Hradec Králové

Sister cities

• Metz
• Alessandria
• Giessen
• Wrocław
• Arnhem
• Kaštela
• Chernihiv
• Kronstadt
• Banská Bystrica
• Székesfehérvár
• Wałbrzych

History

The first written mention of a castle named Hradec is in Chronica Boemorum written in 1119–1125, when the record of the castle is associated with the year 1091. The document from 1073 that mentioned Hradec is a forgery from the 12th century. The first written mention of the settlement of Hradec is from 1225 and it was already referred to as a city. In 1306, Hradec became a dowry town ruled by Bohemian queens. It was the residence of Elizabeth Richeza of Poland in 1308–1318 or Elizabeth of Pomerania in 1378–1393. In the 14th century, thanks to the presence of the queens, the city became a military and political centre of a region with a high level of education and culture. Extensive fires in 1290, 1339 and 1407 accelerated the reconstruction of the city. In 1420, during the Hussite Wars, the city was conquered by the Hussites and became their military centre. In 1423, the Hussites completely destroyed the castle where the queens used to live. During the rule of King George of Poděbrady, the city experienced a new period of economic, political and cultural prosperity. The development ended in 1547, when Hradec Králové joined the campaign against Emperor Ferdinand I, and as a result many of its properties were confiscated and its privileges were taken away. The city did not recover economically until the end of the 16th century. At this time, the houses were rebuilt in the Renaissance style. Hradec Králové was hit hard by the Thirty Years' War. It was conquered by the Swedish army in 1639 and several more times in the following years. At the end of the war, the city was depopulated and almost destroyed. However, the city recovered and in the 17th and early 18th century acquired a Baroque character. During the War of the Austrian Succession, the city was again involved…

Geography

Hradec Králové is located about east of Prague and forms an agglomeration with the city of Pardubice, which is located about south of Hradec Králové. It lies in the East Elbe Table, in the eastern part of the Polabí lowlands. The highest point is the hill Slatina at above sea level. The city is situated at the confluence of the Elbe and Orlice rivers. The municipal territory is rich in small fishponds. Hradec Králové has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb; Trewartha: Dcbo). The annual average temperature is , the hottest month in July is , and the coldest month is in January. The annual precipitation is , of which July is the wettest with , while February is the driest with only . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on 10 February 1956 to on 2 August 1934.

Most-observed species

• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,120
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,856
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,826
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,787
• Yellowhammer

  Emberiza citrinella Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,640
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,587
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,554
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,513

Most recent

• M 3 — 2006-03-21
  1 km NNW of Bystré, Czechia
• M 3.4 — 2005-10-25
  0 km N of ?ervený Kostelec, Czechia
• M 2.9 — 2005-08-10
  2 km WSW of ?ervený Kostelec, Czechia
• M 2.8 — 2005-04-07
  2 km SE of ?wierzawa, Poland
• M 2.7 — 2004-10-14
  5 km WSW of Wilków, Poland
• M 2.7 — 2004-08-13
  3 km SSW of Karpacz, Poland