Zápy is a market town in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants.

Etymology

The name Zápy has a pre-Slavic origin and its meaning is unclear. It may be derived from the Illyrian word sapua ('suddenly'), associated with the Old Russian words zapa, zaapa ('expectation', 'hope'), associated with the grass species Phlomoides tuberosa (sápa hlíznatá in modern Czech) or associated with the expression that is used in Slavic languages for 'to shout loudly' (zípati in old Czech).

Geography

Zápy is located about 11 km northeast of Prague. It lies in the Central Elbe Table, in a flat agricultural landscape of the Polabí region. The Elbe River briefly forms the northern municipal border.

History

The first written mention of Zápy is from 1052. It was first referred to as a market town in 1543. From 1964 to 1990, it was an administrative part of Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav. Since 1990, it has been a separate municipality.

Demographics

Transport

The D10 motorway from Prague to Turnov runs through the municipal territory.

Sport

Zápy is home to a football club SK Zápy, which plays in the Bohemian Football League (third tier of the Czech football system). Zápy is the least populated Czech municipality with a football club on such as level.

Sights

The main landmark of Zápy is the Church of Saint James the Great. It was built in the Baroque style in the 18th century, probably according to the design by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. Next to the church is a separate Renaissance bell tower. A cultural monument is the ruin of the former Gothic fortress. Only the cellars, the torso of the palace and a fragment of the tower have survived to this day.

Notable people