Kolín

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Wikipedia

Kolín
Town
Town hall on Karlovo Square
Town hall on Karlovo Square
Flag of Kolín
Flag
Coat of arms of Kolín
Coat of arms
Kolín is located in Czech Republic
Kolín
Kolín
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°1′41″N 15°12′2″E / 50.02806°N 15.20056°E / 50.02806; 15.20056
Country Czech Republic
RegionCentral Bohemian
DistrictKolín
First mentioned1261
Government
 • MayorMichael Kašpar (STAN)
Area
 • Total
34.99 km2 (13.51 sq mi)
Elevation
220 m (720 ft)
Population
 (2025-01-01)[1]
 • Total
33,444
 • Density960/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
280 02
Websitewww.mukolin.cz

Kolín (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkoliːn] ⓘ; German: Kolin, Neu Kolin) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation.

Administrative division

Karlovo Square

Kolín consists of ten municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2]

  • Kolín I (1,484)
  • Kolín II (12,755)
  • Kolín III (3,552)
  • Kolín IV (5,218)
  • Kolín V (5,846)
  • Kolín VI (406)
  • Sendražice (1,641)
  • Šťáralka (81)
  • Štítary (787)
  • Zibohlavy (180)

Etymology

The name Kolín probably comes from the Old Czech verb koliti, i.e. "to hammer poles", and is related to the location of Starý Kolín in the often flooded area at the confluence of the Klejnárka and Elbe rivers. The soil in the vicinity of the confluence was strengthened with the help of wooden poles.[3]

Geography

Kolín is located about 47 kilometres (29 mi) east of Prague. It lies in a fertile landscape of the Central Elbe Table lowland. The Elbe River flows through the town. In the eastern part of the municipal territory is Sandberk, an artificial lake created by flooding a sandstone quarry.

History

Ptolemy's world map of the 2nd century mentions Budorgis in the area of today's Kolín.[4]

Kolín was founded by King Ottokar II in the 13th century by relocation, when Starý Kolín ("Old Kolín") was threatened by floods and the king decided to move the settlement. The first written mention of Kolín is from 1261, when it was mentioned that Přelouč obtained town privileges, just like Kolín and Kouřim have. It lay on a trade route Prague–Český Brod–Čáslav–Moravia.[5] Jewish people settled in Kolín in the 14th century.[6] In the 13th and 14th centuries, Kolín was a rich town thanks to silver mining, but then mining began to concentrate in Kutná Hora. Ethnic Germans formed the majority of the population, but Czechs predominated during the Hussite Wars (1419–1434). In 1421, the Hussites burned down the local Dominican monastery.[7]

During the Thirty Years' War, Kolín was badly damaged. The Battle of Kolín was fought during the Seven Years' War in 1757. A new period of prosperity came during the reign of Emperor Joseph II (1780–1790). In 1845, the construction of the Prague–Kolín–Olomouc railway was finished, which was an impetus for the development of industry.[7]

In 1944, a refinery in Kolín was bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II. Zyklon B for the Nazi concentration camps was produced there.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
186910,239—    
188012,538+22.5%
189014,481+15.5%
190016,339+12.8%
191018,138+11.0%
YearPop.±%
192118,029−0.6%
193020,568+14.1%
195022,528+9.5%
196125,301+12.3%
197028,538+12.8%
YearPop.±%
198032,501+13.9%
199131,595−2.8%
200130,258−4.2%
201130,922+2.2%
202131,950+3.3%
Source: Censuses[8][9]

Economy

In Kolín is the smaller part of Kolín–Ovčáry Industrial Zone, known mostly for the factory of the automobile manufacturing company Toyota Motor Manufacturing.[10] As of 2020, TMM employed 2,400 people. It is the most important employer in the region.[11]

Kolín is home to the packaging and paper manufacturer, OTK company.

Transport

Kolín is connected with Prague by the I/12 road. The I/38 road (the section from Kutná Hora to Nymburk) also passes through the town.

Kolín is a railway junction. The Kolín railway station is located on the major lines Prague–Olomouc and Prague–Brno, which further continue to Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. It also lies on the intraregional lines Prague–Havlíčkův Brod and Ústí nad Labem–Kolín.[12]

Sights

Church of Saint Bartholomew
Former castle and brewery

The historical centre of the town, formed by the Karlovo Square and surrounding streets, has many Gothic and Baroque buildings. The most important monument is the Church of Saint Bartholomew, protected as a national cultural monument. It has an early Gothic core from the second half of the 13th century. In the mid-14th century, it was rebuilt by the architect Peter Parler. A separate bell tower was built next to the church at the end of the 15th century. In 1878–1910, the Gothic appearance of the church was restored by Josef Mocker.[13]

Among the main landmarks of the town square is the town hall. Originally a Gothic house from the 15th century, it was rebuilt in the Neo-Renaissance style in 1887.[14]

A notable building is the former castle. In 1437–1448, a late Gothic castle was founded in Kolín. It was built on the ruins of the burned down monastery. At the end of the 15th century, it was extended. During the rule of the Zierotin family in 1556–1591, the castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. After 1591, the castle ceased to serve as an aristocratic residence and was partly used as a brewery. Part of the castle complex was demolished in 1843–1844, when the railway was built, and Neoclassical modifications were made. After 1862, the castle was fully converted into a brewery, which operated there until 1987. Today the castle is owned by the town of Kolín, but most of it is unused.[15][16]

In Kolín is the original Jewish ghetto. The synagogue existed already before 1422, but was rebuilt in the early Baroque style in 1696.[17] It is the second oldest and second most valuable synagogue in Bohemia, after the Old New Synagogue in Prague.[18] The Jewish cemetery is one of the oldest and largest Jewish cemeteries in Bohemia. It was established in the first half of the 15th century and used until 1887. The oldest preserved tombstones are from 1492.[19]

A technical and architectonical monument is the former water tower. It is a functionalist building from 1928, desgined by Jan Vladimír Hráský and František Janda. In 2015, it was converted into an observation tower.[20]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Kolín is twinned with:[21]

References

  1. ↑ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2025". Czech Statistical Office. 16 May 2025.
  2. ↑ "Public Census 2021 – basic data". Public Database (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2022.
  3. ↑ "Geografické a administrativní informace" (in Czech). Město Kolín. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  4. ↑ Kleineberg, Andreas; Marx, Christian; Lelgemann, Dieter; Knobloch, Eberhard (2010). Germania und die Insel Thule. Die Entschlüsselung von Ptolemaios' "Atlas der Oikumene" (in German). Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-534-23757-9.
  5. ↑ "Historie" (in Czech). Město Kolín. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Kolín". JGuide Europe. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Historie města" (in Czech). Město Kolín. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  8. ↑ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 21 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 27 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "Investoři v zóně" (in Czech). Kolín-Ovčáry Industrial Zone. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "Automobilka TPCA investuje v Kolíně 4,5 miliardy a najme 1000 pracovníků" (in Czech). Echo24. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "Detail stanice Kolín" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "Kostel sv. Bartoloměje" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  14. ↑ "Radnice" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  15. ↑ "Zámek". Cesty a památky (in Czech). Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  16. ↑ "Zámek" (in Czech). Město Kolín. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  17. ↑ "Synagoga" (in Czech). Město Kolín. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  18. ↑ "Židovská synagoga v Kolíně" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  19. ↑ "Starý židovský hřbitov" (in Czech). Město Kolín. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  20. ↑ "Věžový vodojem" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  21. ↑ "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Kolín. Retrieved 27 June 2025.