Stěžery

Stěžery is a municipality and village in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,200 inhabitants.

Stěžery
Municipality
Church of Saint Mark the Evangelist
Flag Coat of arms
Stěžery Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°12′44″N 15°45′13″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Hradec Králové
District	Hradec Králové
First mentioned	1229
Area
• Total	12.82 km2 (4.95 sq mi)
Elevation	255 m (837 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	2,174
• Density	170/km2 (440/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	503 21
Website	www.stezery.cz

Administrative division

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

• Stěžery (1,487)
• Charbuzice (26)
• Hřibsko (170)
• Stěžírky (429)

Geography

Stěžery is located about 4 kilometres (2 mi) west of Hradec Králové. It lies in the East Elbe Table. The highest point is at 310 m (1,020 ft) above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Stěžery is in a deed of King Ottokar I from 1229, when the village was acquired by the monastery in Opatovice nad Labem. The monastery owned Stěžery until the Hussite Wars. From 1421 to 1547, the village was a property of the city of Hradec Králové.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,328 —     1880 1,510 +13.7% 1890 1,531 +1.4% 1900 1,544 +0.8% 1910 1,554 +0.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,656 +6.6% 1930 1,646 −0.6% 1950 1,309 −20.5% 1961 1,358 +3.7% 1970 1,270 −6.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,411 +11.1% 1991 1,560 +10.6% 2001 1,596 +2.3% 2011 1,747 +9.5% 2021 2,112 +20.9%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

The D11 motorway from Prague to Hradec Králové runs through the municipality.

Sights

Stěžery Castle

The wooden Church of Saint Mark the Evangelist was first mentioned in 1350^[6] or 1355.^[3] In 1832, it was replaced by the current construction in the Empire style.^[6]

Stěžery Castle was originally a fortress, rebuilt in the Renaissance style in 1802–1803 by Ernst Christoph of Harrach. The original fortress formed the northern wing of the castle. Today's appearance is mainly the result of modern reconstructions.^[7]

The Stěžery Zoopark is a small zoopark with an area of 2 ha (5 acres).^[8]