city, north-central Czech Republic. The city lies just north of Hradec Králové, on the left bank of the Elbe (Czech: Labe) River. The name in both Czech and German (Königinhof an der Elbe) means ”the court of the queen on the Elbe,” recalling the founding of the town by King Wenceslas II at the end of the 13th century and the gift of the place to his queen, Elisabeth. It was the scene of a major Austrian defeat by the Prussians in 1866. The town is now a textile and linen centre. Pop. (2004 est.) 16,150.