Nymburk (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is located on the Elbe River in the Central Elbe Table. The town is a railway junction and is known for the basketball club Basketball Nymburk.

Nymburk was founded around 1275. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. The main landmark of Nymburk is the Church of Saint Giles.

Administrative division

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

  • Nymburk (13,944)
  • Drahelice (853)

Etymology

The name is derived from the Middle High German expression ze der Niuwen Burk, meaning 'at the new castle'. The name was soon transcribed into Czech as Nymburk.

Geography

Nymburk is located about east of Prague. It lies in a flat landscape in the Central Elbe Table within the Polabí lowland. The town is situated on both banks of the Elbe River and lies at the confluence of the Elbe and Mrlina rivers. The Výrovka River briefly crosses the municipal territory in the southwest.

History

The town was founded around 1275 by King Ottokar II. Throughout the Middle Ages it was one of the most important and strategic towns in the kingdom, as it protected Prague and was an important pillar of royal power.

During the reign of King Wenceslaus II, the Church of St. Nicholas (today the Church of St. Giles) and the Dominican monastery were constructed. The town was surrounded by burnt-brick walls with about fifty towers and two defensive ditches fed from the Elbe. The Hussite Wars in the 15th century affected the town only slightly (the Dominican monastery was looted) and so the town prospered until the beginning of the 17th century.

Economy

thumb|Nymburk Brewery

The brewery Pivovar Nymburk, located on the southern end of the town, was founded in 1895. With a production of about 200,000 hl/year, it is considered a medium-sized brewery in the Czech Republic. The brewery produces beer under the brand Postřižinské.

The largest employer in the town is the Nymburk Hospital with more than 500 employees. There are no large companies based in the town. The largest industrial employers are Pivovar Nymburk, NYMWAG CS (manufacturer of freight railway wagons), Maschinenfabrik Niehoff (manufacturer of machines for processing non-ferrous metals) and Kelvion (manufacturer of heat exchange devices), all of them with more than 100 employees.

Transport

thumb|Church of Saint Giles

The I/38 road from Mladá Boleslav to Kolín runs through the town.

Nymburk is a railway junction at the crossing of several railway lines: Prague–Kolín, Prague–Trutnov, Kolín–Rumburk, Nymburk–Mladá Boleslav, Nymburk–Rožďalovice and Nymburk–Poříčany.

Sport

The town is home to Basketball Nymburk, the most successful club of the Czech National Basketball League. It plays its home games at the Sportovní centrum.

Since 2015, an annual international rink bandy tournament has taken place in Nymburk. In 2017, the Federation of International Bandy decided to make the Nymburk tournament official.

The town's football club is SK Polaban Nymburk, playing in lower amateur tiers.

Sights

thumb|The square Náměstí Přemyslovců with the Plague column

The dominant feature of the town is the Gothic brick Church of Saint Giles, built in 1280–1380. This church, together with the preserved buildings of the Nymburk fortification, is a unique example of brick Gothic (originally North German) architecture in the Czech lands. The main landmark of the square is a rare Renaissance town hall from 1526.

Notable people

  • Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský (1684–1742), composer and organist
  • Josef Kramolín (1730–1802), painter
  • Antonín Janoušek (1877–1941), journalist and politician
  • Karel Dostal (1884–1966), actor
  • Bohumil Hrabal (1914–1997), writer; lived here in his childhood and youth
  • Miroslav Macháček (1922–1991), theatre director and actor
  • Vratislav Effenberger (1923–1986), literature theoretician
  • Radek Bejbl (born 1972), footballer
  • Jan Bořil (born 1991), footballer
  • Martin Fuksa (born 1993), canoeist

Twin towns – sister cities

Nymburk is twinned with:

  • Neuruppin, Germany
  • Porto San Giorgio, Italy
  • Vrútky, Slovakia
  • Żarów, Poland

<gallery>

Nymburk CZ town walls.JPG|Medieval walls

Nymburk-kostelni-namesti.JPG|The square Kostelní náměstí

Nymburk turecka vez 01.jpg|Turkish tower

Morovysloup1.jpg|Plague column

Radnice-nymburk.jpg|Renaissance town hall

Kaple nepomuk nb 1.jpg|Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk

Silniční most (Nymburk) 01.jpg|Road bridge over the Elbe

Secesni-vodarna.jpg|Art Nouveau water tower

Nymburk, náměstí Přemyslovců 165 (2).jpg|Tourist Information Centre House

rybarna.jpg|Old Fisher House

Gymnazium-nymburk1.jpg|Gymnasium

</gallery>

References