It is the town of Klicpera, and baroque, the town of gardens and ponds,
and for many the town where a large rebellion of farmers was defeated.
These all are things Chlumec nad Cidlinou is known for. It is a town with
the population of about five thousand five hundred which lies on an important
road connecting Prague and Hradec Králové.
In its long and rich history, several milestones stand out: famous Czech
playwright Václav Kliment Klicpera was born here, there is the baroque
castle Karlova Koruna (Charles’s Crown) which is celebrated in several
songs, and, above all, it is the place where the rebellion of Bohemian
farmers ended so ingloriously in the second half of the 18th century. There
is a well-known saying “to fare like the farmers at Chlumec” that most
Czech are familiar with.
The town lies about thirty kilometres to the west of Hradec Králové and
apart from the defeated farmers it has a lot more to offer. The Chlumec
region was first referred to in the Kosmas Chronicle, while the existence
of the town of Chlumec is first documented in writing a century later, in
1235. To emphasize several points of its rich history, it is important to
mention the period of the Czech branch of the Šternberk family, who ruled
the Chlumec region until it was captured by the Hussites in the first half
of the 15th century. Partial destruction of the town at that time fuelled
the development of the entire agglomeration. Most importantly, a water
castle was built here. “Water” in its name was not used by chance as it
refers to fish farming, which started to develop in the Chlumec region in
the 15th century when the first ponds were set up. Fishing has been a part
of the region’s history for centuries and today there are still several ponds
around Chlumec. At the beginning of the 18th century, a new aristocratic
residence was built on the place of the water castle - Karlova Koruna Castle.
It remained very well-preserved until today and it is one of the admired
architectural treasures of the town.
Chlumec offers further places of interest, for example the gothic-renaissance
Parish Church of St. Voršila from 1536 - 1543 and the baroque
Marian column from 1710. The Town Museum is found in the Loreto chapel,
which was originally a school and dormitory of Catholic Church teaching.
Visitors can explore the significant places of Chlumec with the help
of an education trail aptly called “The Town in Gardens”.
Regular events
| When |
Title and description |
| April |
Opening the Cidlina River - |
| June |
Wandering around Chlumec - for hikers and cyclists. |
| August |
Chlumec Volleyball Summer - |
| August |
“Nářez brouků na palouku” (Beetles on the Meadow) - bikers’ rally. |
| September |
Closing the Cidlina River - |
| September-october |
Theatre festival „Klicpera´s Chlumec“ - |
detailed information: http://ic.chlumecnc.cz/
