Hradec Kralove

The Hradec Králové region is situated in the northeast part of the Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The region lies roughly 100 km from Prague, making it close enough for convenient connection to the capital, but far enough away to preserve the feeling of "regional" life. In a survey conducted by the newspaper MF Dnes in 2004 the "Salon of the Republic", as the city of Hradec Králové was once known, was named the best place to live in the entire Czech Republic.

In terms of both population and area, the Hradec Králové region ranks ninth out of the country's 13 regions. A large part of the region's landscape is covered by mountains and agricultural estates, though the history of some of its industrial enterprises reaches far into the past. The traditional branches of industry in the region include textiles, production of electrical and optical instruments, mechanical engineering and the manufacture of musical instruments. Among newly developing fields, software development and the production of computer technology and healthcare equipment dominate, while pharmaceuticals and the automotive industry are also strongly represented.

It is only the regional capital that sees its future in fields with higher added value. The region is therefore focusing on attracting investments in the area of business support services and ICT, which require a highly qualified workforce. In the field of computer technology and software, a project to establish an IT cluster has been launched. Together with the Faculty of Informatics and Management at the University of Hradec Králové, existing firms have set a clear goal: to halt the outward migration of educated worker seeking better and better paying offers in Prague, Brno and abroad, and to transform Hradec Králové into and "IT region". The city of Hradec Králové is building a technology centre for newly created firms. The building, in which start-ups will benefit from favourable rental rates including transportation services, is located on the site of a former military airport.

In addition to the regional capital, important centres of industry include the cities of Jičín, Trutnov, Náchod, Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Vrchlabí and Červený Kostelec, in some of which industrial zones have been successfully built and partially or even completely occupied. A good example of this is the newly built industrial zone in Nový Bydžov, which will offer very favourable transport connections upon completion of the D11 highway. Due to their location, the prepared industrial zones in Dvůr Králové nad Labem, Hořice and Police nad Metují are particularly advantageous for investors with links to neighbouring Poland. In the municipalities of Solnice and Kvasiny, a project to expand the local industrial zone is currently being carried out for Škoda Auto, which produces its Superb and Roomster models there.

Other opportunities for investors are represented by sites that, though once operational, have for various reasons fallen into disuse. In cooperation with the Hradec Králové Regional Office, CzechInvest this year conducted an analysis of such disused sites, i.e. brownfields, of which there are over 250 in the Hradec Králové region. This study is freely available to investors. We are endeavouring to ensure that currently disused structures and larger sites will be revitalised. With assistance in the form of grants from EU structural funds, these locations can be converted and prepared for subsequent industrial or other uses.

Leisure time and tourism

The further development of the Hradec Králové region depends heavily on the development of transportation infrastructure. Convenient transport connections not only to the capital but to the rest of the republic and Europe provide a good basis for the establishment of new enterprises, as well as for development of the travel industry. Like the chateaux in Opočno and Častolovice, or the zoological garden with safari in Dvůr Králové, mountainous areas such as the Krkonoše and Orlické ranges and Český raj are popular tourist destinations. Each winter, the region's highest mountains are covered with Czech and foreign skiers, whose needs are satisfied by ski centres that offer services comparable to those of centers in the Alps. Naturally, with easier access to these locations, more tourists will visit them. After all, why would anyone pass up the opportunity to experience the snow-covered Krkonoše slopes or play golf in the castle park in Hrádek u Nechanice when they are only an easy two-hour trip from Prague?