Stráž pod Ralskem
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Stráž pod Ralskem
| other_name =
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline = Stráž pod Ralskem nám. 5. května 2.jpg
| image_caption = 5. května Square
| image_flag = Flag of Stráž pod Ralskem CZ.svg
| image_shield = Stráž pod Ralskem CoA CZ.svg
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{CZE}}
| subdivision_type1 = Region
| subdivision_name1 = Liberec
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = Česká Lípa
| image_map =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map = Czech Republic
| pushpin_relief = 1
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the Czech Republic
| coordinates = {{coord|50|42|10|N|14|48|4|E|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Zdeněk Hlinčík
| established_title = First mentioned
| established_date = 1283
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 21.58
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 310
| population_as_of = 2025-01-01
| population_footnotes = {{cite web|title=Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2025|url=https://csu.gov.cz/produkty/population-of-municipalities-t4l3n8d2iw|publisher=Czech Statistical Office|date=2025-05-16}}
| population_total = 3839
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone1 = CET
| utc_offset1 = +1
| timezone1_DST = CEST
| utc_offset1_DST = +2
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 471 27
| area_code_type =
| area_code =
| website = {{URL|https://www.strazpr.cz/}}
| footnotes =
}}
Stráž pod Ralskem (until 1946 Vartenberk; {{langx|de|Wartenberg (am Rollberg)}}) is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,800 inhabitants.
Etymology
The local castle was called Wartenberg (Warte auf Berge meant "guard on the hill" in German). Vartenberk was the Czech transcription of the name. The modern Czech name of the town Stráž means 'guard'; pod Ralskem refers to its location below Ralsko Mountain.{{cite web |title=Historie města|url=http://www.strazpr.cz/historie%2Dmesta/d-1219/p1=3393|publisher=Město Stráž pod Ralskem|language=cs|access-date=2021-07-30}}
Geography
Stráž pod Ralskem is located about {{convert|18|km}} east of Česká Lípa and {{convert|18|km|abbr=on}} southwest of Liberec. It lies in the Ralsko Uplands. The highest point is a nameless hill at {{convert|407|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level (the mountain of Ralsko is located outside the municipal territory).
The Ploučnice River flows through the town. The town lies on the shores of Stráž pod Ralskem Reservoir. It was built in 1911–1913 and is one of the oldest reservoirs in the country. The reservoir has an area of {{convert|75.5|ha|abbr=on}} and is used for fish farming and water sports. There are also several fishponds around the town.{{cite web |title=Vodní dílo Stráž pod Ralskem|url=https://www.poh.cz/vodni-dilo-straz-pod-ralskem/d-2614|publisher=Povodí Ohře|language=cs|access-date=2022-10-27}}
History
File:Stráž pod Ralskem zámek Vartenberk 3.jpg
The first written mention is from 1283, when a castle was built here. The castle and the settlement were called Wartenberg and their owners became known as the Wartenberg family. In 1504, the Wartenberg family sold the estate to Bartholomew Hirschpergar, who rebuilt the medieval Gothic castle into a comfortable aristocratic residence.
At the end of the 19th century, tourism began to develop and Stráž pod Ralskem turned into a resort. In 1963, uranium ore was found and tourism has partly given way to industrialization. The uranium ore mining ended in 1996.{{cite web |title=Těžba uranu: největší ekologická zátěž v kraji|url=https://ceskolipsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/tezba-uranu-nejvetsi-ekologicka-zatez-v-20110915.html|publisher=Deník.cz|language=cs|date=2011-09-15|access-date=2021-07-30}}
Demographics
{{historical populations
|align=none|cols=3
|1869|1661
|1880|1597
|1890|1384
|1900|1205
|1910|1117
|1921|1066
|1930|1061
|1950|869
|1961|756
|1970|898
|1980|2476
|1991|3873
|2001|4028
|2011|4522
|2021|4377
|source=Censuses{{cite web |title=Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011|url=https://csu.gov.cz/produkty/historicky-lexikon-obci-1869-az-2015|publisher=Czech Statistical Office|language=cs|date=2015-12-21}}{{cite web |title=Population Census 2021: Population by sex|url=https://vdb.czso.cz/vdbvo2/faces/en/index.jsf?page=vystup-objekt-parametry&z=T&f=TABULKA&sp=A&skupId=4429&katalog=33515&pvo=SLD21001-OB-OK|work=Public Database|publisher=Czech Statistical Office|date=2021-03-27}}}}
Economy
File:Stráž pod Ralskem 07.JPG in the town]]
Stráž pod Ralskem is known for its jailhouse. It was created in 1973 from the original hostels that were used for uranium mine workers. It employs around 300 people.{{cite web |title=Věznice Stráž pod Ralskem: Základní informace|url=https://www.vscr.cz/organizacni-jednotky/veznice-straz-pod-ralskem/sekce/zakladni-informace|publisher=Prison Service of the Czech Republic|language=cs|access-date=2022-10-27}}
Transport
There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.
Sights
The Church of Saint Sigismund was built in the late Baroque style in 1772–1779. It was built on the site of an old medieval church, first documented in 1363.{{cite web |title=Kostel sv. Zikmunda|url=https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/kostel-sv-zikmunda-16018643|publisher=National Heritage Institute|language=cs|access-date=2023-04-03}}
The Vartenberk Castle was rebuilt into its present Renaissance form in 1563. After it was damaged by a fire in 1987, it was reconstructed in 2006.{{cite web |title=Zámek Vartemberk|url=https://www.pamatkovykatalog.cz/zamek-vartemberk-16248276|publisher=National Heritage Institute|language=cs|access-date=2023-04-03}}
Notable people
- Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704), Czech-Austrian composer
- Anton von Jaksch (1810–1887), Czech-Austrian physician, rector of Charles University
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commonscat|Stráž pod Ralskem}}
- {{official|https://www.strazpr.cz/}}
{{Česká Lípa District}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Straz pod Ralskem}}