STREDOCESKY

(Czech: Central Bohemia), kraj (region), north-central Czech Republic. It is bordered by Severocesk kraj on the north, Vchodocesk kraj on the east, Jihocesk kraj to the south, and Zpadocesk kraj to the west. Prague serves as the regional capital but is administered separately. The southern part of the region consists mostly of the northerly ranges of the Stredocesk Highlands and other uplands, while the north is composed of lowlands formed by the Labe (Elbe) and Vltava (Moldau) rivers, the two main drainage systems that meet south of Melnk. Corn (maize) for animal feed, sugar beets, wheat, barley, oats, alfalfa, potatoes, and clover are the main crops grown in the kraj; sugar beets, wheat, and barley predominate in the northern lowlands, whereas oats, rye, potatoes, and flax are better suited to the hilly south. Rakovnk, Melnk, and Kladno okresy (districts) produce hops, both for the domestic brewing industry and for export. Apples, plums, pears, cherries, and walnuts grow in the north, and the Labe and Vltava valleys are noted for vineyards as well. Pigs, cattle, and poultry are the main livestock reared; dairying accounts for about two-fifths of the cattle. Forests of fir, spruce, pine, oak, and beech cover slightly more than one-fourth of Stredocesk kraj, mainly in the western districts, where lumbering and paper milling are carried on. Bituminous coal is mined around Kladno, Slan, and Melnk; bituminous and anthracite coal and refractory clay are mined around Rakovnk. Prbram is a major lead, zinc, silver, and uranium mining centre; to the northeast, Mnek pod Brdy is an iron-ore mining centre. Kutn Hora is a centre for lead, zinc, and silver mining. Large limestone quarries are located along the Berounka River southwest of Prague. Refractory clay, sand, gravel, and glass sand are quarried along the Labe River between Koln and Melnk. Dams on the Vltava provide hydroelectric energy and improve navigation on that river. Heavy industries are concentrated in northern Stredocesk kraj. Kladno-Slan is a major industrial centre west of Prague, producing steel, engineering products, electronics ware, textiles, and processed food. North of Prague, Kralupy nad Vltavou and Neratovice have important chemical works; Kralupy also has an oil refinery and produces petrochemicals, synthetic rubber, and wood products; Melnk and Kostelec nad Labe refine sugar from sugar beets; and beer is produced in Velk Popovice and Beneov. In the northeastern part of Stredocesk kraj, Mlad Boleslav is the site of a large koda automobile plant and also has food-processing industries. KolnKutn Hora has an oil refinery and produces petrochemicals, steel, textiles, and processed foods; Koln is also a Labe River port. BerounKrluv Dvur, southwest of Prague, produces steel, cement, cotton textiles, and limestone. Most of the southern towns in the kraj have light traditional industries; of these, Szava is noted for glasswork, as is Podebrady, near Koln, and Rakovnk has a renowned ceramics industry. Although most cultural institutions are located in Prague, several other towns are noteworthy. Nelahozeves, northwest of Prague, is the birthplace of the Czech composer Antonn Dvork (1841); his house is a memorial museum. To the east, Kutn Hora is conserved under national trust; many of its buildings survive from the 13th and 14th centuries. Kacina, to the northeast, has an imperial-period palace (1822) that now houses an agricultural museum and library. Southwest of Prague, Prbram is the site of the Svat Hora pilgrimage site. East of Kladno lies the site of Lidice (q.v.), the miners' village obliterated by the Nazis in June 1942. A thermal mineral-water spa that developed in Stredocesk kraj in the early 20th century draws visitors to Podebrady. The reservoirs behind the Vltava River dams have improved navigation and also have been developed as resorts. The Koneprusy caves at Zlatkun, 6 miles (9 km) south of Beroun, rediscovered in 1950, have stalactite- and stalagmite-covered rooms extending 1 mile (1.6 km) in length on three levels. The population of Stredocesk kraj is primarily Czech with small enclaves of Slovaks in the western and Labe River districts. Area excluding Prague, 4,245 square miles (10,994 square km). Pop. (1991 prelim.) 1,112,374.