Zlonice

Zlonice is a market town in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Břešťany, Lisovice, Tmáň and Vyšínek are administrative parts of Zlonice.

Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name Zloňa, meaning "the village of Zloňa's people". The personal name itself was derived from the Czech word zlý, i.e. 'evil'.

Geography
Zlonice is located about 16 km north of Kladno and 29 km northwest of Prague. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape of the Lower Ohře Table.

History
The first written mention of Zlonice is from 1318. It was a settlement on a trade route. The first written mention of the fortress in Zlonice is from 1576. In the 17th century, the fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle.

The village of Vyšínek is first mentioned in 1263, Břešťany in 1282, Tmáň in 1382, and Lisovice at the beginning of the 14th century.

Transport
Zlonice is located on the railway line Louny–Kralupy nad Vltavou.

Sights
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is the landmark of the town square. There was originally a Gothic church, but it was replaced by the current Baroque church, which was built in 1727–1744 according to the design by František Maxmilián Kaňka.

Zlonice Castle is originally a Renaissance castle, which was completely rebuilt in the mid-19th century. It has a Neoclassical façade. Today it houses apartments and offices.

The former Baroque hospital building houses the Memorial of Antonín Dvořák, who lived in Zlonice in 1853–1856. It is a museum that focuses on the life of Dvořák, on the market town's musical tradition and on regional history.

In Lisovice is a small railway museum.

Notable people

 * Wenzel Krumpholz (1750–1817), mandolin and violin player
 * Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904), composer; lived here in 1853–1856 and nicknamed his Symphony No. 1 The Bells of Zlonice
 * Eduard Ingriš (1905–1991), Czech-American composer and photographer