Kladno (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkladno]; German: Kladen) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 67,000 inhabitants.[2] It is the largest city in the region and has a rich industrial history.
Kladno | |
|---|---|
 Kladno City Hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Kladno Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Coordinates: 50°9′N 14°6′E / 50.150°N 14.100°E | |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Region | Central Bohemian |
| District | Kladno |
| First mentioned | 1318 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Milan Volf (Volba pro Kladno) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 36.97 km2 (14.27 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 381 m (1,250 ft) |
| Population (2022-01-01)[1] | |
| • Total | 66,903 |
| • Density | 1,800/km2 (4,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 272 01, 272 03, 272 04 |
| Website | www.mestokladno.cz |
Administrative divisions
The city is split into six administrative parts: Kladno, Dubí, Kročehlavy, Rozdělov, Švermov and Vrapice.
Geography
Kladno is located about 17 kilometres (11 mi) northwest of Prague and is a part of the Prague metropolitan area. The total area of the city is 36,96 km2. The highest point is at 434 metres (1,424 ft) above sea level, and the lowest at 283 metres (928 ft) above sea level. It lies in a mostly flat landscape of the Prague Plateau, albeit in the north the terrain becomes hillier. There are no large bodies of water within city limits, only several small creeks. The city is surrounded almost on all sides by forests connected to the Křivoklátsko and Džbán protected nature areas. The city limits contain the Žraločí zuby natural monument.
History
The first written mention of Kladno is from 1318 as the property of the Kladenský of Kladno noble family.[3] After 1543, when Kladenský of Kladno family died out, it became a property of the Žďárský of Žďár family. In 1561 the settlement was granted town status.[4]
In 1566, the Žďárskýs of Žďár rebuilt the local fort into a Renaissance castle. The town walls was built in following decades. The town prospered until Battle of White Mountain in 1620, when it was looted by Polish Cossacks.[3] After the Bohemian branch of the Ždárský family died out, the town was eventually purchased by the Benedictian abbey of Břevnov in 1705. Under the Benedictians, several Baroque structures were designed by architect Kilián Ignác Diezenthofer, including the Saint Florian chapel, the Marian column in the town square, and a redesign of the aging castle into a smaller manor.
In the 18th century the town began to expand beyond its walls. In the 19th century, the town industrial centre. Bituminous coal was first dicovered within present city limits in 1775, however significant mining activity only started in the mid-19th century and intensified over the following decades. [5] From 1855, the coal reserves began attracting the iron working industry, the largest of which eventually became the Poldi steelworks, founded in 1899. Also in 1855, the city was connected to the railway network. The growth of industrial activity spurred a massive population growth, growing almost tenfold within the space of 25 years from 1843 to 1869 [6] The city far outgrew its walls, which were demolished along with both city gates. In 1870, Kladno received city status by decree of Emperor Franz Josef II, and in 1898 it was proclaimed a horní město (Bergstadt).[3]
As a part of the Bohemian kingdom, the city was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austrian side after the compromise of 1867) for several centuries before 1918, head of the Kladno district, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.[7] A post-office was opened in 1863.[8] After the declaration of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, the city continued its expansion. Both throughout the 19th century and the interwar era the city was one of the centers of the Czech labor movement, with frequent strikes, protests and labor action. Several prominent socialists and communists, including future president Antonín Zápotocký, were active in the Kladno area during this time.
