Ústí nad Orlicí (; ) is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The town is located at the confluence of the Tichá Orlice and Třebovka rivers, in the Svitavy Uplands. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.

Administrative division

Ústí nad Orlicí consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

  • Ústí nad Orlicí (8,978)
  • Černovír (295)
  • Dolní Houžovec (52)
  • Horní Houžovec (48)
  • Hylváty (3,017)
  • Kerhartice (888)
  • Knapovec (326)
  • Oldřichovice (354)

Etymology

The name Ústí literally means 'mouth (of the river)' in Czech. It refers to its location at the confluence of rivers. The German name Wildenschwert was created by a distortion of the original German name Wilhelmswerd, which referred to one of colonisers on the area, Wilhelm von Dürnholz, and meant "Wilhelm's promontory".

Geography

Ústí nad Orlicí is located about east of Pardubice. It lies in the Svitavy Uplands. The highest point is the Strážný hill at above sea level. The town is situated at the confluence of the Tichá Orlice and Třebovka rivers.

Climate

History

thumb|170px|Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Ústí nad Orlicí was founded in the second half of the 13th century, during the reign of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. Its predecessor was a Slavic settlement called Oustí. The first written mention of the town is from 1285, when King Wenceslaus II gifted it to Záviš of Falkenstein.

Economy

The largest industrial employer based in the town is Rieter CZ, a manufacturer of textile machinery with more than 250 employees.

Transport

thumb|250px|Town hall and houses on Mírové náměstí

The I/14 road (the section from Rychnov nad Kněžnou to Česká Třebová) runs through the town.

Ústí nad Orlicí is located on the Prague–Košice international railway line. The town is also served by the Prague–Luhačovice and Prague–Gdynia interregional lines and by a regional line heading from Česká Třebová to Litomyšl.

Sights

thumb|Church of the Visitation of Our Lady in Horní Houžovec

The square Mírové náměstí is a regular rectangular square with a floor plan preserved since the founding of the town. The square is surrounded by valuable arcaded houses. In the middle of the square is Marian column from 1737. The Baroque town hall was built in 1721–1723 and replaced the old town hall destroyed by fire. A school was built next to it in 1793. In 1850, the two buildings were structurally connected.

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a late Baroque church, built in 1770–1776. The adjoining deanery building was built in 1742–1748.

The Church of the Visitation of Our Lady in Horní Houžovec was built around 1800. It is a wooden rural church with an octagonal nave, valued as an example of vernacular architecture in the region.

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is located in Knapovec. It was built in the late Empire style in 1832–1834. The adjoining deanery building was built in 1742–1748.

Notable people

  • František Martin Pecháček (1763–1816), composer
  • Leopold Jansa (1795–1875), violinist and composer
  • Fritz Löhner-Beda (1883–1942), Jewish author
  • Jaroslav Kocian (1883–1950), violinist
  • Oldřich Marek (1911–1986), entomologist
  • Emila Medková (1928–1985), photographer
  • Josef Lux (1956–1999), politician
  • Luboš Adamec (1959–2025), sport shooter
  • Roman Dostál (born 1970), biathlete
  • Zdeňka Žádníková-Volencová (born 1974), actress
  • Martin Netolický (born 1982), politician
  • Michal Šlesingr (born 1983), biathlete
  • Ondřej Moravec (born 1984), biathlete
  • Jaroslav Kulhavý (born 1985), mountain biker, Olympic winner
  • Kamil Vacek (born 1987), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Ústí nad Orlicí is twinned with:

  • Amberg, Germany
  • Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Poland
  • Massa Martana, Italy
  • Neukölln (Berlin), Germany
  • Poprad, Slovakia

<gallery>

Ústí nad Orlicí, Hernychova vila Dm269166-4392 IMG 6650 2018-08-04 18.03.jpg|Hernych's villa

Ústí nad Orlicí, Socha Panny Marie Dm447696-3780 IMG 6661 2018-08-04 18.10.jpg|Marian column

Ústí nad Orlicí, Socha Bubnující legionář Dm422816-3778 IMG 6676 2018-08-05 09.20.jpg|Bubnující legionář Sculpture

</gallery>

References