Benešov (; german: Beneschau; also known as Benešov u Prahy) is a town in the
Central Bohemian Region
The Central Bohemian Region ( cz, Středočeský kraj, german: Mittelböhmische Region) is an administrative unit ( cz, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in ...
of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The town is known for the
Konopiště
Konopiště Castle (; german: Schloss Konopischt) is a four-winged, three-storey castle located in Konopiště, now a part of the town of Benešov in Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It has become famous as the last residence of Archduke F ...
Castle.
Administrative parts
Villages of Baba, Bedrč, Boušice, Buková Lhota, Červený Dvůr, Chvojen, Dlouhé Pole, Konopiště, Mariánovice, Okrouhlice, Pomněnice, Radíkovice, Úročnice and Vidlákova Lhota are administrative parts of Benešov.
Geography
Benešov lies about southeast of
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. The town is located in the Benešov Uplands on the Benešovský Stream. In the western part of the territory are situated the ponds Konopišťský and Jarkovický.
History
The area of Benešov began to be settled in the 11th century. The first settlers are believed to have arrived on Karlov Hill in around 1050 during the
Přemyslid dynasty
The Přemyslid dynasty or House of Přemyslid ( cs, Přemyslovci, german: Premysliden, pl, Przemyślidzi) was a Bohemian royal dynasty that reigned in the Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia (9th century–130 ...
.
The first written verified mention of Benešov is from 1219–1222, however there are unverified mentions from 1048 and 1070.
Benešov was seat of Lords of Benešov until 1317, when they moved to nearby Konopiště Castle. In 1327, Benešov became a
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
. In 1420, the town was conquered and burned by the
Hussites
The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation.
The Hussit ...
. Benešov however recovered and at the end of the 15th century, it belonged among the most important towns in
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
. It was the centre of several political negotiations, such as the 1451 and 1473 meetings of the Bohemian Diet. In the 15th and 16th centuries the town experienced an economic boom, especially thanks to its location on the trade route from
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
to
Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...
. In 1512, Benešov became a town.
[
A contemporary first edition map in Latin by A. Ortelius dated 1570 spells the town as Benissaw. After the end of the 16th Century there were several changes in ownership. During the Thirty Years' War, the population had suffered because of passing Polish and ]Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
troops. To promote the reintroduction of Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and improving the education, a Priory college with a high school was founded in 1703. After 1803 the town developed as a centre of national rebirth for Slavic Bohemians.
In 1871 the town was connected to Prague by rail and by 1895 it was an important regional hub.
By World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Benešov was an important garrison town of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...
. There were the ''II. Bataillon des Böhmischen Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 102'' (Second Battalion of the Bohemian Infantry Regiment No. 102) and the ''II. Bataillon des k.k. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 28'' (Second Battalion of the Imperial Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 28). Because of fears of possible political unrest in 1916 by Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
nationalists, the 2nd Regiment of the ''Tiroler Kaiserjäger'' with a reserve unit part from Bolzano
Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...
was stationed here to 1918.
Early during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the town was evacuated temporarily as the ''SS-Truppenübungsplatz Böhmen'' of the Waffen SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands.
The grew from th ...
was stationed here.
A significant measure of industrialization began after 1945 with the establishment of a machinery factory and the food industry.
Demographics
Transport
The town is served by one railway station. It lies on the Prague–České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
railroad.
Sights
The most significant monument is the Konopiště
Konopiště Castle (; german: Schloss Konopischt) is a four-winged, three-storey castle located in Konopiště, now a part of the town of Benešov in Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It has become famous as the last residence of Archduke F ...
Castle. As of 2019, it was the 7th most visited castle in the country with 147,000 visitors. It was built in 1294 as a copy of French fortresses. Around 1500, it was modificated to the late Gothic style, and in 1605 to the Renaissance style. After 1725, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style.
The Church of Saint Nicholas is the oldest preserved monument in Benešov. It was built in early Gothic style in the second half of the 13th century. After a fire in 1420, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style in 1583, and later once again in the Baroque style. The church includes a Gothic bell from 1322, one of the oldest preserved bells in the Czech Republic.[
Another important religious monument are the former Priory college with the Church of Saint Anne, which was built at the beginning of the 18th century according to plans submitted by the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi.][
The town centre with Masarykovo Square include Baroque and ]Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
houses and the architecturally awarded building of the new town hall.[
]
Notable people
* Josef Suk (1874–1935), composer and violinist; lived and died here
* Karel Nový (1890–1980), writer
*Princess Sophie of Hohenberg
Princess Sophie of Hohenberg (''Sophie Marie Franziska Antonia Ignatia Alberta von Hohenberg''; – ) was the only daughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, both of whom were assassinated at ...
(1901–1990), Austrian princess
*Prince Ernst of Hohenberg
Prince Ernst of Hohenberg (''Ernst Alfons Franz Ignaz Joseph Maria Anton von Hohenberg''; 27 May 1904 – 5 March 1954) was the second son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, who were ...
(1904–1954), Austrian prince
* Miroslav Beránek (born 1957), football player and manager
*Michal Hocek
Michal Hocek (born 11 December 1969 in Benešov, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech chemist. He is a group leader at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences and a professor of organic chemistry at Charles U ...
(born 1969), chemist
*Monika Absolonová
Monika Absolonová (born 27 September 1976) is a Czech singer and actress. She released her first album, ''Monika'', in 1993. In 2002, she performed the title role in the famous Czech musical, Kleopatra, at Prague's Broadway Theatre. Absolonová ...
(born 1976), singer and actress
* Jitka Bartoničková (born 1985), athlete
*Aneta Langerová
Aneta Langerová (born 26 November 1986) is a Czech pop singer. Born in Benešov, Czech Republic and grew up in Říčany, she first rose to fame at age 17 as the first winner of '' Česko hledá SuperStar'', the Czech version of ''Pop Idol'', ...
(born 1986), pop singer
Twin towns – sister cities
Benešov is twinned with:
* Partizánske
Partizánske (, meaning “partisan town” formerly: ''Baťovany'', hu, Simony) is a town in Trenčín Region, Slovakia.
Geography
Partizánske is located in the northern part of the Danubian Hills around from Nitra and from the capital Bra ...
, Slovakia
* Sainte-Agnès, France
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benesov
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Benešov District