Hořovice (; ) is a town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,100 inhabitants. The town is known for the Hořovice Castle.
Geography
Hořovice is located about southwest of Beroun and southwest of Prague. It lies in the Hořovice Uplands. The highest point is at above sea level. The stream Červený potok flows through the town.
History
thumb|Hořovice Castle – Old Castle
Hořovice was founded between 1303 and 1322, however archaeological excavations proves existence of an early settlement already in the 10th century. There was a trading post, later rebuilt and expanded into a castle in the Gothic style (the so-called "Old Castle").
Due to frequent fires in the town (in 1540, 1590, 1624, 1639, 1690 and 1694) and reconstructions, almost all documents of Gothic and Renaissance architecture were destroyed.
Demographics
Transport
Hořovice is located on the railway line Prague–Klatovy via Plzeň.
Sights
thumb|Hořovice Castle – New Castle
Hořovice is known for the Hořovice Castle, protected as a national cultural monument. The so-called New Castle was built in 1680–1709. It contains the adjacent French-English park and it is open to the public. The Old Castle houses the Police of the Czech Republic, the Municipal Library and the Information Centre, and offices of a family centre and of the Museum of the Bohemian Karst. A gallery and exposition of Hořovice Region Museum are also located there.
Notable people
- Elizabeth of Görlitz (1390–1451), Duchess of Luxemburg
- Josel of Rosheim (1480–1554), advocate of the German Jews; lived here
- Josef Labor (1842–1924), musician
- Alfred Seifert (1850–1901), Czech-German painter; grew up here
- Jaroslav Panuška (1872–1958), painter and illustrator
- Otto Hönigschmid (1878–1945), chemist
- Libor Capalini (born 1973), modern pentathlete, Olympic medalist
- Jan Prušinovský (born 1979), director and screenwriter
- Jiří Fischer (born 1980), ice hockey player
- Jan Skopeček (born 1980), politician
- Petr Koukal (born 1985), badminton player
Twin towns – sister cities
Hořovice is twinned with:
- Gau-Algesheim, Germany