Dobruška

Dobruška (Gutenfeld) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,600 inhabitants. The town is known as the birthplace of Czech patriotic writer František Ladislav Hek, whose career was described in Alois Jirásek's novel F. L. Věk. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts
The villages of Běstviny, Chábory, Domašín, Křovice, Mělčany, Pulice and Spáleniště are administrative parts of Dobruška.

Geography
Dobruška is located about 16 km northwest of Rychnov nad Kněžnou and 24 km northeast of Hradec Králové. It lies mostly in the Orlice Table. The eastern part of the municipal territory extends into the Orlické Foothills and includes the highest point of Dobruška, the hill Tábor at 470 m above sea level. The town is situated at the confluence of two watercourses, the Dědina River (also called Zlatý potok) and the brook Brtevský potok.

History
The predecessor of Dobruška was a market settlement called Lešno, located at the crossroads of two trade routes. The first written mention is from 1320. In 1495, with the arrival of the noble family of Trčka of Lípa, the town began to develop. The houses were reconstructed in the Renaissance style and a representative town hall was built. The prosperity and importance of the town ended with the Thirty Years' War.

The large fires in 1806 and 1866 damaged Dobruška and the reconstructions changed the character of the town. At the end of the 19th century, the industry developed, especially the textile industry. In 1908, Dobruška was connected with Opočno by railway.

Economy
The Military Geographical and Hydrometeorological Office is located in Dobruška.

Transport
The I/14 road (the section from Náchod to Ústí nad Orlicí) runs through the town.

Dobruška is the start of a short railway line to Opočno. The line further continues to Meziměstí or to Týniště nad Orlicí.

Culture
The International Music Festival of F. L. Vek is organized in Dobruška every year.

Sights
The historic centre is formed by F. L. Věka Square and adjacent streets. Its main landmark is the Renaissance town hall with a 45 m-high tower. In the tower is the town museum and gallery with early works of F. Kupka. In the middle of the square is a Marian column from 1733.

The Church of Saint Wenceslaus was first mentioned in 1350. Its part is an early Baroque bell tower. The cemetery Church of Holy Spirit was built in Renaissance style in the 16th century.

The former Jewish synagogue in Dobruška is nowadays part of the town museum. The synagogue was built in the 18th century and then rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style in 1867, after it was damaged by a fire. There is also the Jewish cemetery with the oldest preserved tomb from 1688.

Notable people

 * František Ladislav Hek (1769–1847), patriotic writer
 * Alois Beer (1833–1897), painter
 * František Šubert (1849–1915), writer and theatre director
 * František Kupka (1871–1957), painter and graphic artist; lived here in 1872–1889
 * Radim Drejsl (1923–1953), composer, pianist and conductor

Twin towns – sister cities
Dobruška is twinned with:
 * 🇭🇺 Ábrahámhegy, Hungary
 * 🇸🇰 Hnúšťa, Slovakia
 * 🇵🇱 Miejska Górka, Poland
 * 🇵🇱 Piława Górna, Poland
 * 🇵🇱 Radków, Poland
 * 🇸🇰 Veľký Meder, Slovakia