Úpice - Official website  

We don’t exactly know in which year the original guard settlement of Úpice was established. The location of this settlement, at the ford or Radečka and Úpa rivers, was a strategic point for patrolling the trade path called „Kladská trhovka“. This path ran from Náchod, trough Hronov and Rtyně and headed towards Dvůr Králové. Nearby from Úpice, in Batňovice, from this path split off „Svidnická path“ which went across Jestřebí mountains up to the north.

The strategic importance of the settlement in Úpice is also expressed in the myth about the defeat of the Tartaric invasion in 1421. This myth is known as „The Tale of the Knights of Úpice“. It is very probable that Úpice is older than a castle above Havlovice, built in 1279 by Tas of Havlovice. The settlement of Úpice, later a town was naturally connected with this „Vizburg“ castle till its ruining in 1447. The town of Úpice was joined to Náchod estate at that time.

Úpice was the only town of Vizmburg estate and as a such it was generously granted many privileges like the right of brewing, executing or organizing markets etc. In the period of the Hussite wars was Úpice loyal to the Hussites. It was the reason for two invasions of Catholic Silasians during which the town was burned down, years 1421 and 1425.

The first school was built in 1604. In 1625 was the town affected by a big fire. The Church and 16 houses were destroyed. During the Thirty Year War the town was three times attackted by Swedes. It was not the last experience with an army, there were also Austrian and Prussian armies camping here their combat the heritage og Silesia, around 1745. It seems that the army headquarters were somehow keen on camping in Ú pice, as the Prussian army camped here once again in the new war of 1866. It was the army of the Roayal Prince Friedrich Wilhelm.

Very important period began in the second half of the 19 th century as the rapid industrial development reached Úpice. It was thank to the Jewish families of Morawetz, Buxbaum and Oberlender. Their factories were of textile and machine industries.

Nowadays there are almost six thousand inhabitants living in Úpice. The previous industrial boom is gone now so the largest companies here are Juta, Maratonstav, Tonava or KPM.

The town of Úpice is proud of having the honor to be the home city of the Čapek’s family. Worldwide known writer Karel Čapek and his brother, painter and writer Josef Čapek attended the elementary school here and their childhood spent in the picturesque beauty of the local area as well as local people of their time used to be important sources of invention for many of their works. Another famous painter born here was Julie Winterová Mezerová. There is an art exhibition of her paintings in the old town hall, nowadays museum on the square of T.G.M.

Úpice have always been full of cultural life thanks to many civic societies as the amateur theatricals, musical bands, sport teams or unions i.e. Sokol, Sparta, etc. Special distinction here is the observatory which since 1959 have been working on the research of the sun, solar activity and how it affects the human organism and the biosphere. 

	The old town hall The early baroque one-story building from 1678. It was build by Kašpar Klopt of Hradec Králové and Martin Kocian of Úpice. Nowadays there is an art gallery of the acadamic painter J.W.Mezerová and a museum.
	The Church of St. Jakub
	The theatre of Alois Jirásek. It was built in 1937-38 according to the project of J.Záruba. In the 1970s and 1980s it was competely rebuilt and modernized.
	The house Nr. 265. It was built for the Čapek family in 1889-1890.