Mlada Boleslav is situated in the northernmost part of Central Bohemia.
The name Mlada Boleslav (Later Boleslav) originates from a Christian prince, Boleslav II. A thousand years ago, Boleslav II founded a castle at the location where a battle between Christians and pagans had taken place. Prince Boleslav won the battle and as a sign of gratitude for the victory, he had the castle built in 983.
The first written reference to the town dates from 1052 when Prince Bretislav I donated the town to a newly established convent in Stara Boleslav (Old Boleslav). In the early 1400s the castle along with the town passed to the Lords of Michalovice who relocated its main part to a hill north of a castle called "Hrobi". The town soon became an economic and political centre of the Pojizeri area. The Lords of Michalovice had Mlada Boleslav until 1468 when the powerful family died out with the death of Jindrich of Michalovice.
Mlada Boleslav was then shortly owned by the Tovacov family of Cimburg and, after their extinction, by the Krajir family of Krajek. In the period of the ruling by the above families, Mlada Boleslav emerged as one of the most significant centres of
the Bohemian Brethren Church and the site of its bishops such as Lukas Prazsky and Jan Augusta. The Mlada Boleslav's crafts flourished during that time. A significant milestone of importance for the entire country was the foundation of a printing house by Lukas Prazsky, a Bohemian Brethren bishop.
The printing house produced precious, priceless books, including the Book of Praise (Kniha chval) and Gradual. After the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620, the town suffered the negative influence of counter-reformation, plague, the passing of military forces and repeated destructive fires until the late 19
th century. In 1648, the castle was partly destroyed and it wasn't repaired until a hundred years later. The town begun flourish in the 19
th century again. Important stimuli to its revival were the construction of a new road in 1825, the railway in 1864 and, in particular,
the factory Laurin and Klement in late nineties of the 19
th century. Mlada Boleslav provided many influential characters for the Czech culture and history. The local gymnasium was attended by many notable men, for instance Vaclav Jaromir Picek of Svijany, the author of songs today considered part of the national folklore heritage, playwright Frantisek Venceslav Jerabek, writer Jiri Mahen, historians Jaroslav Goll, J.V. Simak and Josef Pekar as well as archaeologist Josef Pice.
Mlada Boleslav has been the chief place of automobile production for several decades. The first steps to the automobile production were taken under the reign of Emperor Franz Josef I. (Francis Joseph) when, in 1895, mechanic Vaclav Laurin and bookseller Vaclav Klement established a bicycle repair shop in the house "At Hejtmanek's", then nicknamed "At the Seven Thieves'". Laurin and Klement had been equal partners in the business and the owners of the Laurin & Klement factory when in 1898 they produced their first bicycle and, in 1899 supplied the market with a then world-wide curiosity, a motorcycle with an electric ignition. The first Czech automobile came out of the factory in 1905 under the name LK. The first Czech tractor was manufactured here seven years later and the first aeroplane engine prior to World War I. In 1925, the Laurin & Klement factory became part of a strong concern,
Skoda's Enterprises, and became one of the leading automobile factories in Europe.
If you come to visit Mlada Boleslav's industrial and tourist centre, don't miss the tour of municipal landmarks. We recommend that you visit
the Mlada Boleslav's Castle, Old Town's Square (Staromsstske namesti) embraced by houses built on the remaining 14
th century archways and cross vaults, with Gothic influence. The most interesting buildings on the square are the Old Town Hall built in the 16
th century, presiding over the square, the Archdeacon's Office Building and the District Museum. Admirers of the late Gothic style should not miss the Archdeacon's Church of the Assumption of the Virgin located on the Old Town Square. Also the Temple dating from the 14
th century, the Church of Saint Havel, Church of Saint Bonaventura on Karmel, congregation of Bohemian Brethren, Archdeacon's Office Building (built in the Baroque style), Jewish Cemetery (the oldest part dates from the 15
th century), municipal Theatre and water tower in the Old Town are very attractive tourist places. The municipal Theatre was built in
the Art Noveau style according to a design by Vienna's architects, F. Fellner and M. Helmer. The forefront of the theatre is embellished by two groups of statues, "The National Awakening" and "The Victory of Art". Tragic masks, the symbols of theatre, were created by sculptors J. Vorel and J. Capek. North of Mlada Boleslav is a national reservation, Radouc. Radouc covers an area of almost 1.5 ha and it is the home to several unique plants and creatures.
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