Častolovice | |
Settlement Type: | Market town |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Type1: | Region |
Subdivision Name1: | Hradec Králové |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Subdivision Name2: | Rychnov nad Kněžnou |
Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
Coordinates: | 50.1328°N 16.1789°W |
Established Title: | First mentioned |
Established Date: | 1342 |
Area Total Km2: | 5.62 |
Elevation M: | 268 |
Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
Population Footnotes: | [1] |
Population Total: | 1725 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone1: | CET |
Utc Offset1: | +1 |
Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
Postal Code: | 517 50 |
Častolovice (German: Tschastolowitz) is a market town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants.
The name is derived from the personal name Častolov, meaning "the village of Častolov's people".[2]
Častolovice is located about southeast of Hradec Králové. It lies in the Orlice Table. The highest point is at 320m (1,050feet) above sea level. The market town is situated on the Bělá River, near its confluence with the Divoká Orlice. The Divoká Orlice forms the southern municipal border.
Around 1280, a Gothic fortress was built here by a noble family, later named Lords of Častolovice. The first written mention of Častolovice is from 1342, when the village was promoted to a market town by King John of Bohemia.[3] Between 1588 and 1615, the fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle. From 1694 until World War II, Častolovice was owned by the Sternberg family. In 1992, the castle was returned to the family.[4]
Častolovice is located on the railway lines Hradec Králové–Letohrad and Rychnov nad Kněžnou–Choceň.[5]
The main sight of Častolovice is the Častolovice Castle. The castle is open to the public and includes a mini-zoo and an English park with a game park.[6]
The Church of Saint Vitus is a Baroque building. It replaced an old Gothic church, first mentioned in 1356. Some elements of the original church are preserved in the present building.[7]