Kolín

Kolín is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic some 55km east from Prague, lying on the Elbe River.HistoryPtolemy's world map mentions Kolin - Budorgis in the 2nd century. In the 12th and 13th-century German settlers were called in after the Germans leaving west during Migration and the colonization by Slavs. Kolín was founded by king Přemysl Otakar II in the 13th century, first mentioned in 1261. Later on, 1437, a castle was founded here. Between 1475 and 1488, Hynek ze Strážnic, a Renaissance writer and son of King George of Poděbrady, lived in the Kolín Castle.The 1757 Battle of Kolin was fought during the Seven Years' War, and in 1944 a refinery in Kolin was bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II. Zyklon B for Nazi concentration camps was produced there.The historical centre of the town has many gothic and baroque buildings. Most notable are the main market (Karls Square), the Jewish ghetto and synagogue, the very old and large Jewish cemetery, and St. Bartholomeus Church from the 13th century (a work of the architect Peter Parler).