PODĚBRADY REGION. The History of Poděbrady

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1 PODĚBRADY REGION The History of Poděbrady The history of Poděbrady reaches back to primeval times, long before the beginnings of the Czech state. A longdistance trade route running from Prague to eastern Bohemia and then on to Silesia and Poland passed through the then forested landscape interwoven with a dense network of river branches. This important communication intersected the River Elbe to the west of the present Town at the place called Na vinici. The existence of the Slavnik castle site at nearby Libice nad Cidlinou undoubtedly had an influence on the development of the community. The Slavonic metropolis of eastern Bohemia originated in 995 thanks to the Prague members of the Přemysl s family. The name of Poděbrady has appeared in written materials approximately since the mid-12th century in connection with the aristocratic Sezemice and later Hroznatý families. In the latter half of the 13th century Poděbrady fell into the hands of King Přemysl Otakar II as an escheat. In the years 1262 to 1268 this king built a stone castle on the site of an older fortified seat in a strategic position on the Elbe. This historical town, which originated in 13th century, has a good combination of modern life within a historical setting and offers many cultural and sporting activities. Poděbrady as a Modern and Spa Town Poděbrady is a beautiful spa town with a population of approximately 15,000 people. It s located in central Bohemia 50 km east of Prague (the capital of Czech republic) (50 minutes travel by train, every hour of every day) with a large community of English speaking people studying the Czech language in order to study in Czech Universities. Poděbrady lies on the Elbe River with its main square dominated by a castle which was the birth place of Jiri of Poděbrady, the Czech reformation king whose statue is seen in front of the castle. King Jiří (George) square is the oldest part of the town and has always been a market centre. There are many shops around now too. An old trade route running to Hradec Králové passed this way from time immemorial. The present appearance of the buildings is the result of their historical development.

2 Their ground-plans are of medieval origin. After its general reconstruction in 1993 the square gained a new and interesting appearance. Poděbrady has a Church of the Risen Holy Cross close to the square. Living in Poděbrady Brad Kloewer about a trip to Kutna Hora which is close to Podebrady Kutna Hora is one of the most interesting day trips you can take from Prague. The town is one of the oldest in the Czech Republic and is home to some really beautiful architecture. The cathedral of St. Barbara is especially nice but I also recommend a stop at the must-see Bone Church. This is one of the Czech Republic s most unique tourist attractions. Over the course of several years the entire interior of this church was decorated with the bones of over 40,000 people. Walking through this place is a surreal experience and you ll never forget the chandeliers. Eating out: There are many traditional Czech restaurants. The most famous ones is Bílá růže - which is very reasonably priced. Apart of Czech cuisine you can find for example Lovas and Lovas- a great Mexican restaurant. Na Ostende - a lovely Chinese restaurant and many other nice, low priced restaurants for students. There are also many pubs on offer as well as a theatre, cinema, museum, art gallery, a concert pavilon and library, a dining-room and a café. Podebrady is also famous as one of the major Czech spa towns. It is natural waters and spa facilities via Divadelní Street, near the station of Czech Railways (ČD). At present, we are confronted with a view of the park and the Colonnade. On the left side, below the metal pavilion, there used to be the Eliška Spring. Behind it we pass the ground-floor building of the Colonnade with a concert pavilion, a spa diningroom and a café. Situated opposite it is the summer spa, where the oldest spa building of 1908 stands. The tall building blond the cross-roads opposite the flower clock belongs to the most important spa institute, called Libenský. On the left, directly in front of the station is the Trnkas mineral spring. Interesting trees, supplemented with a number of artistic sculptures, can be seen in the park. From the colonnade we pass through Lázeňská Street, turn to the right Gross Rieger Square with a mineral spring (the Rieger Spring) and walk along Komenský Street. At the place where it

3 forms a cross-road with Palacký Street we turn to the left, pass between the museum and the church and then continue to the left to a blind branch of the River Skupice, which we shall follow on the side facing the town. This blind branch is valuable territory from the aspect of natural history. Research in this branch was carried out here under the supervision of workers of the National Museum in the 19th century. Situated at the end of the branch is the small Čábe An recreation centre offering the possibility of bathing. We make our way on to wide asphalt path, where we turn right and pass by the camp till we come to the River Elbe. From here we can either turn right to the Na střelnici Restaurant and the golf course (see the walk to Libice), or return to the town. Wattsenglish in Poděbrady We are looking for a native English speaking teacher to teach in the kindergartens as well as the first and second grade at the basic schools. This position allows you to put your teaching knowledge into practice and continue in the development of your teaching skills with the Wattsenglish teacher-training program and support. We can offer you to stay in our fully furnished flat at Colonnade, which is five minutes from the railway and bus stop stations. It has free unlimited access to the internet and . We are also able to provide help with reasonably priced accommodation, administrative support and any other help you may need. The candidate will teach children in Poděbrady from September 2010 and will be required to come to the Czech Republic seven days prior, to be trained for this position. More information about Poděbrady you can find on Eva Vedralova, Wattsenglish Poděbrady, Kolín and Nymburk Tel: eva.vedralova@wattsenglish.com Sports activities in Poděbrady Predominantly flat landscape is ideal for pleasant walks and cycling trips. Elbe route leading from the nearby Libice Cidlinou over Podebrady and Nymburk is widely used by cyclists and fans of inline skating. Route is flat, inexpensive and is suitable for parents and children.

