Jaroměř


Jaroměř is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 15 kilometers northeast of the region's capital Hradec Králové. The town lies at the confluence of three rivers, the Úpa, the Metuje and the Elbe. The town has around 12,500 inhabitants.
The town includes the Fortress Josefov, a separate entity until 1948.

History

The historic old town has been inhabited for more than a thousand years. Early in the 11th century a Prince of the Přemyslid dynasty built a fortress and named it Jaroměř. The village was elevated to the status of royal town under King Otakar I of Bohemia.
Over 1780 to 1787, the Emperor Joseph II built on the left bank of the Elbe and Metuje rivers, the imperial fortress Ples. Later this conurbation took the name of Josefstadt. In 1948 the fortress town was incorporated into Jaroměř.
The historic old town with distinct arcades and a Marian column designed by Matthias Braun was constructed over 1723 to 1727. There was only ever a small German-speaking minority and in 1938 the town eluded being incorporated into the Sudetenland. The following year to 1945 it was part of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
The famous painter Josef Šíma was born here in 1891.

Culture

Each summer, the city hosts Brutal Assault, the biggest Central European extreme metal music festival. Over 10,000 metalheads from all over Europe flood the city streets for three days each year.

Nature

Next to the Fortress Josefov along River Metuje is Josefov Meadows Bird Reserve owned by the Czech Society for Ornithology and freely accessible to the public. It is home to many rare and endangered species of birds and amphibians thanks to its returning wetlands ecosystem.

Twin towns — sister cities

Jaroměř is twinned with: