Hostivice

Hostivice is a town in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,200 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The village of Břve is an administrative part of Hostivice.

Etymology
The name was derived derived from the personal name Hostivít, meaning "Hostivít's village".

Geography
Hostivice is located west of Prague, in its immediate vicinity. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape in the Prague Plateau. The stream of Litovický potok flows through the territory and supplies a system of three fishponds, protected as the Hostivice Ponds Nature Monument.

History
Břve is the oldest part of the town, first mentioned in 1184. The first written mention of Hostivice is from 1277.

The current appearance of the town was created by merging and growing four separate villages: Hostivice, Litovice, Jeneček and Břve. In 1849, Litovice, Jeneček and Břve merged to create one municipality of Litovice, and in 1950, it was merged with Hostivice. In 1978, Hostivice became a town.

Transport
Hostivice lies close to Václav Havel Airport Prague. The D6 motorway from Prague to Karlovy Vary runs next to the town.

Hostivice is located on the railway lines Prague–Kladno and Prague–Rudná.

Sights
The main landmars of the town are the church and castle, located by the town square. The Hostivice Castle was built in the early Baroque style in 1689–1697 for Countess Caretto-Millesimo. The castle was completely rebuilt in 1732–1734, during the rule of Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg. She also had built a large two-storey granary next to the castle. Today the castle serves as the town hall.

The Church of Saint James the Great was built in the Gothic style in the 13th or 14th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was modified and extended into its current form.

In the centre of the town square is a Baroque Marian column. It dates from 1734.

Notable people

 * David Rath (born 1965), politician; lives here