Častolovice

Častolovice (Tschastolowitz) is a market town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants.

Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name Častolov, meaning "the village of Častolov's people".

Geography
Častolovice is located about 25 km southeast of Hradec Králové. It lies in the Orlice Table. The highest point is at 320 m above sea level. The market town is situated on the Bělá River, near its confluence with the Divoká Orlice. The Divoká Orlice forms the southern municipal border.

History
Around 1280, a Gothic fortress was built here by a noble family, later named Lords of Častolovice. The first written mention of Častolovice is from 1342, when the village was promoted to a market town by King John of Bohemia. Between 1588 and 1615, the fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle. From 1694 until World War II, Častolovice was owned by the Sternberg family. In 1992, the castle was returned to the family.

Transport
Častolovice is located on the railway lines Hradec Králové–Letohrad and Rychnov nad Kněžnou–Choceň.

Sights
The main sight of Častolovice is the Častolovice Castle. The castle is open to the public and includes a mini-zoo and an English park with a game park.

The Church of Saint Vitus is a Baroque building. It replaced an old Gothic church, first mentioned in 1356. Some elements of the original church are preserved in the present building.

Notable people

 * Jiří Pelikán (1906–1984), chess player