Trutnov

General view with Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

Trutnov is made up of town parts of Dolní Předměstí, Dolní Staré Město, Horní Předměstí, Horní Staré Město, Kryblice, Střední Předměstí and Vnitřní Město, and villages of Adamov, Babí, Bohuslavice, Bojiště, Lhota, Libeč, Nový Rokytník, Oblanov, Poříčí, Starý Rokytník, Střítež, Studenec, Volanov and Voletiny.

Both the German name Trautenau and the Czech name Trutnov are derived from the Old German truten ouwe, which meant "cute floodplain".[2]

Trutnov is located about 39 km (24 mi) north of Hradec Králové. A negligible part of the municipal territory borders Poland. Most of the territory lies in the Giant Mountains Foothills, but it also extends to the Broumov Highlands on the east and a small northern part extends into the Giant Mountains. The highest point is a contour line on the slopes of the Dvorský les Mountain at 965 m (3,166 ft) above sea level. The town proper is situated in the valley of the Úpa River.

The first written mention of Trutnov is from 1260. It was founded around 1250 by the Švábenský of Švábenice noble family and originally named Úpa after the eponymous river. In 1301, King Wenceslaus II bought the whole area, already called Trutnov. From 1400 to 1599, Trutnov was a dowry town of the Bohemian queens. In 1421, the town was captured by Jan Žižka during the Hussite Wars.[3]

Trutnov was the site of the Battle of Trautenau in 1866 during the Austro-Prussian War.

During the World War II, the German occupiers operated three forced labour camps for Jewish women, located in Horní Staré Město, Poříčí and Libeč, which all became subcamps of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp in March 1944,[4] and a forced labour subcamp of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs in Libeč.[5] After the war, the remaining German population was expelled in 1945 in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement.

Main train station

The largest employers based in the town are Vitesco Technologies Czech Republic and Tyco Electronics EC Trutnov, both manufacturers of electrical equipment for automotive industry with more than 1,000 employees. The largest non-industrial employer is the Trutnov hospital.[8]

The Krakonoš Brewery was founded in 1582 and is one of the oldest breweries in the country.[9]

Trutnov is the terminus of an interregional railway line from Prague. There are also railway lines heading from Trutnov to Kolín and Vrchlabí.[10]

Slalom course in Trutnov

The ice hockey team HC Trutnov is based in the town.

There is a slalom course on the Úpa river in Trutnov. The Trutnovské slalomy competition is held here every year since 1965.[11]

Trutnov has hosted the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival since 1990 and, since 1999, has hosted Obscene Extreme.

Former Lutheran church

The historic core comprises the area of Vnitřní Město part of Trutnov, with Krakonoš Square (Krakonošovo náměstí) in its centre. The area was delimited by town walls in the 14th century. Their fragments are preserved to this day. The landmark of the square is the neo-Gothic Old Town Hall, nowadays the tourist information centre. In the middle of the square are a statue of Joseph II, a stone fountain with statue of Krakonoš, and the baroque Holy Trinity Column from 1704.[12]

The most valuable buildings of Trutnov are the three churches. Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is a Neoclassical building with late Baroque elements from 1756–1782. The Church of Saint Wenceslaus in Horní Staré Město part of Trutnov is first documented already in 1313. In 1581, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, and a tower was added. The neo-Gothic Church of Saints Peter and Paul was built in 1897–1903 and is located in Poříčí.[13]

The Bohuslav Martinů Concert Hall is located in the former Lutheran church, built in the neo-Gothic style in 1900.[13]

Trutnov is twinned with:[14]

In 1974, Václav Havel, the future president of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, worked for nine months at the Krakonoš Brewery.[15]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trutnov.

• Official website