Hudlice

Hudlice is a municipality and village in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants.

Geography
Hudlice is located about 5 km west of Beroun and 28 km west of Prague. It lies in the Křivoklát Highlands, in the Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area. The highest point is the hill Krušná hora at 609 m above sea level. Other significant peaks are the rocks Hudlická skála at 475 m, an isolated cobblestone cliff, and Kozlí skála at 381 m.

The main watercourse is the stream Dibeřský potok, which flows through the southern part of the municipal territory. The brook Libotický potok originates in the northern part of Hudlice, supplies three small fishponds and flows into the Dibeřský potok near the eastern municipal border. A nameless brook, the right tributary of the Libotický potok, flows through the built-up area.

History
Wenceslaus Hajek writes in his chronicle the village was gifted by Duke Jaromír to his servant Hovora. This story is considered as a romantical fabulation. The first written mention of Hudlice is from 1341.

After Karlštejn Castle was founded in 1348, Hudlice was part of its estate. Later it transferred to the Křivoklát estate. From 1425 to 1437 there was a knight's court in Hudlice. The village changed its owners several times and its development was interrupted by the Hussite Wars and the Thirty Years' War.

It was not until around 1656 that the village flourished with the development of the ironworks. Iron ore and vermilion were mined and gold was panned in the streams. In the past, many miners mining iron ore lived here, the main source of which was the nearby mountain of Krušná hora until the 1960s. Charcoal was produced in the surrounding forests, which was used for iron furnaces.

Economy
A wastewater treatment plant is situated on the eastern outskirts of the village.

Transport
There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality. Hudlice is connected to Beroun by a public bus line.

Sights
The main landmark of Hudlice is the Church of Saint Thomas. It was built in the neo-Romanesque style 1874–1876, when it replaced an old wooden church.

On the Krušná hora mountain, the wooden lookout tower Máminka is situated. It is 33 m high.

Hudlická skála Rock is popular for tourists as a natural landmark of the municipality. Below the top of the rock is the entrance to the only non-karst cave in the Beroun District.

In the birthplace of Josef Jungmann, the Josef Jungmann Monument is located. It is a typical old Czech timbered cottage from 1718. It contains original furniture, and an exhibition of his life and work is installed.

Notable people

 * Josef Jungmann (1773–1847), poet and linguist