Kratonohy

Kratonohy was founded—according to a fable—by Býd, the son of Count Slavomil of Kouřim at the place where he rested with his people for three days. The village was named so because of the name of the village people: kraťnožka or kraťnoha (English translation: Person with short legs). The name is quite old, believed to be originating from between the 11th to the 12th century.

Between the years of 1318 and 1323, the village was held by Tluček, Bohuněk, Licek, Mikuláš and Sezema from Kratonohy. In the 14th century, a citadel probably existed there, but the oldest written record about the citadel comes from the 16th century. In the second part of the 14th century, prominent people in the village were the Lords of Častolovice, Licek from Kratonohy and Perchta, daughter of Sezema from Kostomlaty. Perchta made a donation of some estates to St. George's Convent in Prague. From 1407–67, there were Hroch from Dobřenice and brothers Jiří and Adam Dobřenský.

In the year 1623, Kratonohy was bought for 20,800 units of Míšeňská kopa (currency) by Alžběta Vchynská from Vchynice and Chlumec. The homestead had been held by Kinský lineage to 1644, but due to mortgages, they sold it to Asterles from Asterfeld.

At beginning of the 18th century, an elementary school was built.

In 1835, the brickkiln was commonly alluded to Kratonohy. In 1841, the polygonal barn, brewery, still-house, forester's lodge, and mill were built.

Part of the castle and homestead was restituted after the Velvet revolution.

The gate of the homestead—built after the year 1720 by Giovanni Santini or his descendants, is now the property of an agricultural company, and intensively modified.

St. Jacob Church—Gothic based, baroquized in 1707–10. It had an inwrought interior with an unusual solution: the altar was made as grotto and the rostrum as whale. The altar is a reproduction of a Spanish altar of St. James from Compostela. The wife of manor owner Jan Adam Michna from Vacínov was Spanish, thus it is believed that its interior is the work of Spanish artists. It is one of the most impressive church interiors in the Czech Republic.

• Petr Kostka, actor – lived and studied at the elementary school there
• Jaroslav Čihák, major general – born there
• Rudolf Medek, writer – taught at elementary school there before World War I

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kratonohy.

• Official website (in Czech)
• Kratonohy on a map