Kolín
Kolín (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkoliːn]; German: Kolin, Köllein, Collin) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of about 32,000. It lies some 55 kilometers (34 mi) east from Prague, on the Elbe River.
Kolín | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Town Hall | |
 Flag .png.webp) Coat of arms | |
  Kolín Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Coordinates: 50°1′41″N 15°12′2″E | |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Region | Central Bohemian |
| District | Kolín |
| First mentioned | 1261 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Michael Kašpar (STAN) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 34.97 km2 (13.50 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 220 m (720 ft) |
| Population (2020-01-01[1]) | |
| • Total | 31,973 |
| • Density | 910/km2 (2,400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 280 02 |
| Website | www |
History
Ptolemy's world map mentions Kolin – Budorgis in the 2nd century.[2] In the 12th and 13th-century German settlers were called in after the Germans leaving west during Migration and the colonization by Slavs. Kolín was founded by King Ottokar II of Bohemia in the 13th century, first mentioned in 1261. Later on, 1437, a castle was founded here. Between 1475 and 1488, Hynek ze Strážnic, a Renaissance writer and son of King George of Poděbrady, lived in the Kolín Castle.
The 1757 Battle of Kolín was fought during the Seven Years' War, and in 1944 a refinery in Kolín was bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II. Zyklon B for Nazi concentration camps was produced there.
The historical center of the town has many gothic and baroque buildings. Most notable are the main market (Karls Square), the Jewish ghetto and synagogue, the very old and large Jewish cemetery, and St. Bartholomeus Church from the 13th century (a work of the architect Peter Parler).
Notable people
- Jakub Krčín (1535–1604), pond and dam constructer
- Jean-Gaspard Deburau (1796–1846), Czech–French actor and mime
- František Kmoch (1848–1912), composer and conductor
- Josef Svatopluk Machar (1864–1942), poet
- Robert Saudek (1880–1935), graphologist and writer
- Otokar Fischer (1883–1938), playwright, translator and poet
- Josef Sudek (1896–1976), photographer
- Václav Morávek (1904–1942), soldier and war hero
- Ludmila Dvořáková (1923–2015), operatic soprano
- Frank Daniel (1926–1996), Czech-American screenwriter and film director
- Jan Kubíček (1927–2013), constructivist painter and sculptor
- Miloš Zeman (born 1944), President of the Czech Republic
- Jan Novák (born 1953), Czech-American novelist and playwright
- Bohdan Ulihrach (born 1975), tennis player
Twin towns – sister cities
Dietikon, Switzerland
Duino-Aurisina, Italy
Kamenz, Germany
Lubań, Poland
Rimavská Sobota, Slovakia
References
- "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2020". Czech Statistical Office. 30 April 2020.
- Kleineberg, Andreas, Christian Marx, Eberhard Knobloch and Dieter Lelgemann (2010). Germania und die Insel Thule. Die Entschlüsselung von Ptolemaios' "Atlas der Oikumene". Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-534-23757-9.
- "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Kolín. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
