Velim (Kolín District)

Municipality in Central Bohemian, Czech Republic

Flag

Coat of arms

50°3′35″N 15°11′11″E / 50.05972°N 15.18639°E / 50.05972; 15.18639Country

Czech RepublicRegionCentral BohemianDistrict KolínFirst mentioned1323Area

• Total15.72 km² (6.07 sq mi)Elevation

203 m (666 ft)Population

(2024-01-01)^[1]

• Total2,232 • Density140/km² (370/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code

281 01

Websitewww.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

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

^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
^ Profous, Antonín (1957). Místní jména v Čechách IV: S–Ž (in Czech). p. 495.
^ "Územní plán Velim" (PDF) (in Czech). Obec Velim. August 2011. pp. 53–54. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Kolín" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 11–12.
^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
^ "VUZ test centre Velim". Výzkumný Ústav Železniční. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
^ "Detail stanice Velim" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
^ "Kostel sv. Vavřince" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
^ "Evangelický kostel" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-03-22.