Mnichovo Hradiště (; ) is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,100 inhabitants. The town is located in the Jičín Uplands on the left bank of the Jizera River.

Mnichovo Hradiště was founded in the 13th century by the Cistercian monks. The history of Mnichovo Hradiště is connected primarily with the Waldstein family, who have owned it continuously since 1621. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. The main landmark of the town is the Mnichovo Hradiště Castle, protected as a national cultural monument.

Administrative division

Mnichovo Hradiště consists of 12 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

  • Mnichovo Hradiště (6,361)
  • Dneboh (264)
  • Dobrá Voda (56)
  • Hněvousice (597)
  • Hoškovice (112)
  • Hradec (22)
  • Kruhy (74)
  • Lhotice (149)
  • Olšina (194)
  • Podolí (116)
  • Sychrov (125)
  • Veselá (667)

Etymology

The town was initially named Hradiště (i.e. 'gord'), after the monastery of the monks who founded the town. Later the town was called Hradiště nad Jizerou and Hradiště Mnichové. From the 19th century, the town is called Mnichovo Hradiště ("monk's gord").

Geography

Mnichovo Hradiště is located about north of Mladá Boleslav and south of Liberec. It lies in the Jičín Uplands. The highest point is at above sea level. The town is situated on the left bank of the Jizera River, which forms the western municipal border. The streams Veselka and Nedbalka, tributaries of the Jizera, flow through the town.

History

thumb|Former Capuchin monastery

The first written mention of Hradiště is from 1279. It was founded by monks from the nearby Cistercian monastery in Klášter Hradiště nad Jizerou. The monastery owned the town until 1420, when both the monastery and the town were burned down by the Orebites. After the Hussite Wars, properties of the monastery were divided among various noble families. Since then, the owners of Hradiště have often changed. The owners included Jan Čapek of Sány, Mikuláš Berka of Dubá, Old Town of Prague and Jan of Vartenberk.

Until 1918 the town was part of Austria-Hungary and was the centre of a district, which was one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.

Demographics

Economy

Mnichovo Hradiště has a factory of the Czech beverage company Kofola, which produces here the cola-based drink Kofola and several other products.

Transport

The D10 motorway from Prague to Turnov runs next to the town.

Mnichovo Hradiště is located on the railway line Prague–Turnov.

Sights

thumb|Mnichovo Hradiště Castle

thumb|Church of Saint James the Great

The main landmark of the town is Mnichovo Hradiště Castle. The original Gothic fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence in 1606 by Václav Budovec of Budov. In 1945, it was confiscated by the state. Today the castle is still owned by the state and is open to the public. It is protected as a national cultural monument.

The castle is connected to the Baroque complex of the Capuchin monastery from the 1690s, founded by the Waldsteins. The complex include the Church of the Holy Three Kings, the convent and the burial chapel of the Waldsteins. The remains of Albrecht von Wallenstein were moved from Jičín to the chapel in 1723.

The Church of Saint James the Great is among the most valuable buildings of the town. It was built in the Baroque style in 1726–1727.

Notable people

  • Adam Zalužanský of Zalužany (–1613), botanist and physician
  • Václav Jan Sekera (1815–1875), naturalist and botanist
  • Leopold Kompert (1822–1886), writer
  • Jan Šverma (1901–1944), journalist, communist activist and resistance fighter
  • Jiří Tancibudek (1921–2004), Czech-Australian oboist

Twin towns – sister cities

Mnichovo Hradiště is twinned with:

  • Chojnów, Poland
  • Erzhausen, Germany
  • Figline e Incisa Valdarno, Italy

References

  • Mnichovo Hradiště Castle