Rychnov nad Kněžnou

History

The first written mention of Rychnov nad Kněžnou is in a deed of Ottokar II of Bohemia from 1 February 1258, where Heřman of Rychnov was mentioned. In 1561, Rychnov was promoted to a royal town by Ferdinand I. The town hall in Rychnov was first documented in 1596. In 1640, the Rychnov estate was bought by the Kolowrat family. During the Thirty Years' War, the town was badly damaged. In 1676, František Karel I Kolowrat had a new castle built here. The castle was gradually expanded by other family members. The Kolowrats owend the Rychnov estate until World War II. Until 1918, the town was part of Austria-Hungary and head of the Reichenau District, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia. In 1950, several municipalities were joined to Rychnov nad Kněžnou. On 1 January 1990, four parts of Rychnov nad Kněžnou became three separate municipalities (Jahodov, Lukavice and Synkov-Slemeno).

Geography

Rychnov nad Kněžnou is located about east of Hradec Králové. The western part of the municipal territory lies in the Orlice Table and includes most of the built-up area. The eastern part lies in the Orlické Foothills and includes the highest point of Rychnov nad Kněžnou at above sea level. The town is situated on the Kněžna River. The streams Liberský potok and Javornický potok joins the Kněžna in the municipal territory. Near the town is the Les Včelný Nature Park.

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,676
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,575
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,469
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,464
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,428
• Yellowhammer

  Emberiza citrinella Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,425
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,351
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,290

Most recent

• M 3 — 2006-03-21
  1 km NNW of Bystré, Czechia
• M 2.6 — 2005-12-31
  5 km ENE of Šternberk, 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 — 2004-08-13
  3 km SSW of Karpacz, Poland