Broumov (; ) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. There are three important historic buildings, protected as national cultural monuments: the Benedictine monastery, the Church of the Virgin Mary and the Church of Saint Wenceslaus. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.

Administrative division

Broumov consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

  • Broumov (2,072)
  • Benešov (106)
  • Kolonie 5. května (213)
  • Nové Město (1,631)
  • Olivětín (1,018)
  • Poříčí (405)
  • Rožmitál (162)
  • Velká Ves (1,267)

Etymology

The name is derived from the old Czech personal name Brum (also written as Brúm, Brun, Brún).

Geography

Broumov is located about northeast of Náchod and south of the Polish city of Wałbrzych. The municipal territory shortly borders Poland in the north. It lies in the Broumov Highlands. The highest point is the hill Bobří vrch at above sea level. The Ścinawka River flows through the town. The territory lies entirely in the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area.

Climate

Broumov's climate is classified as humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb; Trewartha: Dclo). Among them, the annual average temperature is , the hottest month in July is , and the coldest month is in January. The annual precipitation is , of which July is the wettest with , while February is the driest with only . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on 27 January 1954 to on 28 July 2013.

History

13h–14th centuries

thumb|160px|Town hall

In 1213, King Ottokar I had granted the remote area around today's Broumov and Police nad Metují to the Benedictine monks of Břevnov Monastery in Prague, who began to colonize the lands. The wooden Church of the Virgin Mary already stood here. Broumov was probably founded in 1255. Broumov was first mentioned in 1256 and already referred to as a market village. It was a centre of trade, crafts and administration of the abbatial estates. In 1275, the drapers in Broumov received from King Ottokar II the privilege of producing and selling cloth, and the production soon began to be exported. This laid the foundation for the textile industry in the region. After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, more than 400 citizens emigrated to Latin America, especially to Chile, where the village of Nueva Braunau was established near Puerto Varas in 1875.

During the first half of the 19th century, the built-up area of the town stretched outside the town walls. In the late 19th century, the industrialization started and new factories were established. Textile factories have become the mainstay of the economy.

Upon World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, Broumov with its predominantly German population became part of the new state of Czechoslovakia according to the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain. After the Munich Agreement, Broumov was occupied by Nazi Germany in October 1938 and incorporated into Reichsgau Sudetenland.

Pursuant to the Beneš decrees, the German-speaking population was expelled, including the monastery's monks, who re-established the Braunau in Rohr Abbey in Bavaria. The Broumov Monastery was finally abolished in 1950; after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the premises were returned to the Benedictines.

Demographics

Economy

The tradition of the textile industry continues to this day. The main employers in the town are the textile company Veba and its subsidiary Vebatrade-Plus.

Transport

Broumov is the starting point of the railway line Broumov–Starkoč via Náchod.

Sights

thumb|Broumov monastery

thumb|Wooden Church of the Virgin Mary

Broumov has preserved historical centre similar to Silesian towns with a large rectangular market square with two parallel main streets running from both sides of the square and converging at both gates located on the opposite sides of the town.

The Benedictine Monastery of Saint Wenceslaus from the early 14th century was rebuilt in Baroque style to plans by Christoph Dientzenhofer, continued by his son, Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer in 1728–1738. Today the monastery houses the regional museum. The monastery garden is also accessible. The Church of Saint Adalbert in the monastery complex dates from 1357 and was baroque rebuilt in 1684–1694.

Besides the monastery church, there are four other significant churches in the town. The rarest is the wooden Church of the Virgin Mary, which is a national cultural monument. or 1459

  • Forchheim, Germany (patronage for the town's expellees since 1955)
  • Nowa Ruda, Poland

References

  • Broumov region official tourist portal
  • Broumov airport