Velim (Kolín District)

Velim
Municipality
Centre of Velim
Flag Coat of arms
Velim Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°3′35″N 15°11′11″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Central Bohemian
District	Kolín
First mentioned	1323
Area
• Total	15.72 km^2 (6.07 sq mi)
Elevation	203 m (666 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	2,232
• Density	140/km^2 (370/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	281 01
Website	www.velim.cz

Velim is a municipality and village in Kolín District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,200 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The village of Vítězov is an administrative part of Velim.

Etymology

The oldest name of the village was Velyně. It was derived from the personal name Vela, meaning "Vela's hamlet". In the second half of the 14th century, the name was distorted to Velim and this form then completely prevailed.[2]

Geography

Velim is located about 7 kilometres (4 mi) northwest of Kolín and 40 km (25 mi) east of Prague. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape in the Central Elbe Table.

History

The first written mention of Velim is in a deed of King John of Bohemia from 1323. According to legend, Velim was first mentioned in 999, when Duke Boleslaus II donated the area to his son Oldřich. The railway was built in 1843. The construction of the railway started the development of the village and industrialization.[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,419 —     1880 1,821 +28.3% 1890 1,962 +7.7% 1900 2,170 +10.6% 1910 2,392 +10.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 2,395 +0.1% 1930 2,425 +1.3% 1950 2,306 −4.9% 1961 2,392 +3.7% 1970 2,243 −6.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 2,040 −9.1% 1991 1,879 −7.9% 2001 1,985 +5.6% 2011 2,108 +6.2% 2021 2,238 +6.2%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Economy

Velim is known for the Velim test centre, a railway rolling stock testing facility operated by VUZ (Railway Research Institute).[6]

Transport

Velim is located on the Prague–Kolín railway line.[7]

Sights

Evangelical church

The main landmarks of Velim are the two churches. The Church of Saint Lawrence was built in the Gothic style in the 13th century and rebuilt in the Baroque style in the mid-18th century. Next to the church is a separate bell tower, built in 1767.[8]

The Evangelical church was built at the end of the 18th century and rebuilt into its current form in 1852.[9]

Notable people

• Stanislava Součková (1923–1997), operatic soprano
• Vladimír Karbusický (1925–2002), musicologist and folklorist
• Jaroslav Souček (1935–2006), operatic baritone

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). p. 495.
3. "Územní plán Velim" (PDF) (in Czech). Obec Velim. August 2011. pp. 53–54. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
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. "VUZ test centre Velim". Výzkumný Ústav Železniční. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
7. "Detail stanice Velim" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
8. "Kostel sv. Vavřince" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
9. "Evangelický kostel" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-03-22.

External links

• Official website