Milovice (Nymburk District)

Milovice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɪlovɪtsɛ]; German: Milowitz) is a town in the Czech Republic in the Nymburk District located about 38 kilometres (24 mi) northeast of Prague. The population in 2019 was 11,834 people and with average age of 33,7 years it was one of the youngest towns in the Czech Republic and the youngest town in category over 10,000 inhabitants.[1]

Milovice
Town
Church of Saint Catherine
Flag
Coat of arms
Milovice
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°13′44″N 14°53′26″E
CountryCzech Republic
RegionCentral Bohemian
DistrictNymburk
First mentioned1396
Government
 • MayorLukáš Pilc (ODS)
Area
 • Total31.19 km2 (12.04 sq mi)
Elevation
221 m (725 ft)
Population
 (2019-01-01)[1]
 • Total11,834
 • Density380/km2 (980/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
289 23 - 289 24
Websitewww.mesto-milovice.cz

The village was first mentioned in 1396. Nowadays, the town Milovice belongs to the fastest growing suburban areas in the Czech Republic mainly thanks to cheap accommodation left by the Soviet Army.[2]

In January 2015, a group of 14 Exmoor ponies were moved from Exmoor National Park to Milovice Nature Reserve in an effort to save the biodiversity of the location through conservation grazing.[3]

Military base

The first military base was founded by the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1904. During World War I, there was a prisoner camp of Russian and Italian soldiers, which has a military cemetery in town. After the War, the newly founded Czechoslovak Army started to use the camp as a main military base in Bohemia. During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the base served as a centre for German film propaganda, where fake footage from the Eastern Front was shot. In 1968 the base came under Soviet control, played an important role during the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, and became the headquarters for the CGF (Central Group of Forces) afterwards.[4] They built a massive airport and accommodation for about 100,000 Soviet soldiers and their relatives. The last of the troops left in 1991 and the base was abandoned in 1995.

Since 2015, Let It Roll festival is held at the former airfield for three days in August with roughly 25,000 attendees.[5]

  • Military camp in 1908
  • Soviet base in 1984
  • Airport hangar 2013
  • Abandoned building
  • Italian military cemetery
  • Exmoor pony

References
  1. "Population of municipalities of the Czech republic". Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  2. ČTK.cz (2014-03-18). "New science park in Milovice". ČTK. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  3. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/czechs-import-wild-horses-to-save-biodiversity/
  4. Roberts, James. "Close Air Support and the Soviet Threat". Heritage.org. Archived from the original on 2009-10-14. Retrieved 2012-04-06.
  5. Šmejdová, Ivana. "Na monstrózní festival Let It Roll neproklouzla bez akreditace ani myš". Nymburský deník. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.