Mladá Boleslav


Mladá Boleslav is a statutory city in the north of the Czech Republic, on the left bank of the Jizera river about northeast of Prague. It is the second biggest city in the Central Bohemian Region and a major centre of the Czech automotive industry. The city name abbreviation MB became eponymous for colloquial naming of Škoda cars as "embé".

History

Founded in the second half of the 10th century by King Boleslav II as a royal castle. Because there already was a castle known as Boleslav near Prague, this new castle was named Mladá to distinguish it from the older Boleslav, which became known in the 15th century as Stará Boleslav. The town received partial city rights in 1334 and 1436, becoming an important site on the road from Prague to northern Bohemia, Lusatia, and Brandenburg. In the 16th century the city was a leading centre of the Unitas Fratrum / Unity of the Brethren / Moravian Church, hosting the Brethren's bishop, Renaissance church, and printing house. After being re-catholicized in the 17th century, the city's population declined.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Mladá Boleslav was an important Jewish center. In the 19th century, Mladá Boleslav was dubbed "Jerusalem on Jizera". 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 19th century new prosperity came: the city became an important regional centre as new schools, theatres, museums, and the Laurin & Klement automobile factory were founded. Since the 1990s the factory has made it one of the richest and most prosperous Czech cities.

Sights

Mladá Boleslav is twinned with:
The local football team FK Mladá Boleslav has played in the top national division since 2004. They were runners-up in 2005–06, have been Czech Cup winners twice and have qualified for the UEFA Cup and Europa League nine times, beating such opponents as Olympique de Marseille 4–3 on aggregate in 2006 and US Citta di Palermo 2–1 on aggregate in 2007.
The local ice hockey team BK Mladá Boleslav, was relegated in 2012 from the Extraliga, but quickly returned in 2014. The town also has one of the Czech Republic's top floorball teams, national champions 2017–18.