30 July: Kladno - The home of a Hero

PROLOGUE The word "Kladno" is as common a word as "car" for those hockey fans worshipping Czech star player Jaromir Jagr. All these people know that Kladno is the home of their beloved hero, but despite of the huge number of Jagr fans all over the world, very few of them now more than just the name of this medium-sized town just outside Prague. Even less fans have visited the place. People visited and still visits the hometown of the greatest rock star of all times, Elvis Presley's Memphis. But it does seem like Kladno is too far away (at least for the American Jagr fans) to become a hockey star's Mecka. A couple of months ago I was lucky to be able to visit the Czech Republic and the capital Prague. I didn't though visit Kladno, as I was there with my school class and we were busy all the time. A big shame for me of course. But strolling around at the narrow streets of Prague, I could almost feel the smell of the Kladno mines just west of town. I could also almost hear a young Jagr skating around somewhere in Kladno training his incredible stickhandling with his childhood friends. With this wonderful trip and lots of experience behind me, I was full of inspiration to write this article about: Kladno - the home of a Hero. THE HISTORY OF KLADNO The first written evidence of Kladno dates back to the 14th century. At that time it was only a small village. During the end of hte 14th century, Kladno was promoted to a townlet and was given the priviledge to use its own coat of arms - a blue escutcheon bearing both the half of a silver eagle and the lynx in natural colour. Around 1850, Kladno was transformed from an agricultural townlet into one of Bohemia's most important industrial regions as coal and iron mining appeared. The industrialisation started a boom of the town and the population was multiplied in a short period of time, mainly because of the need of labour force. The sharp population growth resulted in that Kladno was promoted to town in 1870, and in 1898 Kladno was awarded the honorable title of royal mining town. In 1914 the town's coat of arms was compemented with crossed silver hammers wreathed by a golder ribbon - all symbols of mining. In the 1890s Kladno gradually acquired the character of a modern town, mainly by the construction of its infrastructure and a number of public buildings. The wealth of the town continued until the Nazi occupation in 1939. Kladno was badly affected by the war. Members of the municipal authorities were removed and imprisoned, and Kladno gestapo played a big role in the plunder of Lidice and its complete destruction. During the war the territory of Kladno also grew a lot, with neighbouring communities joining the town. After the war there were unfortunately some illegitimacies of the communist regime in Kladno. On August 21st 1968 Kladno was occupied again (last time was in the WW II), this time by Soviet's Red Army. During this time, the importancy infrastructure and environment were unfortunately forgotten as everywhere else in the Soviet occupied countries. However, some important facilities for sporting, cultural and leisure activities were built during this period (without which we probably wouldn't all be Jagr fans today). Now Kladno is part of the Czhech Republic democratic society once again, as the communists have left the town, and things are getting back to normal again. KLADNO TODAY Kladno is the biggest town in the Central Bohemia Region, situated just outside Prague. In the Czech Republic, Kladno is still intimely connected with the word "black city". People have an image of the town as a city with heavy industries (iron and steel works, coal mines) having negative impact on the town itself and its inhabitants in terms of heavy pollution etcetera. This isn't true anymore. Today Kladno is a city with the standards like those of advanced European cities. The environmental conditions are surprisingly high, and there are more than enough of beautiful historical buildings, for instance baroque monuments in the downtown. The town's transportation system is good. Kladno has its own railway station and is situated close to the internation airport Prague-Ruzynì. Kladno has also got its share of high schools, colleges, sport facilities, accomodation and cultural centres.

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