Dvůr Králové nad Labem  Dvůr Králové nad Labem (, , i.e., Queen's Court at Elbe (river) ) is a town in the Czech Republic in Hradec Králové Region, in the Labe (Elbe) river valley. It is located in the Eastern Bohemia close to the Czech highest mountains Krkonoše. Dvůr Králové is a center of the textile and machinery industries. Dvůr Králové Zoo with its African safari theme lies near the town. Visitors may admire over 2,000 animals of 500 species of mostly African hoofstock which makes this zoo one of the largest in Europe. As one of the most successful breeders of many endangered species, it is of note that within the last 30 years more than 200 giraffes were born there. Outside the city, visitors can view an old residence of the Jesuits in Žireč and a hospital in Kuks, both with many Baroque statues by famous sculptor Matthias Braun. Dvůr Králové was first mentioned in 1270. It was a dowry town, owned by the King's wife and responsible for her expenses when her husband died. Until 1918, the town was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), head of the "Königshof an der Elbe - Dvůr Králové nad Labem" district, one of the 94 "Bezirkshauptmannschaften" in Bohemia. Dvůr Králové allowed Jews to settle there in 1848. Various Jewish families arrived in the early 1860s and began developing a local textile industry (the soft water of the Elbe was essential for the dying and printing for the textile industry). By 1930 there were some 200 to 300 Jews living in the town. The textile industry had grown to some 17 textile firms (Sohorts, Neuman, Mautner, Deutsch etc.) By the end of 1945 there were no Jews left in the town. On 16 September 1817 Václav Hanka allegedly discovered a manuscript appearing to be from the 13th century in the tower of a local church. The Manuscript of Dvůr Kralové, probably in fact created by Hanka, was intended to help Czech patriots in the struggle against German culture.