Úpice

Coordinates: 50°30′45″N 16°0′55″E / 50.51250°N 16.01528°E / 50.51250; 16.01528
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Úpice
Old Town Hall, now town museum and gallery
Old Town Hall, now town museum and gallery
Flag of Úpice
Coat of arms of Úpice
Úpice is located in Czech Republic
Úpice
Úpice
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°30′45″N 16°0′55″E / 50.51250°N 16.01528°E / 50.51250; 16.01528
Country Czech Republic
RegionHradec Králové
DistrictTrutnov
First mentioned1358
Government
 • MayorPetr Hron
Area
 • Total15.31 km2 (5.91 sq mi)
Elevation
352 m (1,155 ft)
Population
 (2023-01-01)[1]
 • Total5,498
 • Density360/km2 (930/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
542 32
Websitewww.upice.cz

Úpice (German: Eipel) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,500 inhabitants.

Administrative parts[edit]

The village of Radeč is an administrative part of Úpice.

Geography[edit]

Úpice is located about 9 kilometres (6 mi) southeast of Trutnov and 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Hradec Králové. It lies in the Giant Mountains Foothills. The highest point is at 508 m (1,667 ft) above sea level. It is situated on the Úpa river, which gave the town its name.

History[edit]

It is proven that Úpice existed already in the 11th century, however the first written mention is from 1358. It was a small town until the second half of the 19th century, when the textile and machinery industries developed.[2]

In 1975, the village of Radeč was joined to Úpice.[2]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18692,957—    
18803,222+9.0%
18904,156+29.0%
19005,627+35.4%
19107,672+36.3%
YearPop.±%
19216,757−11.9%
19307,909+17.0%
19506,277−20.6%
19616,540+4.2%
19706,749+3.2%
YearPop.±%
19806,990+3.6%
19916,141−12.1%
20015,932−3.4%
20115,713−3.7%
20215,338−6.6%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Economy[edit]

The largest employer based in the town is Kasper Kovo, a metal processor.[5]

Sights[edit]

Church of the Saint James the Great

The Church of the Saint James the Great was built in 1698–1705, after the old wooden church from the 14th century was burned down in 1625. The altar from 1730 includes an image of Saint James the Great painted by Petr Brandl.[6]

The most valuable monument is Dřevěnka Inn. It is an excellently preserved half-timbered house from the beginning of the 17th century. It is a former homestead, which served as an inn from 1739 to 1990. Since 2018, it has been a museum. The house is protected as a national cultural monument.[7]

A notable building is the Old Town Hall. It is an early Baroque house, built in 1677–1678. The tower was added in 1752. Since the 1960s, it has been used as the town museum and gallery. The gallery is named after a local native, painter Julie Winterová Mezerová, whose paintings are exhibited here.[8][9]

Notable people[edit]

Twin towns – sister cities[edit]

Úpice is twinned with:[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
  2. ^ a b "Strategický plán města Úpice pro období 2016–2025" (in Czech). Město Úpice. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  3. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Trutnov" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 15–16.
  4. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  5. ^ "About us". Kasper Kovo s.r.o. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  6. ^ "Kostel sv. Jakuba Staršího v Úpici" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  7. ^ "Hospoda Dřevěnka" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  8. ^ "Radnice" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  9. ^ "Muzeum (ve staré radnici)" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  10. ^ "Partnerské město Piechowice" (in Czech). Město Úpice. Retrieved 2020-09-03.

External links[edit]