Svinařov

Svinařov is a municipality and village in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants.

Etymology
The name was most likely derived from cattle breeding or wine growing for the needs of the nearby gord of Libušín.

Geography
Svinařov is located about 5 km northwest of Kladno and 23 km northwest of Prague. The eastern part of the municipal territory lies in the Prague Plateau, the western part lies in the Džbán range. The highest point is at 392 m above sea level. The Svinařovský Brook flows through the municipality.

History
The first written mention of Svinařov is from 1328, when the village was sold by Bořita of Ředhošt to the Vyšehrad Chapter. It is probable that there was some kind of settlement much earlier thanks to an archaeological research carried out in a nearby town of Libušín which proved that the area was inhabited in the 6th–7th centuries. The existence of Svinařov was closely connected with the gord of Libušín. Svinařov served as a supplier of agricultural products to the gord.

There was a fortress built around 1330. The owner of Svinařov, Vyšehrad Chapter, used to hire out the Svinařov to different tenants till the reign of Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, when the village was sold. Some years later it became a part of property of the Martinic family and was annexed to their Smečno estate, which remained so until the 19th century. The family of Martinic gradually became one of the richest and most powerful noble families in the Czech kingdom. In 1885, Svinařov village separated from Libušín and became a sovereign municipality.

Most people there earned their living in agriculture, but this changed in the second half of the 19th century with the discovery of coal in the region. Many people from all around the country started to move in and the village started to expand. Most people were therefore employed in the coal industry until the mines closed down in 2002.

Transport
There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights
There are no protected cultural monuments in the municipality.

Notable people

 * Václav Mrázek (1925–1957), serial killer