Dobrovice

Dobrovice is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. It is known for one of the oldest sugar factories in the world.

Dobrovice
Town
Aerial view of the town centre
Flag Coat of arms
Dobrovice Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°21′59″N 14°57′53″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Central Bohemian
District	Mladá Boleslav
First mentioned	1249
Government
• Mayor	Tomáš Sedláček
Area
• Total	24.64 km2 (9.51 sq mi)
Elevation	247 m (810 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	3,647
• Density	150/km2 (380/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	294 41, 294 42, 294 46
Website	www.dobrovice.cz

Administrative division

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

• Dobrovice (1,962)
• Bojetice (247)
• Chloumek (129)
• Holé Vrchy (168)
• Libichov (193)
• Sýčina (267)
• Týnec (181)
• Úherce (347)

Chloumek, Libichov and Sýčina form an exclave of the municipal territory.

Geography

Dobrovice is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) south of Mladá Boleslav and 43 km (27 mi) northeast of Prague. It lies on the border between the Jizera Table and Jičín Uplands. The highest point is the hill U doubku at 367 m (1,204 ft) above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Dobrovice is from 1249. In 1541, lords of Chlum built a fortress in Dobrovice. In 1558, Dobrovice gained town rights and the fortress became a castle.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 3,054 —     1880 3,607 +18.1% 1890 4,246 +17.7% 1900 4,461 +5.1% 1910 4,712 +5.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 4,673 −0.8% 1930 4,572 −2.2% 1950 3,521 −23.0% 1961 3,682 +4.6% 1970 3,222 −12.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 3,135 −2.7% 1991 2,936 −6.3% 2001 2,937 +0.0% 2011 3,265 +11.2% 2021 3,494 +7.0%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Economy

There is a sugar factory in the town since 1831. It is the biggest and the oldest sugar factory in the Czech Republic, one of the oldest sugar factories in the world and the oldest one still working in its original premises.^[6] Since 2004 the sugar factory holds the name of its owner, French conglomerate Tereos.

Transport

Dobrovice is located near the D10 motorway from Prague to Turnov, which briefly runs along the northwestern municipal border.

Dobrovice is located on the railway line Mladá Boleslav–Nymburk.^[7] However, the train station is situated outside the built-up area, between the fields southwest of the town proper.

Sights

Palackého Square with the town hall

The late Renaissance town hall was built in 1610 and reconstructed in 1674, after it was damaged by fire. Its tower is a landmark of the town square and today serves as a lookout tower for public.^[3][8]

The Church of Saint Bartholomew was built in the Renaissance-Gothic style in 1559–1571. It is a valuable sacral area with a number of quality sculptures. The Baroque rectory dates from 1709.^[3][9]

The sugar factory opened museums of sugar production, ethanol production and sugar beet processing in May 2010.^[10]

Notable people

• Bedřich Feuerstein (1892–1936), architect, painter and essayist
• Jiří Adamíra (1926–1993), actor
• Marie Tomášová (born 1929), actress