Želízy

Želízy
Municipality
Centre of Želízy with the primary school
Flag Coat of arms
Želízy Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°25′26″N 14°27′53″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Central Bohemian
District	Mělník
First mentioned	1360
Area
• Total	11.07 km^2 (4.27 sq mi)
Elevation	180 m (590 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	520
• Density	47/km^2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	277 21
Website	www.obeczelizy.cz

Želízy (German: Schelesen) is a municipality and village in Mělník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The villages of Nové Tupadly and Sitné are administrative parts of Želízy.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Czech word železo, i.e. 'iron'.[2]

Geography

Želízy is located about 7 kilometres (4 mi) north of Mělník and 34 km (21 mi) north of Prague. It lies in the Ralsko Uplands. The highest point is at 328 m (1,076 ft) above sea level. The Liběchovka Stream flows through the municipality. Most of the municipal territory lies in the Kokořínsko – Máchův kraj Protected Landscape Area.

History

The first written mention of Želízy is from 1360.[3]

In the 19th century, Želízy became a summer resort. In the interwar period it was a popular resort destination visited by hundreds of guests, especially by German-speaking Jews of Prague, including Franz Kafka.[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 591 —     1880 603 +2.0% 1890 543 −10.0% 1900 527 −2.9% 1910 517 −1.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 561 +8.5% 1930 573 +2.1% 1950 570 −0.5% 1961 673 +18.1% 1970 625 −7.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 521 −16.6% 1991 461 −11.5% 2001 440 −4.6% 2011 483 +9.8% 2021 491 +1.7%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

The I/9 road (the section from Mělník to Česká Lípa) passes through the municipality.

Sights

The village of Sitné

Želízy is known for the Čertovy hlavy, sculptures from the first half of the 19th century carved in the sandstone above the village of Želízy.

Most of the village of Sitné is protected by law as a village monument zone for its set of folk architecture wooden houses from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.[6]

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. Profous, Antonín (1957). Místní jména v Čechách IV: S–Ž (in Czech). pp. 830–831.
3. "Historie" (in Czech). Obec Želízy. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
4. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
5. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
6. "Sitné" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-02-02.

External links

• Official website