Town in South Bohemian, Czech Republic
Hluboka nad Vltavou
(
Czech pronunciation:
[??lubokaː
?nad
vl?tavou]
; until 1885
Podhrad
,
German
:
Frauenberg
) is a town in
?eske Bud?jovice District
in the
South Bohemian Region
of the
Czech Republic
. It has about 5,500 inhabitants. The town is known for the
Hluboka Castle
.
Administrative parts
[
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]
Villages of Bavorovice, Buzkov, Hrozn?jovice, Jaroslavice, Jeznice, Kostelec, Li?nice, Munice, Pon??ice and Purkarec are administrative parts of Hluboka nad Vltavou.
Etymology
[
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]
The name of the town was taken from the name of the local castle. The castle was named
Frauenberg
in German, which was derived from Old German
vroburg
(i.e. "Lord's castle"). The Czech name
Hluboka
literally means "deep" and originated from the location of the castle above a deep valley.
[2]
Geography
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]
Hluboka nad Vltavou is situated about 7 kilometres (4 mi) north of
?eske Bud?jovice
, on both banks of the
Vltava
river. There are many
fish ponds
in the municipal territory. The town itself lies on the shore of the largest of them, which is Municky pond with an area of 108 ha (270 acres).
[3]
Hluboka nad Vltavou lies mostly in the
Tabor Uplands
, but the southern part with the ponds lies in the
?eske Bud?jovice Basin
, and the eastern part extends into the
T?ebo? Basin
. The northern part of the large municipal territory is covered by forests. The highest point is the hill Velky Kamenik with 575 m (1,886 ft) above sea level.
History
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]
Church of Saint John of Nepomuk
History of the town is connected with a castle, which was founded together with the city of
?eske Bud?jovice
by King
Ottokar II of Bohemia
on a rocky promontory above the Vltava river. A settlement was founded under the castle and named
Podhrad
(literally meaning "Undercastle").
[4]
The castle later passed to the
Vitkovci
dynasty. Again purchased by the
royal chamber
in the 14th century, it was a favourite residence of Emperor
Charles IV
, who often visited the castle when residing in ?eske Bud?jovice.
[
citation needed
]
Held by the local noble
Vilem II of Pern?tejn
from 1490 onwards, castle and town prospered. In 1496, the settlement was promoted to a
market town
.
[4]
Though seized by
French
forces in the
Thirty Years' War
, the acquisition by the
Schwarzenberg family
in 1661 brought even greater wealth to the area. After a blaze in 1742, the medieval fortress was slighted and rebuilt into a Renaissance castle, then between 1839 and 1871 into the current Neo-Gothic castle.
The first
Jews
came into Hluboka around 1724. The old
synagogue
was replaced by a new one in 1907, but it ceased to serve its purpose after its interior was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.
[5]
The present-day municipality arose in 1850. The majority of the population was
Czech
-speaking. The town was renamed after the Hluboka Castle in 1885. In 1907, Hluboka became a town by decision of
Franz Joseph I
.
[4]
Demographics
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]
Historical population
| Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
|---|
| 1869
| 4,845
| ?
|
|---|
| 1880
| 5,628
| +16.2%
|
|---|
| 1890
| 5,442
| ?3.3%
|
|---|
| 1900
| 5,353
| ?1.6%
|
|---|
| 1910
| 5,578
| +4.2%
|
|---|
| | Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
|---|
| 1921
| 5,391
| ?3.4%
|
|---|
| 1930
| 5,151
| ?4.5%
|
|---|
| 1950
| 4,263
| ?17.2%
|
|---|
| 1961
| 4,485
| +5.2%
|
|---|
| 1970
| 4,236
| ?5.6%
|
|---|
| | Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
|---|
| 1980
| 4,373
| +3.2%
|
|---|
| 1991
| 4,277
| ?2.2%
|
|---|
| 2001
| 4,538
| +6.1%
|
|---|
| 2011
| 4,982
| +9.8%
|
|---|
| 2021
| 5,310
| +6.6%
|
|---|
|
| Source: Censuses
[6]
[7]
|
Education
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]
The
Townshend International School
has been based in the town since 1992.
Sights
[
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]
Hluboka Castle
Ohrada Castle
The main landmark of Hluboka nad Vltavou is the
Tudor
-style
Hluboka Castle
. Every year it is one of the most visited castles in the country.
[8]
The second significant castle in Hluboka nad Vltavou is Ohrada Castle. It is a Baroque hunting castle built in 1708?1713. In 1842, the Hunting Museum, one of the oldest museums in the country, was established here. It still exist under the name Museum of Forestry, Hunting and Fishing, and is administered by National Museum of Agriculture in Prague.
[9]
Next to the castle there is a zoological garden, colloquially known as
Ohrada Zoo
. It breeds about 300 species of animals.
Notable people
[
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]
Twin towns ? sister cities
[
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]
Hluboka nad Vltavou is
twinned
with:
[10]
References
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]
External links
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]