Česká Kamenice, Ústí nad Labem Region, Czech Republic

🇨🇿 Česká Kamenice (Böhmisch Kamnitz) is a town in Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts Villages of Dolní Kamenice, Filipov, Horní Kamenice, Huníkov, Kamenická Nová Víska, Kerhartice, Líska, Pekelský Důl and Víska pod Lesy are administrative parts of Česká Kamenice.

Geography Česká Kamenice is located about 13 km (8 mi) east of Děčín. The municipal territory is hilly and extends into three geomorphological regions: Lusatian Mountains, Central Bohemian Uplands and Elbe Sandstone Mountains. The highest point is the Studenec hill at 737 m (2,418 ft) above sea level.

The Kamenice river and several brooks flow through Česká Kamenice.

History The first written mention of Česká Kamenice is from 1352. The town was founded at the crossroads of two paths, the so-called "Bohemian Road" and the "Lusatian Road", probably in the area of an older Slavic settlement. It was founded before 1283, probably in the 1270s during the reign of King Ottokar II, when the colonization of the region culminates mainly in settlers from neighbouring Saxony.

Concentration camp In spring 1944, the Rabstein sub-camp of Flossenbürg concentration camp was created here, with a capacity of 600 prisoners. At the end of the war, 1,500 inmates were incarcerated in the camp. The camp provided workers for the nearby underground aircraft factory in the town of Janská, 3 km west of Česká Kamenice. The number of inmate deaths is not known due to the destruction of all camp documentation. The foundations of the camp buildings remain visible, along with a memorial and historical overview.