Where to Stay in Hradec Králové, Královéhradecký kraj

What is Hradec Králové known for?

A brick Gothic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and the tall White Tower crown its old square, while beyond them spreads one of the finest modernist cities in the country, laid out a century ago. The Museum of Eastern Bohemia gathers the region's story. Old and new stand side by side.

What are the main landmarks in Hradec Králové?

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit crowns the old square. Its brick Gothic towers and the tall White Tower beside it are the great sight of Hradec Králové, above the meeting of the rivers. Modern art fills the newer town.

The Gallery of Modern Art and the Museum of Eastern Bohemia hold fine collections, while the Petrof Museum tells of the city's famous pianos.

What is the history of Hradec Králové?

Hradec Králové began as a royal town of queens. Its Czech name means the Castle of the Queen, for it was long held in dowry by the queens of Bohemia, and a brick Gothic cathedral rose over the old square in the Middle Ages. The town guarded the eastern march.

Great walls and a fortress ringed it for centuries, and in 1866 the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian war was fought on the fields just outside. The fortress made way for a modern city. When the old ramparts were pulled down, planners and the architect Josef Gočár laid out broad avenues, squares, and clean modern buildings, and Hradec Králové became a showpiece of the young republic.

Music grew up with the town. The Petrof family built their famous pianos here, remembered at the Petrof Museum, and galleries and museums filled the streets, from the Museum of Eastern Bohemia to the Gallery of Modern Art. The White Tower still watches over the old square.

Where is Hradec Králové?

Hradec Králové lies where two rivers meet. The city spreads over the flat plain of eastern Bohemia at the joining of the Elbe and the Orlice, in rich farm country ringed by low wooded hills. Parks and water run through the town.

The two rivers shaped its growth.

What is the climate of Hradec Králové?

Temperate continental air governs the year in this river town. Cold, snowy winters settle on the plain, and the warm summers bring storms across the farmland, with rain spread through the year. Mist rises off the rivers in autumn.

The seasons pass clear and green.

How do you get to Hradec Králové?

Hradec Králové lies east of Prague. Trains and the highway run to it from the capital in about an hour, and roads cross the Elbe plain toward the mountains and Poland. Buses reach the towns of eastern Bohemia.

Most arrive by road or rail from Prague.