"Chrudim" nicole.torry's Profile

Brief history of Chrudim

When the word Chrudim first appeared in written records, the site had already been inhabited for several thousands years. Archaeological excavations have proved that, people had already built a fortified settlement on raised ground, now called Pumberky, (north-east of the present-day town centre) some 6 to 7 thousand years ago. The territory was very densely populated at the time of the Lusatian Culture (1200 – 900 BC). The first people to settle in the area whose name has been preserved, were Celts (from the 5th century BC up to the beginning of the present era). It seems that at the time, Chrudim obviously belonged to a large oppidum occupying the territory of present day Hradištì near Èeské Lhotice, some 10 kilometres south of Chrudim.

After a prolonged time with no settlement, Slavs came to the area in the 7th and 8th centuries. Apparently a hillfort was built in the 9th century above the Chrudimka river as one of the centres of the early Czech “state”. The first reliable written mention of Chrudim dates from 1055 when, as the Kosmas Chronicle asserts, the Czech duke Břetislav Ist died here. The most memorable turning point in the town’s modern history was its foundation as a royal town by Přemysl Otakar II sometime before the year 1276. Its position on the route from Prague to Moravia accented its significance and helped the town to develop and grow, so that at the height of the Middle Ages, Chrudim ranked among the principal towns of the kingdom of Bohemia. Starting from 1307, with a number of short interruptions, Chrudim was one of the royal dowry towns serving the wives of Czech kings as a source of income. The tradition was maintained until the disintegration of the Habsburg monarchy in 1918.

At the onset of the Hussite wars (1419 – 1434), the inhabitants of Chrudim were more inclined towards the anti-Catholics, and the German speaking citizens left the town. Since that time, Chrudim, the same as the region around it, has been almost exclusively Czech. The town was also in opposition to the ruling Habsburgs during the abortive resistance uprisings of the Czech Estates in 1547 and 1618 to 1621, which had very unfavourable consequences. From the 16th century, the significance and position of Czech towns was on the decline, although Chrudim maintained its position of a notable administrative centre.

The town often suffered plague epidemics, famine, and natural disasters. There is evidence of fires in the settlement in the 11th and 12th centuries. The town also burned down soon after it was founded at the turn of the 14th century, and during the Thirty Years’ War (1618 – 1648) it experienced a heavy blow when, due to re-catholisation, the evangelic population left the town. The last great disasters were fires in two districts on 6th August 1850 and a number of floods in the second half of the 19th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the contemporary character of a calm provincial town was taking shape, and a certain negative role was also played by the late introduction of the railway (1871) and slower development of industrial production. However, what Chrudim was losing in its economic and administrative importance it gained in the field of culture and education through the influence of a number of prominent personalities and the backing of many institutions. Among the best known natives of Chrudim we might mention Viktorín Kornel of Všehrdy (around 1460 to 1520), a humanistic man of letters and author of a juridical work “O právech, o súdech a Dskách země České knihy devatery” (Nine Books on Laws, Courts and the Czech Land Register), Jan Nepomuk Štěpánek (1783 – 1844), an enlightened dramatist, actor, director and manager of the Estates Theatre in Prague, and Josef Ressel (1793- 1857), the inventor of the ship propeller. Composers Bedøich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Camille Saint-Saëns, Zdeněk Fibich, painter Alfons Mucha and many other people of note had a warm relationship with the town.

Night life in Chrudim

Music clubs

Baraka, Original music bar, Atrium of Bohemia Hotel, Masarykovo Square 900, www.barakabaraka.cz
Total Inferno, Obce Ležáků 168, www.totalinferno.cz
Discobar Nyx, U Valchy 1024, tel. 607 223 395, www.discobar-nyx.info
Zuzzy Music Bar, Průmyslová, tel. 732 853 902, www.zuzzybar.cz
Agora, Štěpánkova 92, tel. 469 620 703, 608 011 081, www.klubagora.cz
Bars and gamblerhouses (herna)

Herna – bar „7“, Štěpánkova 105, tel. 469 623 332
Herna – bar Marlboro, Štěpánkova 91, tel. 469 620 427
Herna - bar, Starý mlýn 4, Čs. Partyzánů
Pavučina bar, Havlíčkova 7
Herna bar Las Vegáč, Havlíčkova 81
Bar – herna „21“, Havlíčkova 100, tel. 603 245 319, 777 135 021
Herna – bar Nevada, Palackého 805
Bar – herna Jolly Jokers, Palackého 55, tel. 469 638 915
Herna – bar Za Mostem, Poděbradova 245
Cadillac – herna - bar, Družstevní 691, tel. 469 632 761
Tima bar, V Průhonech 503, areál plaveckého bazénu, tel. 608 440 352
Bowling bar Stromovka, Družstevní 691, tel. 469 623 066
Bowling restaurant, Palackého 805, tel. 469 630 205, www.restaurant-bowling.cz

Beerhouses

"Královská" beerhouse, Masarykovo Square 1238
Beerhouse Kateřina, Havlíčkova 90, tel. 469 630 200
Beerhouse Penalta, Rozhledna
Beerhouse Červená sedma, Štěpánkova 105

Geographical Data
From a geomorphological aspect the town is situated in the Chrudim basin, which is a part of the Česká křídová tabule (Bohemian Cretaceous Table). Southwest (10 km) rise the mountains of Železné hory, belonging in the category of highlands, with the highest mountain (Vestec) 668 above sea level. The Chrudimka river, which flows from the Ždárské vrchy protected landscape area (20 km S/SE) and empties into the Elbe in Pardubice, flows through the town. The total lenght of the river is 108 km. Several hydraulic structures have been built on the river. The largest is the valley dam reservoir near the locality of Seč, which is widely used for recreation and water sports (18 km). The average temperature in the town is 7oC. The warmest month is July; it has an average temperature of 17.5oC.

Map of the Czech Republic Map of the Pardubice region

Basic Data
Altitude: 243-300 m. above sea level
Latitude: 49o57´
Longitude: 15o47´
Sections of the town: Chrudim I, Chrudim II, Chrudim III, Chrudim IV, Medlešice, Topol, Vestec, Vlčnov
Total area of land: 3 320 ha

Unemployment
The state body for unemployment issues is the Employment Office (Úřad práce) in Chrudim. Its work does not involve only mediating jobs and passive payment of unemployment benefits, but it aims at providing assistance to developing small and medium-sized businesses by means defined by current legislation. A characteristic feature of unemployment growth in the past few years was the strong dependence of the region on the biggest employer: engineering company Transporta a.s. The company had been gradually reducing its activities and finally became bankrupt; this led to higher unemployment in the area. Today, there has been a revival in this area. The unemployment rate in the District of Chrudim reached 8.93 % on October 31, 2002.

Transport
Two 1st class roads intersect Chrudim : road No. I/17 and No. I/37
Distance Chrudim – Prague 115 km
Distance Chrudim – Brno 125 km
Distance Chrudim – Olomouc 135 km
Distance Chrudim – Hradec Králové 33 km
Distance Chrudim – Pardubice 10 km