Pardubice

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Pardubice
City
Pardubice CZ main square.JPG
The main square as seen from the Green Tower
Flag
Coat of arms
Country Czech Republic
Region Pardubice
District Pardubice
Rivers Elbe, Chrudimka
Elevation 237 m (778 ft)
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Area 77.71 km2 (30 sq mi)
Population 89,693 (2015)
Density 1,154 / km2 (2,989 / sq mi)
First documented 1295
Mayor Martin Charvát (21.11.2014)
Postal code 530 01
Location in the Czech Republic
Location in the Czech Republic
Wikimedia Commons: Pardubice
Website: Pardubice city

Pardubice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpardubɪtsɛ] ( listen); German: Pardubitz) is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the river Elbe, 96 kilometres east of Prague. There is an old Tower and a Castle. Factories include the Synthesia chemical factory (manufacturer of Semtex, a plastic explosive), an oil refinery Paramo, a heavy machinery factory and an electronic equipment plant. The city is well known for its sport events (Great Pardubice Steeplechase, Golden Helmet of Pardubice, Czech Open), ginger bread, rail and air transport.

History

The oldest extant Document regarding Pardubice comes from 1295.

The area had a monastery beginning in the early 13th century,[1] and the city was founded c. 1340.[2] In 1491, Pardubice was bought by William II of Pernstein, who continued to expand the town and made significant impact on its prosperity. Until 1918, the town was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), head of the PARDUBITZ district, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.

In 1845, the first train arrived to Pardubice[citation needed]. The town was connected to other railway lines so Pardubice could thrive even more[citation needed]. New industrial enterprises started to emerge in the town, namely a distillery, a factory for mill machines of Josef Prokop and sons and Fanta’s Factory[citation needed]. Since 1874, the Great Pardubice Steeplechase (Velká Pardubická) horse race has taken place every autumn (second Sunday in October)[citation needed]. On 13 May 1911, Ing. Jan Kašpar made history by flying the first long-haul flight towards Prague[citation needed]. In Pardubice, industrial expansion was on the rise, especially after the First World War. However, during the Second World War the town was damaged by air strikes of the Allies[citation needed]. The Fanto Werke refinery at Pardubice was repeatedly bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II, and forced labor was provided by a concentration camp.[3][4] Tesla electronics manufacturer operated from 1921–1989, and the Foxconn factory was established in June 2000. After 1989 the town continued to develop and flourish; the Chateau and its surroundings of estates were reconstructed. Pardubice has established contacts with foreign towns.

Geography

Pardubice is situated on the bank of the second longest river in the Czech Republic, the Labe River, where there is a mouth of another river called Chrudimka. Pardubice is located at approximately 15° east longitude and 50° north longitude. The town is located 100 km east of the capital city of Prague, 150 km north-west of Brno. Pardubice is in the area of Labe Lowlands with average elevation of 225m and its area is 78 km2. The area is of lowland character without many hills. One exception is a nearby hill Kunětická hora.

Transport

Pardubice is an important railway junction. From Pardubice come tracks to Prague, Ostrava, Hradec Králové and Jaroměř or Havlíčkův Brod. Railway station Pardubice main station is very busy, all trains of Czech railways, RegioJet and LEO Express are standing there.

Paradubice is served by Pardubice Airport.

Industry

Pardubice is called the city of industry[citation needed]. The dominant industries are chemical industry, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering[citation needed]. The chemical industry is mainly represented by a company Paramo and Synthesia, which was founded in Pardubice-Semtín as a stock factory for explosive substances. This field of industry together with the factory went through significant development[citation needed], especially in 1960s. Synthesia is now one of the leading Czech companies manufacturing cellulose, pigments and dyes, and organic compounds. Synthesia is also a major exporter mainly for the EU countries[citation needed] and is associated with the invention of Semtex plastic explosive. Paramo – formally known as Fanta’s Factory was until 2012 one of the major companies of its kind, but during the year a major shareholder decided to significantly suppress its production and the future of Paramo is still uncertain[citation needed].

Cultural monuments and sights

Pardubice is dominated by the Green Gate with remains of the town’s fortifications. The Chateau, which has been reconstructed, is located nearby. The town itself has many historical buildings, for example, Kamenná vila (Stone Villa), Crematorium, Dům U Bílého koníčka (House at the White Horse), Wernerův dům (Werner’s House), Dům U Jonáše (At Jonah’s), the City Hall. Churches are dedicated to the Our Lady of Sorrows, St. John the Baptist, St. Bartholomew.

  • Saint Bartolomeo Church, Pardubice, Czech Republic.jpg

    St Bartholomew's Church on Republic Square in Pardubice

  • Náhrobek Vojtěcha z Pernštejna.JPG

    Vojtěch I of Pernstein's tomb in St. Bartholomew's Church in Pardubice

  • Pardubice-Green-Tower.jpg

    The cs (Green Tower, Pardubice) and the historical city centre

Sport

Hockey club HC Pardubice plays in the Czech Extraliga. The club plays home fixtures in the ČEZ Arena. VCHZ Pardubice football team played in the top national league in the 1968–69 season. As of 2014, the highest-ranked team from the city is FK Pardubice, which plays in the second-tier Fotbalová národní liga. Women's team SK DFO Pardubice plays in the Czech First Division (women). The basketball team is BK JIP Pardubice.

The city is also home to the Golden Helmet of Pardubice (also known as the Czech Golden Helmet), a Motorcycle speedway competition held at the Svítkova Stadion. The Golden Helmet has been run since 1929 is one of the most prestigious individual titles in world speedway outside of the Speedway World Championship or a riders national championship. Winners of the Golden Helmet have included World Champions Ole Olsen, Erik Gundersen, Hans Nielsen and Nicki Pedersen (Denmark), Ove Fundin, Per Jonsson and Tony Rickardsson (Sweden), and Jason Crump and 2014 winner Chris Holder (Australia).

Ole Olsen holds the record for the most Golden Helmet wins with 7 (1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1980).

Notable people

International relations

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See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Twin towns – Sister cities

Pardubice is twinned with[citation needed]:

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Dominik Hasek returns to Detroit
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

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External links

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