Kolín
| Kolín | |||
| Town | |||
 Town Hall | |||
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| Country | Czech Republic | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Central Bohemian | ||
| District | Kolín | ||
| Commune | Kolín | ||
| River | Elbe | ||
| Elevation | 220 m (722 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | CZ 50°1′N 15°12′E / 50.017°N 15.200°ECoordinates: CZ 50°1′N 15°12′E / 50.017°N 15.200°E | ||
| Area | 34.97 km2 (13.5 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 30,946 | ||
| Density | 885 / km2 (2,292 / sq mi) | ||
| First mentioned | 1261 | ||
| Mayor | Vít Rakušan | ||
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 280 02 | ||
   Location in the Czech Republic
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| Wikimedia Commons: Kolín | |||
| Statistics: statnisprava.cz | |||
| Website: www.mukolin.cz | |||
Kolín (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkoliːn]; German: Kolin) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic some 55 kilometres (34 mi) east from Prague, lying on the Elbe River.
History
Ptolemy's world map mentions Kolin - Budorgis in the 2nd century.[1] In the 12th and 13th-century German settlers were called in after the Germans leaving west during Migration and the colonization by Slavs. Kolín was founded by king Přemysl Otakar II in the 13th century, first mentioned in 1261. Later on, 1437, a castle was founded here. Between 1475 and 1488, Hynek ze Strážnic, a Renaissance writer and son of King George of Poděbrady, lived in the Kolín Castle.
The 1757 Battle of Kolin was fought during the Seven Years' War, and in 1944 a refinery in Kolin was bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II. Cyklon B for Nazi concentration camps was produced there.
The historical centre of the town has many gothic and baroque buildings. Most notable are the main market (Karls Square), the Jewish ghetto and synagogue, the very old and large Jewish cemetery, and St. Bartholomeus Church from the 13th century (a work of the architect Peter Parler).
Kolín today
In spring 2005 a new automobile factory was opened by the TPCA consortium on the northern edge of the town.50 04N; 15 14E It employs 3,000 people, cost about 1.5 billion EUR and has a current capacity of 300,000 cars a year.
Notable inhabitants
- Jakub Krčín z Jelčan, 16th-century pond and dam constructer
- Jan Rosacius, 17th-century priest and writer
- Karel Leger, 19th-century poet
- Otokar Fischer (1883–1938), playwright, translator, poet and critic
- Josef Svatopluk Machar, 20th-century writer
- Bohdan Ulihrach, professional tennis player
- Václav Morávek, Czech soldier and hero of anti-nazi rezistance
- Josef Sudek, Czech photographer, best known for his haunting night-scapes of Prague.
- Frank Daniel, Czech screenwriter, teacher, producer, and director
- Jean-Gaspard Deburau, Bohemian–French actor and mime.
- František Kmoch, composer and conductor.
- Vojen Wilhelm Cech (Colini), Czech-American surrealist painter, Honorary Citizen of Kolín.[2]
- Jan Novák, Czech-American novelist and playwright.
- Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic.
- Jennifer Dark, pornographic actress
- Rabbi Josef Feder, Survivor of Aushwitz, Rabbi of Kolin then Chief Rabbi of Bohemia and Moravia
External links
References
- ↑ Kleineberg, Andreas, Christian Marx, Eberhard Knobloch and Dieter Lelgemann (2010). Germania und die Insel Thule. Die Entschlüsselung von Ptolemaios´ "Atlas der Oikumene". Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-534-23757-9.
- ↑ http://Colini.gap.net
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