Sobotka

This article is about the town in the Czech Republic. For other uses, see Sobotka (disambiguation).
Sobotka
Town
Aerial view of the historic centre
Aerial view of the historic centre
Flag of Sobotka
Flag
Coat of arms of Sobotka
Coat of arms
Sobotka is located in Czech Republic
Sobotka
Sobotka
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°28′3″N 15°10′35″E / 50.46750°N 15.17639°E / 50.46750; 15.17639
Country Czech Republic
RegionHradec Králové
DistrictJičín
First mentioned1322
Government
 • MayorLubor Jenček (TOP 09)
Area
 • Total19.33 km2 (7.46 sq mi)
Elevation
305 m (1,001 ft)
Population
 (2024-01-01)[1]
 • Total2,432
 • Density130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
507 43
Websitewww.sobotka.cz

Sobotka (Czech pronunciation: [ˈsobotka]) is a town in Jičín District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

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The villages of Čálovice, Kdanice, Lavice, Spyšova, Staňkova Lhota, Stéblovice, Trní and Zajakury are administrative parts of Sobotka.

Etymology

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There are two theories about the origin of the name. Either it was derived from the Czech word sobota (i.e. 'Saturday') because the settlement was granted the right to hold markets on Saturdays, or from the relatively common Czech surname Sobotka.[2]

Geography

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Sobotka is located about 13 kilometres (8 mi) northwest of Jičín and 62 km (39 mi) northeast of Prague. It lies in the Jičín Uplands. The highest point is at 393 m (1,289 ft) above sea level. The northern part of the municipal territory lies in the Bohemian Paradise Protected Landscape Area.

History

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View of Sobotka from the north

The first written mention of Sobotka is from 1322. For centuries, it belonged to the Kost Castle estate. In 1498, Sobotka was promoted to a town by Vladislaus II. The development of the town was hampered by frequent fires, the biggest ones were in 1710, 1746 and 1825. In 1903, the railway was put into operation, but it did not bring an economic boom to the town.[3]

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
18693,642—    
18803,642+0.0%
18903,395−6.8%
19003,381−0.4%
19103,450+2.0%
YearPop.±%
19213,254−5.7%
19303,098−4.8%
19502,554−17.6%
19612,568+0.5%
19702,451−4.6%
YearPop.±%
19802,365−3.5%
19912,287−3.3%
20012,289+0.1%
20112,413+5.4%
20212,300−4.7%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

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Míru Square

The I/16 road (the section from Mladá Boleslav to Jičín) runs south of the town.

Sobotka is located on the railway line Mladá Boleslav–Mladějov.[6]

Culture

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Since 1957, Sobotka hosts an annual festival of Czech language, speech and literature called Šrámkova Sobotka. The festival is named after the most famous local native, writer Fráňa Šrámek.[7]

Sights

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Humprecht Castle
Church of Saint Mary Magdalene

The most valuable building is the Humprecht Castle, a national cultural monument. It was built for Humprecht Jan Czernin by Italian architect Carlo Lurago in 1666–1668, as a summer house and hunting castle. It has atypical elliptical shape of its floor plan. In 1678, it was damaged by a fire, and in 1680, it was repaired and increased by one floor. Its appearance has not changed since then.[8]

The historic centre is formed by Míru Square. It is known for preserved burgher houses and former town hall. Behind the square there is the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. It was built in the late Gothic style in 1590–1596 and replaced an old wooden church from the 14th century. It has late Baroque interiors.[9]

There are several preserved buildings of folk architecture in the town. The most notable is Šolc Farmhouse, dating from 1811.[9]

Notable people

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Twin towns – sister cities

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See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Sobotka is twinned with:[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
  2. ^ Profous, Antonín (1957). Místní jména v Čechách IV: S–Ž (in Czech). p. 130.
  3. ^ "Historie města" (in Czech). Město Sobotka. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  4. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
  5. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  6. ^ "Detail stanice Sobotka" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  7. ^ "Šrámkova Sobotka vstupuje do šedesátého ročníku" (in Czech). Deník.cz. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  8. ^ "O Humprechtu". Humprecht Castle (in Czech). Město Sobotka. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  9. ^ a b "Památky" (in Czech). Město Sobotka. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  10. ^ "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Sobotka. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
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