Sobotka

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 town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

This article is about the town in the Czech Republic. For other uses, see Sobotka (disambiguation).
Sobotka
Town
Aerial view of the historic centre
Coat of arms
Sobotka
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°28′3″N 15°10′35″E
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
 (2021-01-01)[1]
 • Total2,377
 • Density120/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
507 43
Websitewww.sobotka.cz

Administrative parts

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

Geography

Sobotka is located between Mladá Boleslav and Jičín, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north-east from Prague. The northern part of the municipal territory lies in the Protected Landscape Area Bohemian Paradise.

History

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.[2]

Culture

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.[3]

Sights
Humprecht Castle

The most valuable building is the Humprecht Castle, a national cultural monument. It was built in 1666–1668 by Italian architect Carlo Lurago 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.[4]

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.[5]

There are several preserved buildings of folk architecture in the town. The most notable is Šolc Farmhouse from 1811.[5]

Notable people

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

Sobotka is twinned with:[6]

  • Míru Square
  • Church of Saint Mary Magdalene
  • Šolc Farmhouse

References
  1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2021". Czech Statistical Office. 2021-04-30.
  2. "Historie města" (in Czech). Město Sobotka. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  3. "Šrámkova Sobotka vstupuje do šedesátého ročníku" (in Czech). Deník.cz. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  4. "O Humprechtu" (in Czech). Město Sobotka. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  5. "Památky" (in Czech). Město Sobotka. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  6. "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Sobotka. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
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