Podbořany (; german: Podersam) is a town in

Louny District Louny District ( cs, okres Louny) is one of seven districts ('' okres'') located within the Ústí nad Labem Region in the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is the town of Louny. Louny is the largest district in the Ústí nad Labem regi ...

in the

Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region ( cs, Ústecký kraj, , ), is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad La ...

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 6,200 inhabitants. The town is known for producing hops.

Administrative parts

Town parts and villages of Buškovice, Dolánky, Hlubany, Kaštice, Kněžice, Letov, Mory, Neprobylice, Oploty, Pšov, Sýrovice and Valov are administrative parts of Podbořany.

Geography

Podbořany is located about southwest of

Louny Louny (; german: Laun) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrat ...

and east of Karlovy Vary. It lies mostly in the

Most Basin The Most Basin (also known as North Bohemian Basin; cs, Mostecká pánev, german: Nordböhmisches Becken) is a tectonic depression and geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is named after the city of Most. It forms the southwes ...

, but a small western part of the municipal territory extends into the

Doupov Mountains Doupov Mountains ( cs, Doupovské hory, german: Duppauer Gebirge) is a cenozoic volcanic mountain range with the typical structure of stratovolcano. The centre of the stratovolcano was in the place of a former town of Doupov. The highest mounta ...

and includes the highest point of Podbořany at above sea level. The Dolánecký Stream flows through the town.

History

According to archaeological research, Slavic tribes lived here before the 10th century, and there was an important Slavic gord on the nearby Rubín hill. Some researchers even identify Rubín with the mythical Wogastisburg, which was the scene of the

Battle of Wogastisburg According to the contemporary ''Chronicle of Fredegar'', the Battle of Wogastisburg was a battle between Slavs (''Sclav, cognomento Winidi'') under King Samo and Franks under King Dagobert I in 631. The Frankish armies advanced into the area of th ...

. The first written mention of Podbořany is in a deed of the monastery in

Postoloprty Postoloprty (; german: Postelberg) is a town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,600 inhabitants. Administrative parts The villages of Březno, Dolejší Hůrky, Hradiště, Levonice, Malnice, Mr ...

from 1362. The village was owned by the monastery until 1426, when it was bought by the Lords of Gutštejn. During their rule, Podbořany 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 1575, as a property of the Schlick family, Podbořany received town rights. During the 16th century, the

Germanization Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In ling ...

of Podbořany started. After the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, Germans became a majority. In 1945–46, the German population was expelled and they were partially replaced by Czechs from

Volhynia Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. The ...

Demographics

Economy

Podbořany was historically known for the mining of

kaolin Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...

and the production of porcelain. Today they are one of the centres of hops cultivation.

Sights

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is a late Baroque building from 1781. Next to the church is a rectory from 1788. The Church of the Savior was built by German Lutherans living in and around Podbořany in 1901–1902. Today the pseudo-Romanesque building serves mainly cultural purposes.

Notable people

Radomil Eliška Radomil Eliška (6 April 1931, Podbořany – 1 September 2019, Prague)Stanislav Štech (born 1954), politician and psychologist * Jan Pelc (born 1957), writer

Twin towns – sister cities

Podbořany is twinned with: *

Ehrenfriedersdorf Ehrenfriedersdorf () is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 8 km northwest of Annaberg-Buchholz, and 21 km south of Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-la ...

, Germany * Russi, Italy *

Spalt Spalt ( Northern Bavarian: ''Schbåld'') is a town in the district of Roth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 19 km southwest of Schwabach. Spalt is famous for growing hops for brewing beer. Geography Spalt is situated between Nuremberg, ...

, Germany

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Podborany Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Louny District