WALK THROUGH THE SALON OF THE REPUBLIC

Discover the historic centre of Hradec Králové

Salon of the Republic

Hradec Králové is one of the oldest and historically most important Czech cities. For centuries it was one of the dowry towns of Czech queens. The urban conservation area contains countless historic sights from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. At the beginning of the last century, the city was given a new look by the famous Czech architects Jan Kotěra and Josef Gočár, whose elaborate urban plans created a modern and progressive city. A number of monumental buildings in the Art Nouveau and Functionalist styles were built at this time and the city became known as the “Salon of the Republic”.

While in Hradec Králové, do not miss a visit to Large (Velké) Square. Hradec’s main square is the historic heart of the city, dominated on the western side by the two main landmarks of Hradec, the White Tower and the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. There is a number of interesting historic buildings here, such as the late Baroque town hall, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with the adjacent Jesuit college, the bishop’s residence and a number of remarkable town houses, the most beautiful of which is the unmissable House U Špuláků with its red façade and a tower. In the adjacent Jirásek Park, which can be easily reached by the Gočár staircase, you will find a timbered church dating from 1605, which originally stood in the eastern Slovak village of Habura. It was moved to Hradec Králové in 1934 and symbolically opened on 28 October 1935 as an Orthodox church in memory of the Czechoslovak legionaries who died in Russia. Around Large Square you will find the important Museum of Eastern Bohemia, the Gallery of Modern Art and the Hučák hydroelectric power station.

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