Mladá Boleslav
Mladá Boleslav (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmladaː ˈbolɛslaf]; German: Jungbunzlau; both meaning "New (or literally Young) Boleslav") is a statutory city in the north of the Czech Republic, on the left bank of the Jizera river about 50 kilometres (31 miles) northeast of Prague. It is the second biggest city in the Central Bohemian Region and a major centre of the Czech automotive industry (Škoda Auto). The city name abbreviation MB became eponymous for colloquial naming of Škoda cars (especially in the communist era) as "embé(čko)".
Mladá Boleslav | |
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City hall in Mladá Boleslav | |
Flag Coat of arms | |
Nickname(s): City of cars | |
Mladá Boleslav Location in the Czech Republic | |
Coordinates: 50°24′45″N 14°54′16″E | |
Country | |
Region | Central Bohemian |
District | Mladá Boleslav |
Founded | 10th century |
Government | |
• Mayor | Raduan Nwelati (ODS) |
Area | |
• Total | 28.89 km2 (11.15 sq mi) |
Elevation | 235 m (771 ft) |
Population (2020-01-01[1]) | |
• Total | 44,470 |
• Density | 1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 293 01 |
Website | www |
History
Founded in the second half of the 10th century by King Boleslav II as a royal castle. Because there already was a castle known as Boleslav near Prague, this new castle was named Mladá (young) to distinguish it from the older Boleslav, which became known in the 15th century as Stará Boleslav (Old Boleslav). The town received partial city rights in 1334 and 1436, becoming an important site on the road from Prague to northern Bohemia, Lusatia, and Brandenburg. In the 16th century the city was a leading centre of the Unitas Fratrum / Unity of the Brethren / Moravian Church, hosting the Brethren's bishop, Renaissance church, and printing house. After being re-catholicized in the 17th century, the city's population declined.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Mladá Boleslav (called Bumsla by Jews) was an important Jewish center.[2] In the 19th century (in fact, the period of decline of the Jewish community), Mladá Boleslav was dubbed "Jerusalem on Jizera". In 1634, Jacob Bassevi von Treuenberg (born 1580 in Verona, Italy), the first ennobled Jew in the Habsburg monarchy, was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Mladá Boleslav.
In the 19th century new prosperity came: the city became an important regional centre as new schools, theatres, museums, and the Laurin & Klement (today Škoda) automobile factory were founded. Since the 1990s the factory has made it one of the richest and most prosperous Czech cities.
Sights
- Templ Municipal History Museum – new holographic exhibition in gothic town-palace
- Škoda Museum – Car museum
- Škoda Manufacturing Plant – Car manufacturing and assembly plant
- Brethren renaissance cathedral – public open gallery
- Regional Museum – Historical, cultural and social history collections
Notable people
- Elijah Landsofer (died 1702), 17th-century Rabbi
- Siegfried Kapper (1821–1879), writer
- Alfréd Meissner (1871–1950), politician
- František Gellner (1881–c.1914), poet
- Frantisek Schubert (1894–1942), chess master
- Adina Mandlová (1910–1991), actress
- Mila Rechcigl (born 1930), scientist, long-term president of the SVU
- Zdenek Sekanina (born 1936), Czech-American astronomer
- Jan Železný (born 1966), three-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion in the javelin
- Jiri Vlcek (born 1978), Italian rower
- Radim Vrbata (born 1981), ice hockey player
- Martin Havlát (born 1981), ice hockey player
- Marek Schwarz (born 1986), ice hockey player
Twin towns – sister cities
Sport
The local football team FK Mladá Boleslav has played in the top national division since 2004. They were runners-up in 2005–06, have been Czech Cup winners twice (2011 and 2016) and have qualified for the UEFA Cup and Europa League nine times, beating such opponents as Olympique de Marseille 4–3 on aggregate in 2006 and US Citta di Palermo 2–1 on aggregate in 2007. The local ice hockey team BK Mladá Boleslav, was relegated in 2012 from the Extraliga, but quickly returned in 2014. The town also has one of the Czech Republic's top floorball teams, national champions 2017–18.
References
- "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2020". Czech Statistical Office. 2020-04-30.
- Spector, Shmuel; Wigoder, Geoffrey (2001). "The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust: K-Sered". NYU Press. p. 832. ISBN 9780814793770.
- "Partnerská města: Mladá Boleslav" (in Czech). Statutární město Mladá Boleslav. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mladá Boleslav. |
Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Mladá Boleslav. |