Mladá Boleslav

Early history

In the second half of the 10th century, a gord was founded by Duke Boleslaus II on the promontory above the confluence of the Jizera and Klenice rivers, in the area of today's historic centre. The first trustworthy written mention of the gord is from 1130, when it was also called Nová Boleslav ("New Boleslav") for the first time. Probably in the 11th century, a settlement was founded below the promontory in an area called Podolec, on an important site on the road from Prague to northern Bohemia, Lusatia and Brandenburg.

During the 13th century, the settlement in Podolec grew, acquired an urban character and even some privileges of the town. A new stone royal castle was built on top of the promontory next to the gord in the middle of the 13th century and the gord was abandoned. In 1318, Lords of Michalovice acquired Mladá Boleslav from King John of Bohemia. In 1334, the market village was moved to the area in front of the castle and was promoted to a town. From that time on, the town was called Mladá Boleslav.

15th–16th centuries

In the Hussite Wars, Mladá Boleslav adhered to the Taborites. In the mid-15th century, the town has about 2,000 inhabitants. Lords of Michalovice died out in 1468 and Mladá Boleslav was acquired by the Tovačovský of Cimburk family. Before the end of the 15th century, they left the desolated Minorite monastery to the Unity of the Brethren, which settled there and thus began the period of the town's greatest prosperity. At the beginning of the 16th century, Mladá Boleslav was inherited by the Krajíř of Krajek family. In the 16th century, Mladá Boleslav was a leading centre of the Unity of the Brethren, hosting the Brethren's bishop, a Renaissance church and a printing house. In 1518, the first map of Bohemia was printed by Mikuláš Klaudyán in Mladá Boleslav.

After death of Adam Krajíř of Krajek in 1588, Mladá Boleslav became property of the Hasištejnský branch of the Lobkowicz family. They invited a large Lutheran community from Germany to the city and thus began the Germanization of the city. In 1595, Mladá Boleslav became a free city. In 1600, Mladá Boleslav was promoted to a royal city by Emperor Rudolf II.

17th–20th centuries

At the beginning of the 17th century, Mladá Boleslav has about 3,100 inhabitants. During the Thirty Years' War in the first half of the 17th century, the city was twice burned, in 1631 by the imperialists, and in 1640 by the Swedish army. After the war, the city's population declined by 40% and the castle was in ruins. The castle remained unrestored for several decades and the city lost its former importance. Other disasters were the Silesian Wars and a large fire in 1761. A new stage of development and prosperity began only in 1784.

In the 19th century, new prosperity came: the city became an important regional centre as new schools, theatres, museums and factories (including the automobile factory Laurin & Klement, today Škoda Auto) were founded. Since the 1990s, the factory has made it one of the richest and most prosperous Czech cities.

Jewish community

The first written mention of the presence of Jewish community in Mladá Boleslav is from 1471. In 1634, Jacob Bassevi von Treuenberg, the first ennobled Jew in the Habsburg monarchy, was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Mladá Boleslav.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Mladá Boleslav (called Bumsla by Jews) was an important Jewish centre.

Mladá Boleslav consists of 13 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

The core municipal parts Mladá Boleslav I–IV are often referred to by their historical names: Staré Město ("Old Town"), Nové Město ("New Town"), Podolec and Pták.