Tábor

This article is about the city of Tábor in the Czech Republic. For other uses, see Tabor (disambiguation).
Tábor
Town
Southwest corner of the Žižka's square as viewed from the church tower
Flag
Coat of arms
Country Czech Republic
Region South Bohemian
District Tábor
Commune Tábor
River Lužnice
Elevation 437 m (1,434 ft)
Coordinates CZ 49°24′N 14°39′E / 49.400°N 14.650°E / 49.400; 14.650Coordinates: CZ 49°24′N 14°39′E / 49.400°N 14.650°E / 49.400; 14.650
Highest point
 - elevation 476 m (1,562 ft)
Lowest point
 - elevation 384 m (1,260 ft)
Area 62.22 km2 (24.02 sq mi)
Population 34,716 (2015)
Density 558/km2 (1,445/sq mi)
Founded 1420
Mayor Jiří Fišer
Timezone CET (UTC+1)
 - summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 390 01
Location in the Czech Republic
Wikimedia Commons: Tábor
Statistics: statnisprava.cz
Website: www.tabor.cz

Tábor (Czech pronunciation: [ˈtaːbor]; German: Tabor) is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. The name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in Czech.[1]

History

The town was founded in the spring of 1420 by Petr Hromádka of Jistebnice and Jan Bydlínský of Bydlín from the most radical wing of the Hussites, who soon became known as the Taborites. The town is iconic for the years in which it flourished as an egalitarian peasant commune. This spirit is celebrated in Smetana's "Song of Freedom", made famous in the English-speaking world by Paul Robeson's recording in Czech and English.

The historical part of the town is situated on the summit of an isolated hill separated from the surrounding country by the Lužnice river and by an extensive lake, to which the Hussites gave the biblical name of Jordan. This lake, founded 1492, is the oldest reservoir of its kind in Central Europe. The historical importance of the city of Tábor ceased only when it was captured by King George of Poděbrady in 1452.

Until 1918, the post town "TABOR - TÁBOR" was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), in the district with the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.[2]

The TABOR BAHNHOF - TÁBOR NÁDRAŽÍ post-office was opened in 1895.

Geography

Though a large part of the ancient fortifications has been demolished, Tábor (or Hradiště Hory Tábor, the castle of the Tábor Hill, as it was called in the Hussite period) still preserves many memorials of its past fame. In the centre of the city is Žižka Square. Only very narrow streets lead to it, to render the approach to it more difficult in time of war. First-time visitors may not even suspect that there is an ingenious labyrinth of tunnels under the houses and streets here. The townspeople dug cellars under their houses and these were subsequently interconnected; an approximately 1 km-long section of the tunnel system is open to the public.

In the centre of the square is the statue of Jan Žižka, the greatest of the Hussite leaders. Here also is the Dean Church of Lord's Conversion on Mount Tabor, built in 1516 in the style of the Bohemian Renaissance, and the town hall, in connection with which a museum has been founded, which contains interesting memorials of the Hussite period, such as farm carts which doubled as battle wagons. Major parts of the ancient fortifications and the ancient Kotnov tower and gate of Bechyně near the tower still exist.

The Districts of Tábor

Čekanice, Čelkovice, Hlinice, Horky, Klokoty, Měšice, Náchod, Smyslov, Stoklasná Lhota, Sídliště Nad Lužnicí, Větrovy, Všechov, Zahrádka, Záluží, Zárybničná Lhota.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Tábor is twinned with the following cities:

References

  1. ↑ Profous, Antonín (1957). Místní jména v Čechách: Jejich vznik, původní význam a změny; part 4, S-Ž. Prague, Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.
  2. ↑ Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm KLEIN, 1967

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tábor.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tábor.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.