Kuks () is a municipality and village in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. It lies on the Elbe river. Its main feature is a Baroque spa building with famous sculptures by Matthias Braun. The village with the Baroque complex is protected as a monument reservation.

Administrative division

Kuks consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

  • Kuks (187)
  • Kašov (70)

Etymology

The name is probably derived from the Old German word for share of mining revenue. According to another theory, the word meant ore smelting remains.

Geography

Kuks is located about south of Trutnov and north of Hradec Králové. It lies on the border of three geomorphological regions: the lowlands of East Elbe Table and Orlice Table, and the undulating landscape of the Jičín Uplands. The highest point is at above sea level. The Elbe River flows through the municipality.

History

thumb|Aerial view of Kuks Hospital

thumb|Gardens of the hospital

Before any settlement was established here, the area was used for gold panning. The Kuks village was founded after the spa was founded here.

On the slope of the Elbe in Kuks, there used to be mineral springs. In 1692–1696, Count Sporck directed three of them at one place and built a simple spa. When the healing effects of the water were proven by professors of the Charles-Ferdinand University and experts from Baden-Baden, Sporck enlarged the spa.

Transport

Kuks is located on the railway line Liberec–Jaroměř.

Sights

thumb|160px|Church of the Holy Trinity and the crypt

The hospital, church, and pharmacy buildings have been preserved, along with historic furnishings, and are considered masterpieces of the Baroque. The complex is nowadays owned by the state. Since 1946, the building of the hospital houses a museum of Baroque art and Czech pharmacy. With the financial support of American Express, pump boxes were installed to drive groundwater away from the sculptures and low-lying vegetation was removed to enhance air circulation in the damp wooded environment.

References

  • Official website of the Kuks Hospital