The story
In the 5th and 6th century, many Slavic tribes lived here and the tribe of Pšovans created its main settlement in Mělník. Saint Ludmila (the grandmother of Saint Wenceslaus), who married the Bohemian prince Bořivoj I, belonged to this tribe. Coins of the princess Emma, who died in 1005 or 1006, are the first demonstration of the existence of Mělník. In November 1274, Mělník gained the status of town from King Ottokar II and later became a dowry town belonging to queens of Bohemia.
In 1449, the town gained the right to decide on its own affairs, through councilors headed by the mayor. The town gained fame in the first half of the 16th century thanks to viticulture, the origins of which date back to the end of the 9th century, but the preconditions for its real development were created only by Charles IV, who brought vines from Burgundy to Mělník.
The town suffered from the events of the Thirty Years' War. Mělník became moderately involved in the Bohemian Revolt (1618–1620), and was punished by confiscation of property and gradual re-Catholicisation. In 1628, its population was predominantly Catholic. Mělník had to deal with enemy military incursions, especially the Saxons and the Swedes; it was also affected by devastating fires (1646, 1652, 1681) and by plague. The church, castle and town hall were damaged.
The wars in the 18th century brought considerable damage to the town, but it was most affected by the fire in 1765, which destroyed 42 houses including the town hall and Capuchin monastery. It was followed by another stage of the Baroque transformation of the town.
In 1850, Mělník became a district town. In 1869, a sugar factory was established, for a long time the only industrial company in the town. In 1874 a railway line was brought to Mělník, which helped its economic development. In 1888 a bridge over the Elbe was built, and at the end of the 19th century a transhipment depot was built, the basis of the later port.
From Wikipedia’s article on Mělník, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4