Náchod | |
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.jpg) View from the castle | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Náchod Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Coordinates:50°25′1″N16°9′47″E / 50.41694°N 16.16306°E /50.41694; 16.16306 | |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Region | Hradec Králové |
| District | Náchod |
| First mentioned | 1254 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jan Birke (SOCDEM) |
| Area | |
• Total | 33.34 km2 (12.87 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 346 m (1,135 ft) |
| Population (2025-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 19,827 |
| • Density | 594.7/km2 (1,540/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 547 01 |
| Website | www |
Náchod (Czech pronunciation:[ˈnaːxot];German:Nachod) is a town in theHradec Králové Region of theCzech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as anurban monument zone.
Náchod consists of ten municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2]
The name is derived from the Old Czech wordnáchod, i.e. 'place of arrival' (here meaning "the place where one arrives into the land" in connection with the land gate that was located here).[3]
Náchod is located about 31 kilometres (19 mi) northeast ofHradec Králové, on the border with Poland. It lies in the northern tip of theOrlické Foothills. The highest point is the hill Malinová hora at 637 m (2,090 ft) above sea level. The town is situated in the valley of theMetuje River. There are two fishponds in the northwestern part of the municipal territory: Podborný and Odkaliště.
The predecessor of Náchod was a settlement calledBranka (meaning 'gate') near the land gate, located in the area today known as Staré Město ("Old Town") with the Church of Saint John the Baptist from the 13th century. Knight Hron of Načeradec founded a castle and then a town below the castle in the mid-13th century to protect the territory through which an old trade route from Prague toKłodzko Land passed. The first written mention of Náchod is from 1254. The town was fortified with walls and bastions in the early 14th century.[4][5]
Owners of the castle included kingsJohn of Bohemia andGeorge of Poděbrady. During theHussite Wars, Náchod was conquered and owned by theHussites. In 1437 it was captured by the celebrated robber knightJan Kolda of Žampach, and retaken by George of Poděbrady in 1456 and included in his estates.[6] Over time the castle grew into a large fortress. The powerful and rich Smiřický family acquired the estate in 1544 and had the castle rebuilt into a comfortable Renaissance residence; the town also flourished at the time, and was endowed with privileges almost equal to royal towns.[4][5]
TheThirty Years' War put an end to the prosperity of the town. The properties of the Smiřický family, who had been loyal to KingFrederick V, were seized by the imperial treasury after theBattle of the White Mountain and sold to the House of Trčka of Lípa in 1623. WhenAdam Erdman Trčka was assassinated together with his brother-in-lawAlbrecht von Wallenstein inCheb in 1634, the domain was seized again and donated by the Emperor to his generalOttavio Piccolomini, later Duke of Amalfi. Thus the town fell into the hands of the Italian family, suffered from military operations and forced re-catholicization, but also enjoyed some development: the castle was grandly rebuilt in the Baroque style and the first street in the town was paved in 1638. After the fire of 1663, a new town hall was built and the Church of St. Lawrence on the square was rebuilt. The burgesses were also granted some privileges.[4][5]
The Piccolominis extinct in 1783, the Náchod domain was inherited by theDesfours family and sold in 1792 to DukePeter von Biron of Courland and Sagan, who established a theatre on the castle and significantly improved overall the level of cultural life in Náchod.[4][5]
When the duke died in 1800, his eldest daughterKatharina Wilhelmine (1781–1839) inherited Náchod and theDuchy of Sagan. After her death, the princes ofSchaumburg-Lippe (in today's Lower Saxony) bought Náchod and held the castle until 1945, though the domain system was abolished in the reform of 1849 and succeeded by public administration districts.[4][5]
Beside the district administration and district court, the reform brought about an elected town council, fast development of industry and schools, and a building boom that included the Neo-Renaissance town hall and Art Nouveau theatre. The railway was also built and from 1882, when two factories were established, the textile industry quickly developed. Náchod became the cotton industry centre ofAustria-Hungary. At the beginning of the 20th century, Náchod was nicknamed "Manchester of the east".[5]
Extensiveborder fortifications were built in and around Náchod in the years prior to World War II to protect the territory of Czechoslovakia against the threat of German invasion.[7] During World War II, the town wasoccupied by Germany. Náchod had virtually no ethnic German population.
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| Source: Censuses[8][9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The service sector is the major employer in Náchod. Revenues from tourism are crucial for the economy of the town and the whole region. The largest employer based in the town is the hospital. The largest industrial companies are ATAS elektromotory Náchod andAmetek elektromotory, both producers ofelectric motors, and the rubber factory of Rubena Náchod.[10]
The tradition of textile industry is held by the last surviving cotton-weaving mill Bartoň – textil, founded in 1867.[11] Long tradition has also the Primátor Brewery, founded in 1872.[12]
On the Czech-Polish border is the road border crossingNáchod /Kudowa Słone. The I/33 road (part of theEuropean route E67) connectsHradec Králové with Náchod and the border crossing. The second main road that runs through Náchod is I/14 (specifically its section fromTrutnov toÚstí nad Orlicí).
Náchod is located on the railway linesBroumov–Starkoč andTýniště nad Orlicí–Teplice nad Metují. The town is served by three stations and stops:Náchod,Náchod zastávka andNáchod-Běloves.[13]
Náchod Castle is the main landmark of the town. Since 1945, the castle is owned by the state. The interiors are open to the public, its exhibits include collections from PrinceOttavio Piccolomini's time (e.g. tapestries) orphaleristic andnumismatic collections.[14] Other sights include Gothic cellars and the observation tower (keep), and a moat with bears, which is the largest bear enclosure in the country.[15]
The Church of Saint Lawrence is located in the middle of Masarykovo Square in the historic town centre. It was first mentioned in 1350 and rebuilt in 1570–1578.[16]
The Church of Saint Michael the Archangel was built in 1709–1716 in the Baroque style.[17]
The Church of Saint John the Baptist in Staré Město nad Metují was built in the Gothic style in the 13th century and reconstructed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Since 1791, it is only a cemetery church.[18]
The village of Běloves was known for its spa. The first mention of the healing water is from 1392. The spa was founded in 1818 and closed in 1996.[19] Although the spa complex is in a desolate state, a small colonnade with two mineral springs and permanent exhibition on the history of spa was built by the town and opened in December 2019.[20]
Bauska, Latvia
Halberstadt, Germany
Kudowa-Zdrój, PolandKłodzko, Poland
Partizánske, Slovakia
Persan, France
Tiachiv, Ukraine
Warrington, England, United Kingdom
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Náchod".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 148.
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