Jewish Life in Kolín in Light of Municipal Sources from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Centuries

Abstract The royal town of Kolín (nad Labem) has been an important political and economic centre of the Czech state since the Middle Ages. Jews settled here as early as the 14th century. Compared to other Czech towns, the Jewish community here was not particularly affected by the Hussite Revolution. Their population increased significantly in the second half of the 15th century. At the turn of the Middle Ages and the Modern Age, Kolín was an important satellite of the Prague Jewish settlement. A number of important families of Prague Jewish financiers did business and worked in Kolín. Some of the families lived and did business in both towns (Prague and Kolín) alternately. The Jews of Kolín were also important providers of loans, for which they formed alliances with other Jewish businessmen in the Czech royal towns. During the expulsion of Jews from other Czech towns at the turn of the 15th century, Kolín also became a town to which some Jewish families came.