Pardubice Region - Pardubický kraj
Pardubice is its administrative centre of Pardubice Region (www.pardubickykraj.cz). The Region consists of 4 districts - Chrudim, Pardubice, Svitavy and Ústí nad Orlicí. Medium-sized and smaller municipalities and towns predominate in the regional settlement structure.
Polabí, a fertile strip of land along the Elbe, is economically the most important area. Further parts of the region rise into Železné Mountains, the edges of Czech and Moravian Highlands, Orlické Mountains and Králický Sněžník group in the northeast. The climate and quality of soil corresponds to the respective altitude zones.
Regional raw material basis is relatively poor. Limestone in the Železné Mountains area, good-quality construction stone (Skuteč area) and gravel sands are the most important.
The region can be classified as both industrial and agricultural. Chemical industry, incl. refineries, general engineering, textile and clothing industries, leather manufacture and the production of optical devices, rank high. The agriculture employs an above-average number of people. It is concentrated mainly in the fertile Elbe Lowlands.
Pardubice is the largest city with the most developed industry; its centre is an urban conservation area. Other municipalities are smaller, they include e.g. Chrudim in the western part, Ústí nad Orlicí in the eastern part, Česká Třebová, a significant railway junction, and Svitavy.
The environmental quality of the region is diverse. The less affected areas are in the sphere of foothills and highlands, the most damaged environment, on the contrary, is in areas with concentrated settlements and industrial production.
Recreation resorts include Seč lake, the foothills of Orlické mountains, Železné Mountains and Žďárské Hills protected landscape areas. Litomyšl is a cultural centre with an urban conservation area (castle is on the UNESCO list). Spa specialising in locomotive organs is located directly in the centre of Lázně Bohdaneč township.
With a view to tourism, the whole area of Pardubice Region belongs to the East Bohemia tourist marketing region.
Ústí nad Orlicí district is involved in cross-border cooperation within Euroregion Glacensis. The EU-assisted construction of a new motorway stretch leading to the Czech-Polish border crossing and important by-passes of towns are planned.
