The story
The first written mention of Dvůr Králové nad Labem is from 1270. A settlement with a small church was founded as guard point on a military trail to Silesia probably in the second half of the 12th century. The settlement began to expand with colonisation of mostly German people. It is unknown when it was promoted to a town and became a royal property.
In the 14th century, the town was fortified. In 1392, King Wenceslaus IV signed the town over to his wife, Queen Sophia of Bavaria. Since then, it was a dowry town and called Dvůr Králové. In 1421, the town surrendered without a fight to the moderate wing of the Hussites. In 1436, it became again a dowry town managed by Queen Barbara of Cilli.
During the Thirty Years' War, Dvůr Králové was repeatedly looted and damaged, and experienced decline. It was also marked by War of the Austrian Succession, Seven Years' War and Austro-Prussian War. However, the town recovered thanks to textile crafts (weaving and dyeing), and became regional centre of trade and crafts. The industry further developed after the railway was built in 1858, the road network was improved, and the Elbe became navigable. In the 1880s, the first textile factories were established.
Until 1918, the town was part of Austria-Hungary, head of the Königshof an der Elbe – Dvůr Králové nad Labem District, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.
After World War II, the German inhabitants were expelled.
Manuscript affair
On 16 September 1817, Václav Hanka allegedly discovered a manuscript appearing to be from the 13th century in the tower of a local church. The Manuscript of Dvůr Kralové, probably in fact created by Hanka, was intended to help Czech patriots in the struggle against German culture. Although it has been proved to be most likely a counterfeit, it became an important part of the country's history.
From Wikipedia’s article on Dvůr Králové nad Labem, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4