Roudnice nad Labem

History of the town

The name of one of the oldest towns in our republic is Rúdník and is probably derived from a springing ore stone. Sources have mentioned this place since the beginning of the 12th century, and since the 13th century there has also been a Romanesque castle, which is one of the oldest secular buildings in Bohemia. At that time, Roudnice nad Labem fell under the ownership of the Prague bishops and later also the archbishops, and the local castle was a very popular place for them.

A severe blow to the city was the Hussite wars, during which it was conquered and brutally plundered, the monastery was destroyed, which was never rebuilt. In the following years, the city often changed owners, for which the population paid extra.

Another difficult period for Roudnice was the Thirty Years' War. At that time, the town was owned by the Lobkovics, under whom the town received great care and was even an indivisible family property, until 1945. The medieval castle was also rebuilt into a Baroque chateau.

In the 19th century, Roudnice became the economic center of the whole region, engineering developed here and railways were built here, which unfortunately fell victim to the walls and the church of St. Wenceslas.

Sights and interesting places

The biggest attraction in Roudnice nad Labem is undoubtedly the local Romanesque castle and chateau, whose history began to be written in the 12th century, and in the area of ​​which we can also find the Capuchin Monastery.

Another important place in Roudnice nad Labem is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary with the Augustinian monastery.

Today, the chateau riding school is home to a gallery of modern art, and a number of historic houses and a pseudo-Renaissance town hall are worth seeing on the square in the historic center.

An interesting feature of Roudnice is the Kratochvíl lookout tower, built in the spirit of functionalism by Otakar Štěpánek.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová