The town was founded in the half of 13th century by the king Přemysl Otakar II. Shortly after the foundation, Jewish people started to settle there. The oldest written records concerning Jewish settlement come from the reign of king Jan Lucemburský (1330s – 1340s). It is estimated that in the period of the biggest flourishing of Jewish community, the Jewish people presented almost one quarter of town inhabitants.
“Kolín is known as a city whose murdered Jews are not commemorated only as victims of that (by many believed bygone) massacre. And we are sure that those who are not here with us due to the big crime would appreciate if you come to visit Kolín – the city whose growth was significantly influenced by Jews. Kolín with its buildings, memorials and all historic paradoxes is definitely worth visiting.”
“The medieval Jewish ghetto and the baroque-reconstructed synagogue represent an extensive permanent exhibition telling the story of Kolin’s Jewish community, together with the second oldest Jewish cemetery in Bohemia and New Jewish cemetery with an impressive Holocaust Victims memorial. The newly developed Stolperstein trail marks the dwellings of Jews murdered during Shoah. Less than an hour from Prague, Kolin offers a wide range of Jewish sites that are worth visiting.”
“Dear friends, We in Kolin are looking forward to sharing with you our rich history of hundreds of years and in the modern times our heritage of Masaryk’s democratic Czechoslovakia. In the 1920’s and the 1930’s, before the Nazi takeover in 1939, we experienced a blooming of democracy unparalleled elsewhere in Central Europe. Under the present leadership, we are striving to keep our values and to continue building an open society.”