Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation.
Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec consists of 14 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
The Czech word hradec is a diminutive of hrad, i.e. 'castle'. Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec ("Jindà Âich's small castle") was named after its founder, nobleman Jindà Âich I VÃÂtkovec.
Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec is located about northeast of ÃÂeské BudÃÂjovice. It lies in the Kà Âemeà ¡nÃÂk Highlands. The highest point is the hill Rýdà ¯v kopec at above sea level.
The town is situated at the confluence of the Neà ¾Ã¡rka River and the stream Hamerský potok, and on the shore of the fishpond Vajgar (built on the Hamerský potok), which is one of the symbols of the town. It is a large pond established in 1399. There is a significant amount of other fishponds in the municipal territory.
The predecessor of today's town was a Slavic gord. The first written mention of Hradec is from 1220, when a Gothic castle was built on the site of the former gord by the owner of the estate, Jindà Âich I VÃÂtkovec (founder of the line of lords of Hradec). In the mid-13th century, a settlement was founded by the castle and named after the founder of the castle. The current name Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec is documented first in 1410.
In the late 16th century, when Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec was owned by the last members of the Hradec family, the town has reached the peak of its development. The houses and the castle were rebuilt from Gothic into the Renaissance style, and the town spread beyond the town walls. After the Thirty Years' War, in 1654, Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec was the second largest town in the Kingdom of Bohemia with 405 houses. Soon after, however, it lost its political importance, and at the end of the 17th century, economic importance also declined.
In 1773 and 1801 respectively, the town was damaged by large fires and many houses have undergone building modifications. Part of the town walls was demolished and a new large park was established on the border between Old Town and New Town. In 1887, the town was connected by railway with Veselànad Luà ¾nicàand Jihlava.
The town's economy is focused mainly on services. The largest employer in the town is the hospital. The largest industrial companies are DK Open (food producer) and Pollmann CZ (manufacturer of car parts), both employing more than 250 people.
Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec is located at the crossroads of two main roads, which are parts of the European route E551: the I/23, which connects the South Bohemian Region with Brno, and the I/34 from ÃÂeské BudÃÂjovice to HavlÃÂÃÂkà ¯v Brod and Svitavy.
Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec lies on the railway line from Plzeà  to HornàCerekev via ÃÂeské BudÃÂjovice. There is also a narrow-gauge railway leading from Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec to Nová Bystà Âice and another one to Obrataà Â, used to be operated by Jindà Âichohradecké mÃÂstnàdráhy company and serving mostly as a tourist attraction.
A gymnasium, today known as Gymnázium VitÃÂzslava Nováka, was founded in 1595, making it one of the oldest non-university schools in Central Europe.
The town's basketball club is GBA Lions Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec. It played in the National Basketball League until 2018.
The historic centre of Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec is formed by the MÃÂru Square with adjacent streets and the castle. The landmarks of the square are the former Gothic town hall, rebuilt several times; and Langer's house, originally a Gothic building, later rebuilt in the Renaissance style.
The town castle and palace is the third largest in the country after those in Prague and ÃÂeský Krumlov. It covers nearly .
The regional museum is located in a Renaissance building that was once the Jesuit seminary. It appeared in the town in 1882 and is one of the oldest regional museums in Bohemia. The most well-known item in the museum is the Krýza's crèche, the largest mechanical nativity scene in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
There are several churches in the town, the most notable are the three in the historic centre: Church of Saint John the Baptist with the nearby building that once housed Minorite monks and was later an infirmary, Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, and Church of Ascension of the Virgin Mary. The Church of Ascension of the Virgin Mary is known for its tall tower open to the public, and for marked 15ð meridian that passes through the courtyard of the church.
Other churches include Church of Saint Catherine with a Franciscan monastery, Church of the Holy Trinity, Church of Saint James the Great, Church of Saint Wenceslaus, Evangelical church, and former Church of Saint Elizabeth.
The Jewish cemetery was founded around 1400. The oldest preserved tombstone is from 1638.
Jindà Âichà ¯v Hradec is twinned with: