Kladno
To the west of Prague lies Kladno, the largest city in the Central Bohemian Region, which is usually primarily associated with hard coal mining, and which today has more than 71,000 inhabitants. It is surrounded by a beautiful landscape full of dense forests.
Information for visitors
Interesting facts Kladno
History of the town
Historical sources mention Kladno for the first time in connection with the Kladenský family from Kladno, which owned the town at the beginning of the 14th century. In 1561, Kladno was granted the right to use its own emblem and became a town. At the beginning of the 18th century, Kladno was owned by Anna Marie Františka, Duchess of Tuscany, who after four years sold it to the Benedictines from the monastery in Břevnov, who owned Kladno until 1848 and initiated extensive reconstruction of the town in the Baroque style.
Kladno experienced a major turning point in the 19th century, when it was transformed from an originally economic town into one of the most important industrial areas in Bohemia at the time. Coal mining and processing began here and the population grew.
The town was promoted to the status of a town in 1870 and in 1898 Kladno became a royal upper town. This was followed by a complete modernization of Kladno and development, which was not completed until 1939 and the establishment of the Protectorate, when a number of the then council was imprisoned and persecuted. After Kladno was liberated, more and more people were sent here to strengthen their mining activities.
Naturally, the character of the whole city is also related to the described history, the architectural form of which was negatively affected by the construction of prefabricated housing estates. During the 1960s and 1970s, a lot of cultural and sports buildings were built here, however, the infrastructure and the environment at that time were quite neglected. The face of Kladno began to return for the better again only after 1989.
Attractions
Although Kladno is still experienced as an industrial city, there is a historic center with a number of architecturally valuable buildings. These include, for example, the local chateau, the reconstruction of which was also attended by Kylián Ignác Dientzenhofer. There is also a Renaissance town hall with a ceremonial hall, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary or the Archdeaconry building, which can be found on the Square of Mayor Paul. The Baroque chapel of St. Florian.
Directly near Kladno there are important castles Křivoklát and Karlštejn, a picturesque landscape and a number of charming places.
Author: Andrea Štyndlová