Raspenava

Raspenava
Raspenava
Town
	View of Raspenava
	Coat of arms
	Raspenava Location in the Czech Republic
	Coordinates: 50°54′15″N 15°6′53″E / 50.90417°N 15.11472°E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Liberec
District	Liberec
First mentioned	1343
Government
• Mayor	Josef Málek
Area
• Total	41.28 km2 (15.94 sq mi)
Elevation	331 m (1,086 ft)
Population (2024-01-01)
• Total	2,849
• Density	69/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	463 61
Website	raspenava.cz

Raspenava (Czech pronunciation: [ˈraspɛnava]; German: Raspenau) is a town in Liberec District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants.

Etymology

The original German name Raspenau was derived from the personal name Raspe and meant "Raspe's floodplain". The Czech name was created by transliteration of the German one.^[2]

Geography

Raspenava is located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of Liberec, in a salient region of Frýdlant Hook. It lies mostly in the Frýdlant Hills. The southern part of the municipal territory extends into the Jizera Mountains and includes the highest point of Raspenava, located below the top of the Poledník mountain at 858 m (2,815 ft) above sea level. The Smědá River flows through the town.

Two thirds of the territory are situated in the Jizerské hory Protected Landscape Area. Half of the Czech part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site named Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe is situated in the southernmost part of the territory of Raspenava.

History

The first written mention of Raspenava is from 1343. The village was located on the left bank of the Smědá River, and there were several small hamlets on the right bank. Raspenava was originally an agricultural village, but its character began to change in the 16th century. In 1512, a hammer mill was built here, and later an ironworks and a lime factory were established.^[3]

In 1962, the settlements were merged into the town of Raspenava.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1869	4,012	—
1880	4,179	+4.2%
1890	4,266	+2.1%
1900	4,647	+8.9%
1910	4,764	+2.5%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	4,262	−10.5%
1930	4,359	+2.3%
1950	3,012	−30.9%
1961	3,197	+6.1%
1970	3,106	−2.8%

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	2,963	−4.6%
1991	2,708	−8.6%
2001	2,847	+5.1%
2011	2,801	−1.6%
2021	2,730	−2.5%

Source: Censuses^[4]^[5]

Transport

Raspenava is located on the railway lines heading from Liberec to Jindřichovice pod Smrkem and to Černousy, and is the starting point of a short line of local importance to Bílý Potok.^[6]