ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA	CZECH REPUBLIC
Královéhradecký kraj	Hradec Králové region
Okres: Jičín

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Sobotka is situated at an elevation of 305 m in the district (okres) Jičín of the Hradec Králové region of northeastern Bohemia. The municipality has a population of about 2,400 and besides Sobotka proper also comprises the villages (in parentheses former German names) Cálovice (Tschalowitz), Kdanice (Kdanitz), Lavice (Lawitz), Spyšova (Spischow), Stankova Lhota (Staniek Lhota), Stéblovice (Steblowitz), Trní (Tern) und Zajakury (Sajakur).

The first written document mentioning Sobotka dates from 1323. In 1498 it was awarded a city charter, which permitted it to build a town wall and to hold markets. Sobotka suffered heavily durng the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) when it was occupied by the Swedes in 1639. Two large fires hit the town in 1712 and 1746.

The deanery church of Mary Magdalene [left, no. 3153: background left] was built in 1590–1596 in late Gothic style to replace an earlier wooden church. The church tower was added during the Renaissance period. The church was remodeled in Baroque style in 1710. In 1828 the tower was lowered, and in 1885 the old wooden ceiling collapsed. In 1936–1940 the vaulting was rebuilt in reinforced concrete.

The Humprecht castle [left, no. 3153: background right, and right, no. 3672: top right picture] on a hill above Sobotka was built in 1666–1668 as a summer residence for Humprecht Jan Czernin of Chudenice, the imperial ambassador in Venice. The architect Carlo Lurago designed it as a paraphrase of the Galata Tower in Constantinople. After a fire in 1678 the castle was completed by Francesco Ceresol. In 1829, a golden crescent was placed on top instead of the original cross. Later, the acstle fell into disrepair, but was restored properly in the 1970s. The castle has a remarkable axial banquet hall with an elliptical layout, 16 meters high, which has a special acoustics and therefore is often used for concerts and weddings.

The old town hall [right, no. 3672: bottom picture] goes back to the 16th century: the ground floor parts date from 1560. In 1808–1847 it remodeled im Empire style. The clock in the turret was added in 1865.

Glass no. 3670 [right] also shows a view of Kost castle [right no. 3672: top left picture], a well-known tourist attraction located about 4 km northwest of Sobotka.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobotka, https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobotka; https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humprecht]