After the breakout of World War Two, the city was occupied by German forces in 1939, who took advantage of the city's powerful industrial base. There were plans to convert Kladno into an model colony for German workers, and several rows of German-style hoses were built around what is today the Lidických žen street, but the project was never finished. In 1941, several surrounding municipalities (Kročehlavy, Rozdělov, Dubí, Dříň and Újezd) were annexed into the city of Kladno.[3]
In the post war era, the city's industries were nationalized and the city continued to grow rapidly, attracting workers from around the now-socialist Czechoslovakia. Steel and coal were important commodities for the heavy industry oriented planned Czechoslovak economy and the city received major investments. The focus on industrial production resulted in environmental damages. To accommodate the large population growth, large new housing estates were built between the 1950s and the 1980s, especially in the Kročehlavy area. In the 1980s, plans to completely rebuild the city center in a more modern style resulted in a large number of old structures being demolished, however the full plans were interrupted by the fall of the communist regime in 1989. Nearby village of Vrapice was annexed in 1950 and the town of Švermov in 1980. [4]
After the communist regime fell in 1989, the city struggled to adapt to a market economy. The Poldi steelworks, the largest employer, shut down in 1994 under what some regard as suspicious circumstances, and other major companies in the city also closed. Unlike other centers of heavy industry in Czechia, the economic troubles were shortened and alleviated by the proximity to Prague. In 2000 the city received the status of a statutory city (statutární město).
Demographics
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Economy
Kladno was one of the historical birthplaces of heavy industry in Bohemia. For years, the city was home to the Poldi steel factory, the region's largest employer. Since economic restructuring in the 1990s, the heavy industry has largely been replaced by services and light industry.
A number of companies has established production in Kladno, including Lego, Dr. Oetker, NKT Cables or La Lorraine. A large percentage of residents commute to work in Prague.
Sport
The city known as the home of many internationally known ice hockey players, such as Jaromír Jágr or Tomáš Plekanec. Its ice hockey club is Rytíři Kladno, which was successful in the past and is connected with many famous players of Czech ice hockey history, including Olympic gold medalists Jaromír Jágr, Pavel Patera, Martin Procházka, Libor Procházka and Milan Hnilička. The club plays in the top tier again, with Jaromír Jágr as its owner and president.[11]
The local football club SK Kladno played in the Czech First League in 2006–2010, but since 2013 it plays in the fourth tier.
Notable people
- Anton Cermak (1873–1933), mayor of Chicago in 1931–1933
- Antonin Raymond (1888–1976), Czech-American architect
- Cyril Bouda (1901–1984), painter and graphic artist
- Zdeněk Miler (1921–2011), animator and illustrator
- Antonín Kachlík (1923–2022), film director and screenwriter
- Petr Pithart (born 1941), politician, former Prime Minister
- Michal Pivoňka (born 1966), ice hockey player
- Jiří Dienstbier Jr. (born 1969), politician
- Jaromír Jágr (born 1972), ice hockey player
- František Kaberle (born 1973), ice hockey player
- Tomáš Plekanec (born 1982), ice hockey player
- Michael Frolík (born 1988), ice hockey player
- Jakub Voráček (born 1989), ice hockey player
- Radko Gudas (born 1990), ice hockey player
- Jiří Sekáč (born 1992), ice hockey player
Twin towns – sister cities
Bellevue, United States
Vitry-sur-Seine, France
References
- ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2022". Czech Statistical Office. 29 April 2022.
- ^ https://vdb.czso.cz/vdbvo2/faces/en/index.jsf?page=vystup-objekt&pvo=SLD21001-OB-OK&z=T&f=TABULKA&skupId=4429&katalog=33515&pvo=SLD21001-OB-OK&pvokc=101&pvoch=40185#w=
- ^ a b c d "Historie města Kladno" (in Czech). Kladno Živě. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Historie Kladna" (in Czech). Statutární město Kladno. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ http://www.omk.cz/dyn/doc/historie_hornictvi?print=1
- ^ http://www.omk.cz/dyn/doc/historie_kladna?print=1
- ^ Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm Klein, 1967
- ^ Handbook of Austria and Lombardy-Venetia Cancellations on the Postage Stamp Issues 1850-1864, by Edwin Mueller, 1961
- ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Kladno" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 21 December 2015. pp. 3–4.
- ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 27 March 2021.
- ^ "Jágr o své budoucnosti: Konec nechystám, ale začátek sezony nestihnu" (in Czech). iDnes. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Partnerská města Kladna". mestokladno.cz (in Czech). Statutární město Kladno. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
External links
