Hradec Králové Region

The Hradec Králové Region is situated in North-East Bohemia. More than one-third of its boundary, a stretch of about 208 km, forms the Czech Republic’s state frontier with Poland. The Region consists of five districts – Hradec Králové, Jičín, Náchod, Rychnov nad Kněžnou, and Trutnov.

As regards the number and importance of natural assets, the Region is one of the richest in the Czech Republic. Many areas and localities are extremely valuable and there is a large number of protected areas. From the point of view of areas of natural beauty, the most valuable are the Krkonoše National Park and the Orlické hory Mountains, Broumov and Bohemian Paradise Protected Landscape Areas. The rich and varied natural and cultural wealth of the Hradec Králové Region, its attractive natural localities and the well-preserved environment are good prerequisites for the development of tourism. Especially attractive areas are those with a high natural potential, areas boasting a rich cultural heritage of historical sites, as well as several renowned spa resorts. To meet the requirements of the massive development of cyclotourism and its growing popularity in recent years, new cycle trails of regional and supraregional importance are being built and marked. Hiking trails, too, have a long tradition in most areas of the Hradec Králové Region. The Region also boasts several spa resorts, the most popular of which is Janské Lázně, known for the treatment of diseases and disorders of the nervous system, the motor system, and skin diseases. The spa town is also a well-known winter sport resort.

ECONOMIC POTENTIAL

The Hradec Králové Region can be characterised as being an agricultural and industrial area with well-developed tourism. Industry is primarily concentrated in towns, while agricultural production thrives on the land bordering the Labe River. From the sectoral point of view, employment is high in branches such as car making, manufacture of electrical equipment, engineering, textile production, healthcare, and the rubber and plastics sector. The main export items are products of the automotive and engineering industries and electrotechnical components. Exports are dominated by motor vehicle components and cars, which account for more than one-quarter of total exports. More than 3 % of total regional exports is accounted for by rotating electrical machines and parts thereof, ferrous products, circuit switching and breaking devices, pumps, cisterns, textiles, and rubber products. Sectors with the highest sums spent on research and development in the Region include Information Technologies (software development) and architectonic and engineering activities (development and construction of components for the automotive and engineering industries, development and supply of technological wholes for the chemical industry, power engineering, coke production, and food processing), which together account for more than 30 % of the expenses. This is followed by the manufacture of components and accessories for motor vehicles and their engines (especially braking and windshield wiping systems), research and development in the area of natural and technical sciences (breeding, textile materials, and biotechnologies), manufacture of other special purpose machines (printing machines, mining and building machines, machinery for pharmaceutical and food processing plants, and power generating equipment), manufacture of rubber products, medical devices, and other items. There are several clusters operating in the Region. The IT cluster in Hradec Králové focuses on the use of new information and communication technologies in the development of products manufactured by the cluster members, distributed backups, automatic control of the development of information systems, information systems’ safety and the housing server. The Hradec Králové TECHNOLOGICAL CENTRE participates in the realisation of projects financed from EU funds, the aim of which is to raise the level of education and competitiveness in the Region and, in particular, to facilitate students’ entry into professional life. Within the framework of these projects, the Technological Centre cooperates with recognised research and educational institutions in the Czech Republic (Hradec Králové University, Masaryk University, the Association of Scientific and Technical Parks). One of the firms having their seats in the Hradec Králové Region is Elceram, the only firm in the Czech Republic specialising in the manufacture of ceramic printed circuit boards and sensors. There are at most five such specialised companies in Europe. The manufacture of ceramic printed circuit boards is historically linked with the local Research Institute of Electroceramics. The firm is building on the tradition of the Czech-Japanese capital investment project, which used the experiences of the Tesla Hradec Králové company. Besides the electrical engineering industry, it also supplies its products to engineering firms and the auto motive sector. Ceramic printed circuit boards are used, for example, in ABS automobile units and ceramic components help to reinforce tank armour. Various projects are realised in the Technological Centre. For example, in 2020 the Czech company TRILAB was developing special shields there. Currently it is distributing a completely new model of protective shields, which greatly surpass shields printed on 3D

printers in price, compactness, protection, lightness, and comfort of use. The shield, named masq and made by vacuum pressing, can also be mass-produced. In comparison with typical Perspex shields and 3D alternatives the new shield protects its users from more sides, is comfortable to wear and can be adjusted to any shape of the face.

