Mladá Boleslav was promoted to a royal city by Emperor Rudolf II. In the 16th century, Mladá Boleslav was a leading centre of the Moravian Church, hosting the Brethren's bishop, a Renaissance church, and a printing house. In 1518, the very first map of Bohemia was printed by Mikuláš Klaudyán in Mladá Boleslav. After the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, the city's population declined by 40% and the castle was in ruins. At the beginning of the 18th century, the former castle was rebuilt into barracks. During the World War II, it was an internment centre of Jews. Since 1972 the castle serves as the Regional Museum and as the seat of the district archive. In the 19th century, new prosperity came: the city became an important regional centre as new schools, theatres, museums and factories (including the automobile factory Laurin & Klement, today Škoda Auto) were founded. Since the 1990s, the factory has made it one of the richest and most prosperous Czech cities. Jewish community The first written mention of the presence of Jewish community in Mladá Boleslav is from 1471. In 1634, Jacob Bassevi von Treuenberg, the first ennobled Jew in the Habsburg monarchy, was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Mladá Boleslav. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Mladá Boleslav (called Bumsla by Jews) was an important Jewish centre. The synagogue was demolished in 1962. Demographics The population rapidly increased between 1960 and 1980 because of the rapid growth of production in the Škoda Auto factory and the construction of housing estates for its employees. Economy Mladá Boleslav became an industrial centre already in the 19th century. The main factor of its success was its location next to the Jizera River, which was a water source for newly founded factories. The most significant was the textile industry – its largest representative, the Česana factory, had more than 2,000 employees at the end of the 19th century. Another industry in the Jizera valley included mills, breweries, distillery, soaps and perfumes factory, and production of artificial fertilizers. Most of the factories was gradually shut down during the 20th century, mainly due to World War II and politics of the socialist republic. In 1895, the Laurin & Klement company (the predecessor of Škoda Auto) was founded, and the automotive industry became the main pillar of the city's economy. In 1925, Laurin & Klement was acquired by Škoda