Modlany Explained

Modlany
Settlement Type:Municipality
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Ústí nad Labem
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Teplice
Pushpin Map:Czech Republic
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates:50.6506°N 13.8956°W
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:1328
Area Total Km2:10.11
Elevation M:188
Population As Of:2024-01-01
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:1144
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset1:+1
Timezone1 Dst:CEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:417 13

Modlany (German: Modlan) is a municipality and village in Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The villages of Drahkov, Kvítkov, Suché and Věšťany are administrative parts of Modlany.

Etymology

The origin of the name is unsure. The name was either derived from the personal name Modla, meaning "the village of Modla's people", or from the word Czech: modla ('idol' in modern Czech, but in old Czech also 'a place designated for prayer'), meaning "the village of people living near a modla".[2]

Geography

Modlany is located about 4km (02miles) east of Teplice and 9km (06miles) west of Ústí nad Labem. The northern part of the municipality with the Modlany village lies in the Most Basin and the southern part with the rest of the villages lies in the Central Bohemian Uplands. The highest point is at 324m (1,063feet) above sea level. The stream Modlanský potok flows through the northern part of the municipality. The Modlany and Kateřina reservoirs, both partly located in the municipal territory, are built on the stream.

History

Modlany was founded in 1328. Originally it belonged to the Kyšperk Castle estate. In 1665, the village was acquired by the Society of Jesus, who founded a school here year later. In 1780, coal mining began and many shafts were created around the village.[3]

Žichlice was a village that was abandoned in 1988 because of expansion of coal mining. The area of the former village is now part of the municipality of Modlany.[4]

Transport

The R/63 expressway (part of the European route E442), which connects Teplice with the D8 motorway, briefly crosses the municipal territory in the south. Otherwise, there are no railways or other major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The most valuable building is the Church of Saint Apollinaris. It was built in 1687–1691.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024. Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
  2. Book: Profous, Antonín. Místní jména v Čechách III: M–Ř. 119. 1951. cs.
  3. Web site: Trochu z historie. Obec Modlany. cs. 2021-07-15.
  4. Web site: Žichlice. Obec Modlany. cs. 2020-08-18.