THE REGION AND THE EU

The European Union subsidises the development of Czech regions, and the Hradec Králové Region is no excepion. The money goes into local infrastruture and schools, as well as into private enterprises. The Hradec Králové Region knows how to draw funds from the EU and make good use of them, as can be seen, for example, on the condition of roads in the Region or the thermal insulation of school buildings and other institutions. EU money is also used to repair cultural structures, for example the Gayer Barracks, serving the Museum of East Bohemia as depository. Also financed with EU money is the extension of the building and the repair of its interior and exterior, modernisation of the depository, and the building of a barrier-free entrance into the building. The Barracks will house new restoration workshops, research laboratories and space for the public. The work is to be completed later this year. The Gayer Barracks, however, are certainly not the only cultural project to be reconstructed in Hradec Králové thanks to EU funds. The aim is to create a modern museum campus in the heart of Hradec Králové, and the Gayer Barracks will not be the only structure inside it: its neighbour will be the Vrbenský Barracks complex. Another project to be supported with EU money is the Všestary Archaeological Park. The park is designed so as to acquaint visitors with life in prehistoric times using an interactive and illustrative form. Different programmes are arranged to bring the Park back to life, such as Days of Live Archaeology and Creative Workshops, even on ordinary visiting days. The building of the museum and the prehistoric village are designed in a way to suit all age categories, individuals and school excursions. The Všestary Archaeological Park is the outcome of cooperation of the Hradec Králové Experimental Archaeology Company, the Hradec Králové Region and the Hradec Králové University. EU money was also used to support the construction of a new, digital planetarium in Hradec Králové, replacing the original planetarium, built in 1957. The new planetarium covers a surface area of 818 sq. m. The projection screen in the shape of a hemisphere comprises a digital all-sky system and an additional projection system. The interactive thematic exposition visualises the structure and functioning of the universe, with interactive exhibits demonstrating the most important physical phenomena and their manifestation in natural processes. A subsidy of nearly half a billion Czech crowns obtained from EU funds made it possible to reconstruct a real pearl of Baroque architecture, the Kuks Hospital national cultural monument, opened in 2015. The dominant structure of the Baroque complex of the patron of arts, count František Antonín Špork, is famous for its statues of Virtues and Vices by Mathias Bernard Braun, one of the greatest European Baroque sculptors. This historical monument regained

Adršpašské skály Rocks

its luster and found its new use thanks to a grant from the Integrated Operational Programme. An interesting Czech-Polish cooperation project is Aqua Mineralis Glacensis, realised by four partners, Náchod, Kudova-Zdroj, Hronov, and Duszniky-Zdroj financed from EU funds. The objective of the project was the creation of a Czech-Polish spa trail and the propagation of the unique local mineral waters. Another example of cooperation is the Czech-Polish ridge trail Hřebenovka highlighting the natural and cultural wealth of the border areas of the Hradec Králové, Liberec, Pardubice, and Olomouc Regions and the Lower Silesia Vojvodeship. The aim of the project is the renewal of the historical hiking trail with several border crossings. The strategic project of the Czech, Moravian and Kladsko – Glacensis Euroregion, named Secrets of the Military Undergrounds, was completed in 2019. Its aim was the broadening of Czech-Polish cross-border cooperation, support of tourism and, mainly, restoring the fortress to its original state and the opening of new expositions. In 2021, the Glacensis Euroregion marks twenty-five years of its existence. The association brings together the territories of the Hradec Králové, Pardubice, and a part of the Olomouc Regions on the Czech side and the Lower Silesian Voivodeship on the other side. The Euroregion finances its projects mainly through the Czech-Polish cross-border cooperation programme subsidised from EU funds. The Secrets of the Military Undergrounds project took advantage of the cultural heritage using the remains of the military structures of the 1930s and 1940s. The project made possible the reconstruction of several structures and their opening to the public. On the Czech side this included the artillery cabin of the Hanička u Rokytnice fortress and the Stachelberg u Turnova fortress. In terms of the cubic capacity of concrete used the interior of the Hanička artillery cabin is the largest fortress structure of the Czechoslovak pre-war fortification system. Within the EU, the Region cooperates mainly with the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland and the Banská Bystrica self-governing region in Slovakia.

USEFUL CONTACTS: Regional Office of the Hradec Králové Region – www.kr-kralovehradecky.cz Hradec Králové Technological Centre – www.tchk.cz University of Hradec Králové – www.uhk.cz Regional Development Agency of the Hradec Králové Region – www.cep-rra.cz Regional Chamber of Commerce – North-East Bohemia – www.rhkhradec.cz Hradec Králové City Authority – www.hradeckralove.org Glacensis Euroregion – www.euro-glacensis.cz