KONIGGRATZ (

See also:

• CZECH (in Bohemian, Cech)

Czech, Hradec Kralove)  , a town and episcopal see of Bohemia, Austria, 74 M . E. of Prague by rail . Pop . (1900), 9773, mostly Czech . It is situated in the centre of a very fertile region called the " Golden Road," and contains many buildings of historical and architectural interest . The cathedral was founded in 1303 by Elizabeth, wife of Wenceslaus II; and the church of St John, built in 1710, stands on the ruins of the old castle . The industries include the manufacture of musical instruments, machinery, colours, and carton-Pierre, as well as gloves and wax candles . The original name of Koniggratz, one of the oldest settlements in Bohemia, was Chlumec Dobroslaysky; the name Hradec, or " the Castle," was given to it when it became the seat of a count, and Kralove," of the queen " (Ger . Konigin), was prefixed when it became one of the dower towns of the queen of Wenceslaus II., Elizabeth of Poland, who lived here for thirty years . It remained a dower town till 162o . Koniggratz was the first of the towns to declare for the national cause during the Hussite wars . After the battle of the White Mountain (162o) a large part of the Protestant population left the place .

In 1639 the town was occupied for eight months by the Swedes . Several churches and convents were pulled down to make way for the fortifications erected under

Joseph II . The fortress was finally dismantled in 1884 . Near Koniggratz took place, on the 3rd of July 1866, the decisive battle (formerly called Sadowa) of the Austro-Prussian war (see SEVEN WEEKS' WAR) .