Žamberk (Czech pronunciation: [ˈʒambɛrk]; German: Senftenberg) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Žamberk
Town hall
Town hall
Flag of Žamberk
Coat of arms of Žamberk
Žamberk is located in Czech Republic
Žamberk
Žamberk
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°5′10″N 16°28′3″E / 50.08611°N 16.46750°E / 50.08611; 16.46750
Country Czech Republic
RegionPardubice
DistrictÚstí nad Orlicí
First mentioned1332
Government
 • MayorJiří Mencák
Area
 • Total16.91 km2 (6.53 sq mi)
Elevation
418 m (1,371 ft)
Population
 (2023-01-01)[1]
 • Total5,951
 • Density350/km2 (910/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
564 01
Websitewww.zamberk.cz

Administrative parts edit

Žamberk is made up of one administrative part.

Geography edit

Žamberk is located about 13 kilometres (8 mi) northeast of Ústí nad Orlicí and 49 km (30 mi) east of Pardubice. It lies in the Orlické Foothills. The highest point is the hill Hůrka at 516 m (1,693 ft) above sea level. The Divoká Orlice river flows through the town.

History edit

 
Masarykovo Square with the Marian column

Žamberk was founded in the second half of the 13th century, during the colonization of this region. Its predecessor was a Slavic settlement on a trade route from Moravia to Kłodzko Land. The first written mention of Žamberk is from 1332, under its German name Senftenberg. Soon after, the Czech name began to be used, which testifies to the majority of the Czech population.[2]

In the middle of the 14th century, Žamberk was divided between the estates of Litice and Žampach with different owners. As a part of the Litice estate, it was owned by the Pernštejn family and Ernest of Bavaria. In 1563, it was acquired by Mikuláš of Bubna of Litice. In 1575, he bought the second part of Žamberk and merged the two parts. In 1575–1600, he had a castle built here and since then it was known as the Žamberk estate. The Bubna of Litice family owned the estate until 1809.[2]

Demographics edit

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18693,353—    
18803,664+9.3%
18903,678+0.4%
19003,425−6.9%
19103,641+6.3%
YearPop.±%
19213,702+1.7%
19304,323+16.8%
19504,170−3.5%
19614,417+5.9%
19704,605+4.3%
YearPop.±%
19805,366+16.5%
19915,864+9.3%
20016,153+4.9%
20116,092−1.0%
20215,788−5.0%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Economy edit

The largest industrial employer based in the town is Bühler CZ, a manufacturer of food processing machines with more than 250 employees.[5]

Transport edit

The railway station named Žamberk, which serves the town, is located in the territory of the neighbouring Dlouhoňovice. It lies on the railway line heading from Hradec Králové to Letohrad.[6]

Sights edit

 
Church of Saint Wencleslaus

The historic centre is formed by Masarykovo Square and adjacent streets. The main landmark of the square is the town hall. It is a Neoclassical building from 1810. In the middle of the square are a Marian column from the late 17th century and a fountain with sculptures of a nymph and a centaur.[7]

The Church of Saint Wencleslaus is the highest building in the town. Its existence was first mentioned in 1348.[7]

The Žamberk Castle is a Renaissance building that includes the Chapel of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and a castle park, probably founded in the 19th century. The castle is inaccessible to the public.[7]

The Jewish cemetery was established in around 1700 and today there is a small exposition on Jewish population in the town.[7]

Notable people edit

Twin towns – sister cities edit

Žamberk is twinned with:[8]

Žamberk also has friendly relations with Miharu in Japan.[8]

Gallery edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 23 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Historie města" (in Czech). Město Žamberk. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Ústí nad Orlicí" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 21 December 2015. pp. 17–18.
  4. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 27 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Registr ekonomických subjektů". Business Register (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Detail stanice Žamberk" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "Výletní okruh městem" (in Czech). Město Žamberk. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Žamberk. Retrieved 15 January 2023.

External links edit