4 The other sport activities available in Poděbrady are an 18 hole golf course, many tennis courts, ice skating, playing hockey in the winter stadium, horseback riding, gyms (aerobic, taichi, yoga etc.), sauna, squash hall, bowling, beach volleyball and swimming in nearby swimming pools or lakes The Poděbrady lake for example. The Poděbrady lake - It is a place of former sand mining area. The area is about 27 hectares and there are sandy beaches with gradual water entrance. There is also a nudistic beach in a separate part of the swimming pool. In the areal of the swimming pool there are many sports activities available - volleyball courts, a football-tennis court, a petanque court, table-tennis and minigolf. Then there is a boat rental, fastfood stalls, showers, changing rooms, toilettes, in the areal there is drinkable water. For children there are slides. The price per all day ticket is 40 CZK. Libický meadow is a national nature reserve in the middle Elbe 3km far from Poděbrady, which was proclaimed in 1985 and has an area of 410 ha. It is a complex of floodplain forests (the largest contiguous floodplain forests in Bohemia) and ponds and blind arms, where we find a significant wetland and aquatic plant and animal communities. On the reservation leads yellow sign from the Great Osek and it also cuts the red line of Podebrady in Cologne. Tips for trips Přerov nad Labem The Ethnographical Museum of the Elbe Valley a skansen of the central Elbe valley portraying the folk architecture, art and way of life of the country people in this region in more than twenty buildings. The Chateau originally a medieval water fortress which was rebuilt in the 16th century and richly decorated with graffiti. It is surrounded by mops with Mount and Conner bastions. Nymburk - 9km away from Poděbrady, from the 13th century a royal town with fortifications. The groundplan of the medieval Down and parts of the mops, fortification walls and tower has been uniquely preserved. The Gothic Church of St. Goles- its oldest part dates back to years The Turkish Tower is originally a Renaissance water tower from 1579 by the Elbe Bridge. There is a museum here with an exposition of the history of the Down and the railway and occasional exhibitions place in the building. In the square there is the renaissance Town hall of 1526.

5 Kolín - 10 minutes by train a royal town of the mid 13th century with the following outstanding features: the Gothic Church of St. Bartholomew which built from 1261 to the end of the 13th century, the local museum with an exposition of the history of the Down and an exhibition hall and the Town hall, originally a gothic building of the late 13th century which in the 15th century was converted into the Renaissance Town hall and later subjected to Neo Renaissance adaptations. There are many megastores and one big shopping center close to the railway station with a huge variety of shops. There is a big aqua park in Kolín as well as in Kutná Hora, which is five minutes by train or by bus from Kolín. Krkonose Giant Mountains skiing resort Špindlerův Mlýn Svatý Petr is easily connected by skibus from Poděbrady within 90 minute drive. Ski Resort Špindlerův Mlýn Svatý Petr is the highestquality resort in the Czech Republic. For this reason it also often holds a number of important sporting events. The resort features many downhill courses, cable railways and ski lifts, including the 4-seated cable railway. Snowboarders will enjoy the Snowpark with U-Ramp. The resort also offers skiing and snowboarding schools, bobsledding and sledding tracks, option of evening skiing, and related services including the service shops and rental shops. Other worth visiting towns and places of interest near Poděbrady are: Libice nad Cidlinou (6km) Sadská (10km) - beautiful church of St. Apolinář from 18 th century can be found there. Kouřim (22km) there is a museum of Folk Architecture, later changed to a rescue museum acquired the function of specialized equipment, focusing on examples of construction techniques used in the folk architecture of the Czech Republic. Annual events like Easter, Christmas market are organised there. Kutna Hora (29km) - The historic center of Kutna Hora, together with St.Barbora and the Church of Our Lady in Sedlec was entered into the UNESCO list. Prague Poděbrady is located 53 km east of Prague and can be easily accessed by frequent buses (40 min drive) and trains (1 hour drive). The price of one way bus tickect to Prague is 55 CZK.