Horní Jelení is a town in Pardubice District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants.

The villages of Dolní Jelení and Rousínov are administrative parts of Horní Jelení.

Horní Jelení is located about 21 kilometres (13 mi) east of Pardubice. It lies in a flat landscape of the Orlice Table. The stream of Ředický potok flows through the town. The area is rich in brooks and small fishponds.

The first written mention of Horní Jelení is from 1472. It is a document that describes the division of property after the death of George of Poděbrady between his sons, and according to which Horní Jelení was part of the Litice estate, which fell to Boček IV of Poděbrady. In 1483, he gave the Litice estate to his brother Henry the Younger of Poděbrady. He fell into debt and sold the estate to the Pernštejn family in 1495. Vilém II of Pernštejn founded several fishponds around Horní Jelení. In 1555, Horní Jelení was promoted to a market town.

The Pernštejns sold Horní Jelení in 1556 to Ernest of Bavaria, but he immediately began to sell off the estate piece by piece. In 1573, Horní Jelení was acquired by the Bubna of Litice family, which owned it until 1790. In 1912, Emperor Franz Joseph I promoted Horní Jelení to a town.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,156 —     1880 2,190 +1.6% 1890 2,220 +1.4% 1900 2,112 −4.9% 1910 2,276 +7.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 2,340 +2.8% 1930 2,407 +2.9% 1950 1,956 −18.7% 1961 1,956 +0.0% 1970 1,837 −6.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,757 −4.4% 1991 1,508 −14.2% 2001 1,685 +11.7% 2011 1,942 +15.3% 2021 2,037 +4.9%
Source: Censuses

The I/36 road, which connects Pradubice with Rychnov nad Kněžnou District, runs along the northwestern municipal border.

The main landmark of Horní Jelení is the Church of the Holy Trinity. It is a valuable neo-Gothic church, built in 1864–1866. There are several Baroque statues in front of the church. Next to the church is a Baroque rectory from the 18th century.

• Karel Kaplan (1928–2023), historian

• Official website