Neratovice

Neratovice (Neratowitz) is a town in Mělník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is an industrial town, known for especially for the Spolana chemical plant.

Administrative parts
The villages of Byškovice, Horňátky, Korycany, Lobkovice and Mlékojedy are administrative parts of Neratovice.

Etymology
The settlement was originally named Neradice. The name was derived from the personal name Nerad, meaning "the village of Nerad's people". At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, it was distorted to Neratovice.

Geography
Neratovice is located about 17 km north of Prague. It lies in a flat landscape in the Central Elbe Table. The highest point is at 284 m above sea level. The Elbe River flows through the town. A notable body of water is the flooded sandstone quarry Mlékojedy.

History
The first written mention of Neratovice is from 1227, at that time known as Neradice. It was a serf village of Chapter of St. Wenceslaus at the Prague Castle and of St. George's Convent in Prague. In the second half of the 14th century, it became a property of the Archbishopric of Prague. At the beginning of the 15th century, Neratovice was purchased by the Lobkowicz family and remained their owners for most of the time in the following centuries.

Thanks to the industrial revolution, Neratovice developed significantly in the second half of the 19th century. In 1865, the first train passed through the village along the Turnov–Kralupy line. In 1872, a line from Prague connected to it and a railway station was built. In 1874, a post office was established in Neratovice. In 1880, Neratovice separated from Lobkovice and became an independent municipality. In 1898, the railway to Brandýs nad Labem was put into operation. In 1900, a factory for the production of oil, degrass, soap and candles (later known as Lachema) was established. In 1905, a chemical factory focused especially on ammonia production (later known as Spolana) was established. Villas were built and the Neratovice region became a recreational area, especially for the inhabitants of Prague.

In 1950, an independent national enterprise Spolana Neratovice was established. In 1957, Neratovice officially became a town and the villages of Libiš, Byškovice, Lobkovice, Horňátky, Mlékojedy and Korycany were gradually associated with them. In cooperation with Spolana, a new "modern" panel-type town with abundant social facilities was intensively built. The population grew up as people were coming to Neratovice for work and housing. In 1990, Libiš became an independent municipality again.

Economy
The town is known as an industrial centre. The main company is Spolana chemical plant.

Transport
The I/9 road (which connects the D8 motorway with Česká Lípa and the Czech-German border) runs next to the town.

Neratovice is located on the railway line Prague–Mladá Boleslav, further continuing to Tanvald. Neratovice is also the starting point of the local lines to Čelákovice and Kralupy nad Vltavou. The town is served by three stations.

Sights
The main historical monument is the Lobkovice Castle in Lobkovice. The original fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle in 1610 at the latest. Only a tower survived the Thirty Years' War. A new Baroque castle was added to the tower in 1679 and in this form the castle has been preserved to this day. Today the castle is owned by the Lobkowicz family and is closed to the public until the reconstruction is completed.

Notable people

 * František Palacký (1798–1876), historian and politician; stayed here in 1852–1860 and is buried here

Twin towns – sister cities
Neratovice is twinned with:
 * 🇩🇪 Radeberg, Germany