Rudoltice is a municipality and village in the Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,000 inhabitants.

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Rudolt, meaning "the village of Rudolt's people".

Geography

Rudoltice is located about 15 km southeast of Ústí nad Orlicí and 57 km east of Pardubice. It lies in the Orlické Foothills. The highest point is a hill at 593 m above sea level. The Rudoltička Brook flows through the municipality. A set of three fishponds lies in the municipality on a tributary of the Rudoltička. A small part of the Lanškroun Ponds Nature Park lies in the northern part of the municipal territory.

History

Rudoltice was probably founded between 1250 and 1270, during the colonization of Bohemia initiated by the Ottokar II. The first written mention is from 21 May 1304 under the name Rudolfsdorf, when King Wenceslaus II donated it to the Zbraslav Monastery. Rudoltice belonged to Lanšperk-Lanškroun estate during the entire Middle Ages. The first known owners of Rudoltice were the lords of Drnholec. Since 1349, Rudoltice was a parish village. After the Battle of White Mountain in 1622, it was acquired by the Liechtenstein family. In 1643–1646, during the Thirty Years' War, the village was plundered by various armies.

Demographics

Transport

Rudoltice is located on the railway lines Česká Třebová–Zábřeh and Česká Třebová–Lanškroun.

Sights

The main landmark is the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1804–1809, when it replaced an old wooden church. The adjacent rectory was built in 1770–1794. A notable building is also the New Castle. The three-storey rectangular building is a torso of a larger castle, which was built for Hans-Adam I of Liechtenstein in 1700–1712.