Žernov (Náchod District)

Žernov is a market town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants.

Žernov
Market town
Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows
Flag Coat of arms
Žernov Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°25′50″N 16°3′27″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Hradec Králové
District	Náchod
First mentioned	1417
Area
• Total	4.70 km2 (1.81 sq mi)
Elevation	378 m (1,240 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	322
• Density	69/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	552 03
Website	zernov.cz

Administrative division

Žernov consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Žernov (262)
• Rýzmburk (15)

Geography

Žernov is located about 7 kilometres (4 mi) northwest of Náchod and 28 km (17 mi) northeast of Hradec Králové. It lies in the Giant Mountains Foothills. The market town is situated on a plateau above the Úpa River, which flows along the eastern municipal border. Smaller part of the Grandmother's Valley (Babiččino údolí) National Nature Monument, which stretches along the river, is located in the municipal territory.

History

The first written mention of Žernov is from 1417. In that time, it was already referred to as a market town. It belonged to the Rýzmburk estate, managed from the nearby castle.^[3] In the 16th century, the Rýzmburk estate was annexed to the Náchod estate.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 708 —     1880 655 −7.5% 1890 655 +0.0% 1900 587 −10.4% 1910 538 −8.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 435 −19.1% 1930 399 −8.3% 1950 318 −20.3% 1961 269 −15.4% 1970 241 −10.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 228 −5.4% 1991 216 −5.3% 2001 209 −3.2% 2011 251 +20.1% 2021 277 +10.4%
Source: Censuses[5][6]

Transport

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

Sights

Ruin of the Rýzmburk Castle

The main landmark of the centre of Žernov is the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows. It was built in 1790 and rebuilt into its present form in 1890.^[7]

A technical monument is the Red Bridge. It is a wooden suspension bridge, built in 1880.^[8]

The Rýzmburk Castle was built at the beginning of the 14th century. In the 16th century, it fell into disrepair and had to be repaired. In 1641 (during the Thirty Years' War), the castle was burned. From 1687, it was dismantled for building stone, which was used for the Ratibořice and Náchod castles. Today, the ruins of the castle consist of only two cellars and small remnants of walls.^[4]