# Rychnov nad Kněžnou District

Rychnov nad Kněžnou District (Czech: okres Rychnov nad Kněžnou) is a district in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Rychnov nad Kněžnou.

## Administrative division

Rychnov nad Kněžnou District is divided into three administrative districts of municipalities with extended competence: Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Dobruška and Kostelec nad Orlicí.

### List of municipalities

Towns are marked in bold and market towns in italics:
Albrechtice nad Orlicí - Bačetín - Bartošovice v Orlických horách - Bílý Újezd - Bohdašín - Bolehošť - Borohrádek - Borovnice - Bystré - Byzhradec - Častolovice - Čermná nad Orlicí - Černíkovice - České Meziříčí - Čestice - Chleny - Chlístov - Deštné v Orlických horách - Dobřany - Dobré - Dobruška - Doudleby nad Orlicí - Hřibiny-Ledská - Jahodov - Janov - Javornice - Kostelec nad Orlicí - Kostelecké Horky - Kounov - Králova Lhota -
Krchleby - Kvasiny - Lhoty u Potštejna - Libel - Liberk - Lično - Lípa nad Orlicí - Lukavice - Lupenice - Mokré - Nová Ves - Očelice - Ohnišov - Olešnice - Olešnice v Orlických horách - Opočno - Orlické Záhoří - Osečnice - Pěčín - Podbřezí - Pohoří - Polom - Potštejn - Přepychy - Proruby - Říčky v Orlických horách - Rohenice - Rokytnice v Orlických horách - Rybná nad Zdobnicí - Rychnov nad Kněžnou - Sedloňov - Semechnice - Skuhrov nad Bělou - Slatina nad Zdobnicí - Sněžné - Solnice - Svídnice - Synkov-Slemeno - Třebešov - Trnov - Tutleky - Týniště nad Orlicí - Val - Vamberk - Voděrady - Vrbice - Záměl - Žďár nad Orlicí Zdelov - Zdobnice

## Geography

Rychnov nad Kněžnou District borders Poland in the east. The terrain is very varied, in the east it is mountainous and towards the west it becomes foothills and then flat. The territory extends into four geomorphological mesoregions: Orlice Table (west), Orlické Foothills (centre), Orlické Mountains (east) and Svitavy Uplands (small part in the southwest). The highest point of the district is the mountain Velká Deštná in Deštné v Orlických horách with an elevation of 1,116 m (3,661 ft), the lowest point is the river bed of the Orlice in Týniště nad Orlicí at 240 m (790 ft).
From the total district area of 982.1 km$^2$ (379.2 sq mi), agricultural land occupies 520.1 km$^2$ (200.8 sq mi), forests occupy 373.1 km$^2$ (144.1 sq mi), and water area occupies 13.4 km$^2$ (5.2 sq mi). Forests cover 38.0% of the district's area.
The most significant river is the Divoká Orlice, which forms the Czech-Polish border and then crosses the district in the south. It then connects with the Tichá Orlice within the district to form the Orlice River. Other notable rivers are the Dědina, Bělá and Zdobnice. The largest body of water is the fishpond Broumar with an area of 67 ha (170 acres).
Orlické hory is a protected landscape area that covers the eastern part of the district.

## Demographics

| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1869 | 101,194 | — |
| 1880 | 105,070 | +3.8% |
| 1890 | 105,913 | +0.8% |
| 1900 | 103,483 | −2.3% |
| 1910 | 104,203 | +0.7% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1921 | 98,019 | −5.9% |
| 1930 | 95,802 | −2.3% |
| 1950 | 74,322 | −22.4% |
| 1961 | 77,122 | +3.8% |
| 1970 | 76,751 | −0.5% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1980 | 79,491 | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 78,144 | −1.7% |
| 2001 | 78,294 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 77,829 | −0.6% |
| 2021 | 77,580 | −0.3% |
Source: Censuses :

### Most populated municipalities

| Name | Population | Area (km$^2$) |
| Rychnov nad Kněžnou | 11,442 | 35 |
| Dobruška | 6,557 | 34 |
| Týniště nad Orlicí | 6,187 | 52 |
| Kostelec nad Orlicí | 6,178 | 26 |
| Vamberk | 4,676 | 21 |
| Opočno | 3,140 | 14 |
| Solnice | 2,352 | 13 |
| Rokytnice v Orlických horách | 2,164 | 40 |
| Borohrádek | 2,105 | 14 |
| České Meziříčí | 2,037 | 22 |

## Economy

The largest employers with headquarters in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District and at least 500 employees are:
| Economic entity | Location | Number of employees | Main activity |
| Federal-Mogul Friction Products | Kostelec nad Orlicí | 500–999 | Automotive industry |
| Assa Abloy Opening Solutions CZ | Rychnov nad Kněžnou | 500–999 | Manufacture of locks and hinges |
The main employer is the factory of Škoda Auto in Kvasiny with about 9,000 employees.

## Transport

There are no motorways passing through the district. The most important roads are the I/11 from Hradec Králové to Šumperk and the I/14 from Náchod to Ústí nad Orlicí.

## Sights

The most important monuments in the district, protected as national cultural monuments, are:
* Opočno Castle
* Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Liberk
* Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Lhoty u Potštejna
The best-preserved settlements, protected as monument zones, are:
* Dobruška
* Opočno
* Rokytnice v Orlických horách
* Rychnov nad Kněžnou
* Zdobnice-Kačerov
The most visited tourist destination is the Velká Deštná observation tower.