Kolín facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kolín
Town
Town hall on the Karlovo Square
Flag Coat of arms
Kolín Location in Czech Republic
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Central Bohemian
District	Kolín
First mentioned	1261
Area
• Total	34.99 km2 (13.51 sq mi)
Elevation	220 m (720 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)
• Total	33,229
• Density	949.67/km2 (2,459.6/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	280 02

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 by law as an urban monument reservation.

Administrative parts

Karlovo Square

Kolín is made up of the town parts of Kolín I–VI and the villages of Sendražice, Šťáralka, Štítary and Zibohlavy.

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.

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.

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.

Jewish people settled in Kolín in the 14th century. In 1437–1438, a castle was founded in Kolín. It was built on the ruins of a burned down monastery. During the Thirty Years' War, it was damaged, and in the 17th century, it was rebuilt as a brewery. In 1911, the castle burned down and its Renaissance look disappeared.

The 1757 Battle of Kolín was fought during the Seven Years' War, and 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

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. As of 2020, TMM employed 2,400 people. It is the most important employer in the region.

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.

Sights

Church of Saint Bartholomew

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.

A notable landmark 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.

In Kolín is the original Jewish ghetto with a synagogue from 1696. It is the second oldest and most valuable synagogue in Bohemia. 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.

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Kolín is twinned with:

• Dietikon, Switzerland
• Duino-Aurisina, Italy
• Érd, Hungary
• Kamenz, Germany
• Lubań, Poland
• Rimavská Sobota, Slovakia