bohemian queens, above all Elizabeth Richeza and Elizabeth of Pomerania.[1] In 1307 Elizabeth Richeza founded the Church of the Holy Spirit. It received its present two-towered silhouette in 1360, was plundered by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War, and in 1664 Pope Alexander VII raised it to a cathedral in connection with the founding of the Diocese of Hradec Králové.[4] From the 14th century the town was a militarily and politically influential centre of the region.[1] In the 20th century its appearance was shaped by the architects Jan Kotěra and his pupil Josef Gočár. Gočár's urban plan earned the city the nickname "Salon of the Republic".[1]
Landmarks
The city has a compact Renaissance historic core. Alongside Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings, including works by Giovanni Santini and Carlo Lurago, there is Art Nouveau and functionalist architecture.[1] The White Tower stands on Velké náměstí. Construction began in 1509, resumed after an interruption in 1574 and reached the bell storey around 1581. The tower is 72 m tall and houses the bell Augustin, ordered in 1508 and hoisted into the tower in 1581.[3] The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is the only surviving medieval Gothic church in the city.[4] The building of the Museum of East Bohemia was designed by Jan Kotěra.[1]
Culture and economy
The city has the Klicpera Theatre, the Drak puppet theatre, a philharmonic orchestra and the Gallery of Modern Art, which focuses on Czech art of the 19th and 20th centuries. Congresses and cultural events take place at the Aldis Congress Centre.[1] Three universities are associated with the city.[1] Hradec Králové is a transport hub and the seat of many authorities and state institutions. It has no large industrial zones; industry is represented mainly by medium-sized and smaller companies.[1]
Chronology
- — A hall with vintage cars and motorcycles burned in Hradec Králové; the damage is estimated at 20 million crowns. ČTK / České noviny iDNES.cz