The City of Hradec Králové

Situated in lowland plain (average elevation above the sea level is about 230 ms) in the northeast of Bohemia, on the confluence of the River Labe (Elbe) and the River Orlice, the city of Hradec Králové has temperate and pleasant climate. The White Tower, Saint Spirit’s Cathedral and the Church of Virgin Marie dominate the historic heart covering an elevated headland, and shape the city’s characteristic silhouette, which is considerable from both the distance and the closeness.

Laying approximately a hundred kilometres of the Czech Republic’s capital, since November 2006 the city of Hradec Králové got connected with Prague by a motorway D11. The highway R 35 to Olomouc and Ostrava is under construction. (These two roads eliminate the major part of the present thoroughfare transit of motor transport). The direct railway route between the capital and this city also exists.

With the population of almost 100 000 inhabitants and the area about 105.6 square kilometres Hradec Králové is among a ten of the republic’s largest cities. From both historical and modern points of view it is a significant administrative, political, social, cultural and spiritual centre of Eastern-Bohemian region and one of two central cities’ ( Hradec Králové and Pardubice )  residential agglomeration.  Currently, it is the district city and in the frame of a new administrative division of the republic it will be the seat of a large territorial self-governing area. Moreover the city shares a part of beyond – border co-operation in the frame of ‘Euroregion Glacensis’. From the angle of population structure about 61.5 % of inhabitants are in their productive age, and relatively a great number of them are graduates of universities or have complete secondary education. At present the rate of unemployment is approximately 7.2%.

It is possible to indicate the structure of local economics as predominantly industrial, with a major part of machine-tool industry (the firms such as ZVU, ČKD, Possehl Electronic etc.) and chemical-rubber industry’s branches (the firms Fotochema, Gumokov etc.). The traditional productions of musical instruments (the firm Petrof), precision medical instruments (the firm Arrow International) or processing industry are considerable too. Agricultural production, most of all plant, specialised in growing vegetable also exists because there is enough quality agricultural earth in the contiguous north part of the territory. Apart from significant administrative offices (Regional Office, Municipal Authorities, directorate of the Czech Republic’s police, regional departments of some ministries etc.) there is a range of seats of enterprises, financial establishments, service facilities and many other institutions, and also (except of several secondary and some specialised secondary schools) four faculties (Pedagogical Faculty, Pharmaceutical College of Charles’ University, Medical College of Charles’ University and Military Medical Academy). Studying medical subjects is intensified by the existence of a faculty hospital.  A range of research workplaces follows up with the system of schools as well as with the faculty hospital, other are connected with city’s observatory (a workplace of the Institution of Physics of Academy of Sciences, an isolated solar and ozone laboratory) or they work on their own (Glass Institution).

Hradec Králové is the seat of a range of important cultural establishments and facilities ( Klicpera’s Theatre, Philharmonic Orchestra, Puppet Theatre Drak, Gallery of Modern Art, Museum of Eastern Bohemia, State Scientific Library and many other), there is also a  bishop’s residence and Hradec Králové’s diocese, and other cleric institutions.

In 1962 the historic heart of the city was declared as the city’s landmark reservation ( with approximately 200 National Trust estates). The creative activity of a wide range of significant Czech architects is remarkable in a modern part of Hradec Králové covering the right bank of the River Labe. This part came into existence in the period before the Second World War, and was given the attribute ‘The Republic’s Salon’. According to this fact the pertaining part to the modern city centre (with approximately 70 National Trust estates and one National Monument) was declared as the city‘s landmark zone in 1991.

As regards the technical equipment of the city, it is possible to intimate that after the sewage clarification plant has been brought into operation, it is up to standard now, because 95% of inhabitants are supplied the water from the public water supplying system, 82% of them are laid on sewage and 93% on gas piping, a vast majority of the city’s house-building is heated by the central heating (Power Plant Opatovice n/L), the city is fully electrified and there are approximately 55 thousand telephone subscriber’s numbers.

The quality of the environment is quite good, the whole region belongs to the areas with low production of emission and this tends to decrease. South and east edges of the city are surrounded with a belt of forests such as Novohradecké lesy, Dehetník and Ouliště. Along the rivers (Labe and Orlice) the wild plants infiltrate central areas. More over the city has quite large areas of greening (mainly parks) that are completed with avenues.