Kladruby nad Labem is a municipality and village in Pardubice District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known as the home of the Kladruber horse breed. The village with the surrounding landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Administrative parts

The villages of Bílé Vchynice, Kolesa and Komárov are administrative parts of Kladruby nad Labem.

Etymology

The name Kladruby is a common Czech name of settlements, derived from kláda (i.e. 'log') and rubat (i.e. 'to chop'). This name was used for settlements where lumberjacks lived.

Geography

Kladruby nad Labem is located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Pardubice. It lies in a flat landscape of the East Elbe Table, in the Polabí region. The Elbe River forms the southern municipal border. The stream of Strašovský potok flows through the municipality.

History

The first written mention of Kladruby nad Labem is from 1295, when it was a property of the Premonstratensian monastery at Litomyšl. During the second half of the 14th century, it came into the possession of the Cistercian Sedlec Abbey near Kutná Hora. In 1500, the village was acquired by Vilém II of Pernštejn, who already owned large parts of the Pardubice region. Kladruby remained in possession of the Pernštejn family until 1560, when it was purchased by Emperor Ferdinand I from his master of the horse, Jaroslav of Pernštejn.

In 1579, Emperor Rudolf II established the Imperial Stud at Kladruby, from which Spanish-blood horses were bred for ceremonial purposes.

Following the fall of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the stud farm at Kladruby came under state administration.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 933 —     1880 983 +5.4% 1890 949 −3.5% 1900 997 +5.1% 1910 1,122 +12.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,105 −1.5% 1930 999 −9.6% 1950 817 −18.2% 1961 816 −0.1% 1970 764 −6.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 807 +5.6% 1991 777 −3.7% 2001 660 −15.1% 2011 644 −2.4% 2021 621 −3.6%
Source: Censuses

Transport

There are no railways on major roads running through the municipality.

Sights

On 6 July 2019, the Landscape for Breeding and Training of Ceremonial Carriage Horses at Kladruby nad Labem was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site includes the villages of Kladruby nad Labem and Selmice, the Imperial Stud Farm, and the surrounding farmsteads, gardens, pastures, and watercourses. The landscape was uniquely designed in the 16th and 17th centuries to effectively breed and train the Kladruber horses. In addition, the area demonstrates an outstanding example of the ferme ornée style of landscape architecture made popular in the 18th century.

Notable people

• Gottlieb Polak (1883–1942), horse rider