Hohenelbe
| Vrchlabí | |||
| Town | |||
 Vrchlabí Town Hall
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| Country | Czech Republic | ||
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| Region | Hradec Králové | ||
| District | Trutnov | ||
| Elevation | 477 m (1,565 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | 50°37′40″N 15°36′37″E / 50.62778°N 15.61028°ECoordinates: 50°37′40″N 15°36′37″E / 50.62778°N 15.61028°E | ||
| Area | 27.66 km2 (10.68 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 13,415 (As of 2006[update]) | ||
| Density | 485/km2 (1,256/sq mi) | ||
| First mentioned | 1359 | ||
| Mayor | Jan Sobotka | ||
| Postal code | 543 01 | ||
   Location in the Czech Republic
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| Website: www.muvrchlabi.cz | |||
Vrchlabí (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvr̩xlabiː]; German: Hohenelbe; Latin: Albipolis) is a Czech town in northern part of Hradec Králové Region, in the roots of the Krkonoše Mountains. It has about 13,000 inhabitants and it is situated at the upper part of the river Labe.
The history of Vrchlabí started with the settlement of the Krkonoše Mountains (the Giant Mountains) – the highest Czech mountain range. The name of the town is closely related with the location on the river Labe, the Latin Albipolis (Albi = Labe = The Elbe, Polis = City). The first settlement called Wrchlab was probably founded in 1300. The most significant person in the history of the town was Kryštof Gendorf. He was a mining expert and developed the town into one of the most important metallurgy centres. Many people from German speaking lands came to work and live to the town during his reign and brought in the Lutheran reformation faith, which spread quickly in the region, supported vividly by Gendorf himself. Vrchlabí also became a place of fairs at that time. Especially linen cloth was highly desired and it was exported into Italy or Spain.
Until 1918, the town was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austrian part after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867), head of the Hohenelbe district, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.
From 1938 to 1945 it was one of the municipalities in Sudetenland. The town has flourished economically since the Velvet Revolution in 1989 and has become an important tourist resort.
The town was a centre of metallurgy in the 15th century. In the 16th century textile was produced in the town. Manufacturing of organs was introduced into the town by the Tauchmann family. In 1876, winter sports started to develop in the region. An promoter of skiing was Guido Rotter, a local factory owner and the president of Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV). Nowadays, winter sports are one of the most profitable segments of the town economics, along with the tourist industry and car industry which is represented by the Škoda Auto factory.
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Wikipedia