Kolín, Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic

🇨🇿 Kolín is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies some 55 km east from Prague, on the Elbe River. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.

Administrative parts Kolín is made up of town parts of Kolín I–VI and of villages of Sendražice, Šťáralka, Štítary and Zibohlavy.

Geography Kolín lies about 47 km (29 mi) east of Prague. It lies in a fertile landscape of the Central Elbe Table lowland. The town is located on the Elbe River. In the eastern part of the municipal territory is Sandberk, an artificial lake created by flooding a sandstone quarry.

History Ptolemy's world map mentions Budorgis in the Kolín's area in the 2nd century.

Kolín was founded by King Ottokar II of Bohemia in the 13th century by relocation, when Starý Kolín ("Old Kolín") was threatened by floods and the king decided to move the settlement. The first written mention of Kolín is from 1261, when it was mentioned that Přelouč obtain town privileges, same as Kolín and Kouřim have. It lay on a trade route Prague–Český Brod–Čáslav–Moravia.

In 1437–1438, a castle was founded in Kolín. It was built on ruins of a burned down monastery. During the Thirty Years' War, it was damaged, and in the 17th century, it was rebuilt to a brewery. In 1911, the castle burned down and its Renaissance look disappeared.

The 1757 Battle of Kolín was fought during the Seven Years' War, and in 1944 a refinery in Kolín was bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II. Zyklon B for Nazi concentration camps was produced there.

Economy In Kolín is the smaller part of Kolín-Ovčáry Industrial Zone, known mostly for the factory of the automobile manufacturing company Toyota Motor Manufacturing. As of 2020, TMM employed 2,400 people and it is the most important employer in the region.

Kolín is home to the packaging and paper manufacturer, OTK company.

Sights The historical centre of the town has many gothic and baroque buildings. Most notable are the main market (Karlovo Square) with the Neo-Renaissance town hall, and Church of Saint Bartholomew from the 13th century, rebuilt in 1360 by the architect Peter Parler.

In Kolín there is the original Jewish ghetto with a synagogue from 1696. It is the second oldest and most valuable synagogue in Bohemia. The Jewish cemetery is one of the oldest and largest Jewish cemeteries in Bohemia. It was established in the first half of the 15th century.