Jičín

Sister cities

• Martin
• Wijk bij Duurstede
• Erbach
• Königsee
• King's Lynn

History

The area of Jičín has been inhabited for almost 8,000 years thanks to the convenient geographical and climatic conditions. The settlement in the area of today's town is first mentioned in 1143 in deed of foundation of the Strahov Monastery. The town of Jičín was founded in the 13th century on the place of the village Staré Místo near the Veliš Castle. It was moved northward to its present location shortly afterward, which was better protected by the Cidlina River. The first written mention of Jičín comes from a document by Queen Judith of Habsburg, the wife of King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, dated 1 August 1293. The town was built with a regular street layout around a rectangular square and was surrounded by wooden fortifications with reinforced bastions and a trench. In 2019, the village of Hubálov, originally part of Tuř, was joined to Jičín. The transfer of the entire cadastral territory is unique in the modern history of the country.

Geography

Jičín is located about northwest of Hradec Králové and northeast of Prague. It lies in the heart of the Jičín Uplands. The highest point is the hill Zebín at above sea level. The Cidlina River flows through the town. Several other small watercourses also flow through the municipal territory, including the streams Valdický potok, Popovický potok, Úlibický potok and Trnávka. There are five fishponds in the territory, the largest of which is Šibeňák. Ponds Kníže and Šibeňák are located right in the urban area. Jičín is sometimes called "Gate to the Bohemian Paradise", however the territory of the Bohemian Paradise region begins beyond the borders of the Jičín municipal territory. In the northern part there are two nature monuments: Zebín (comprising the hill's peak) and Libosad-obora (comprising the whole Libosad park).

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,396
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,302
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,227
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,075
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  967
• Mute Swan

  Cygnus olor (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  928
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  901
• Yellowhammer

  Emberiza citrinella Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  874

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2008-08-14
  4 km NE of Zagrodno, Poland
• M 3.1 — 2008-08-13
  4 km NE of Kodersdorf, Germany
• M 2.6 — 2007-12-08
  3 km NNE of Zagrodno, Poland
• M 2.5 — 2007-12-02
  3 km NNW of Zagrodno, Poland
• M 2.5 — 2007-11-01
  1 km SSE of Zagrodno, Poland
• M 2.5 — 2007-07-03
  3 km SE of Zagrodno, Poland