Chrudim | |
|---|---|
 Resselovo Square | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Chrudim Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Coordinates:49°57′4″N15°47′44″E / 49.95111°N 15.79556°E /49.95111; 15.79556 | |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Region | Pardubice |
| District | Chrudim |
| First mentioned | 1055 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | František Pilný |
| Area | |
• Total | 33.21 km2 (12.82 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 240 m (790 ft) |
| Population (2025-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 23,564 |
| • Density | 709.5/km2 (1,838/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 537 01 |
| Website | www |
Chrudim (Czech pronunciation:[ˈxruɟɪm]) is a town in thePardubice Region of theCzech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants and is the second largest town of the region. It is situated on theChrudimka River. Chrudim is known for its connection withpuppetry, especially for the puppetry museum and the annual puppetry festival. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as anurban monument zone.
Chrudim consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2]
The name was derived from the personal name Chrudim, meaning "Chrudim's (castle)".[3]
Chrudim is located about 8 kilometres (5 mi) south ofPardubice. It lies mostly in theSvitavy Uplands. The highest point is the hill Podhůra at 356 m (1,168 ft) above sea level. This hill is situated in the southern tip of the municipal territory, which extends into theIron Mountains and the eponymous protected landscape area. TheChrudimka River flows through the town.
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The oldest archeological findings which provide first signs of the settlement in this area date back to the 5th millennium BC. Various cultures succeeded one on another in the territory of today's town of Chrudim and its vicinity. Since the 7th–8th century, the area is inhabited bySlavs.[4]
The first written mention of Chrudim is from 1055, when DukeBretislav I died here according toChronica Boemorum. The royal town of Chrudim was founded in 1276 by KingOttokar II for its location on a route fromPrague toMoravia. From 1307, it became adowry town, administered by Bohemian Queens.[4]
At the beginning of theHussite Wars, Chrudim sided with the anti-Catholic side and the German-speaking population left the town. Since then, Chrudim has been an almost exclusively Czech territory by ethnicity. The town was in opposition to the ruling Habsburgs during the failedEstates Revolt in 1547 andBohemian Revolt in 1618–1620, which always had serious consequences for it. Chrudim was also severely affected by theThirty Years' War, during which the evangelical population left as a result of re-Catholicization.[4]
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Chrudim lost partly lost its economical and administrative importance, but it has become important educational and cultural centre, which led to its gain of the nickname "Athens of Eastern Bohemia". In 1871, the railway was built and the town regained economic significance.[4][5]
Until 1918, the town was part ofAustria-Hungary, head of the Chrudim District, one of the 94Bezirkshauptmannschaften inBohemia.[6][7]
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| Source: Censuses[8][9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There are no major industrial companies in Chrudim. A middle-sized company based in the town is BASF Stavební hmoty Česká republika, part of theBASF conglomerate that produces building materials. The largest employer with its headquarters in Chrudim isArriva autobusy a.s. with more than 1,000 employees, focused on urban and suburban passenger transport.[10]
The town is situated at the crossroads of two main roads: the I/17 (connectingČáslav with theD35 motorway) and the I/37 (connectingHradec Králové andPardubice withŽďár nad Sázavou theD1 motorway).
Chrudim is located on the railway lines Pardubice–Havlíčkův Brod and Chrudim–Moravany. There are four train stations in the town's territory:Chrudim,Chrudim město,Chrudim zastávka andMedlešice.[11]
In the western part of Chrudim is theChrudim Airfield. It is a public national airport operated by Aeroklub Chrudim, hosting recreational activities and training programs. It was established in 1937 as a military airfield of theCzechoslovak Air Force until capture by the German Army, which converted it into aLuftwaffe fighter base. From 1945 until the 1990s, it remained in-use as a communications and radio training base.[12]
Chrudim is known for the Loutkářská Chrudim Festival. The festival was established in 1951 and is the oldest continuous festival ofpuppetry in the world.[13]
Chrudim is home to the professional football clubMFK Chrudim. Since 2018, it plays in theCzech National Football League.
Until 1970, there was amotorcycle speedway track in the town.[14] The site hosted a final round of theCzechoslovak Individual Speedway Championship in 1954, 1955 and 1961.[15]
The main landmark of Chrudim is the Church of Assumption of the Virgin Mary on the town square. The originally Gothic building was founded before 1349 on the site of a castle. After it was damaged by several fires, it was reconstructed to its current Neo-Gothic form in 1857.[16] Another notable churches with Gothic bases are Church of Saint Catherine, Church of Saint Michael, and Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.[17]
Resselovo Square is the main square of the historic centre. It is lined with preserved burgher houses and includes the originally Renaissance town hall with Baroque façade. In the middle of the square there is the Baroque richly decorated sculptural column of the Transfiguration.[17]
One of the architectural symbols of the town is the Renaissance Mydlářovský House, typical with arcades and oriental-looking triple tower. Today it houses the Museum ofPuppetry Culture. A significant sight is also the Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque building of theChrudim Regional Museum.[17]
The historic centre was delimited by the town walls. Most of the walls, including several bastions, have been preserved.[17]
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