Zbečno is a municipality and village in

Rakovník District Rakovník District ( cs, okres Rakovník) is a district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Rakovník. Administrative division Rakovník District is formed by only one administrative district of munici ...

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 600 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The village of Újezd nad Zbečnem is an administrative part of Zbečno.

Etymology

The initial name of the village was Stbečna. The origin of the name is unclear. It could be derived from the word ''stéblo'' ('stalk') or from the old word ''jistba'', which denoted a log cabin or a type of bridge pillar.

Geography

Zbečno is located about southeast of Rakovník and west 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 ...

. It lies in the

Křivoklát Highlands Křivoklát (german: Pürglitz) is a market town in Rakovník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known for the Křivoklát Castle. Administrative parts Villages of Častonice and Pí ...

and within the Křivoklátsko Landscape Protected Area, which administration have its seat here. The municipality is situated at the confluence of the Berounka River and Klíčava Stream. Klíčava Reservoir is located on the Klíčava Stream in the northernmost part of the municipal territory.

History

The first written mention of Zbečno is from 1003. After the

Křivoklát Castle Křivoklát Castle is located in Central Bohemia, Czech Republic. History Křivoklát was founded in the 12th century, belonging to the kings of Bohemia. During the reign of Přemysl Otakar II a large, monumental royal castle was built, later re ...

was built, it became part of the Křivoklát estate. At the beginning of the 16th century, Zbečno was promoted to 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 ...

by King Vladislaus II, but it was severely damaged in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

and in the second half of the 17th century, it was again only a village. In 1685, Zbečno was bought by the Waldstein family and ceased to be a royal property. In 1950–1953, Klíčava Reservoir was built, and Zbečov became a centre of tourism.

Demographics

Transport

Zbečno is located on the railway line

Beroun Beroun (; german: Beraun) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers. Beroun creates a conurbation with Králův Dvůr, former par ...

– Rakovník. The municipality is served by two train stations: ''Zbečno'' and ''Újezd nad Zbečnem''.

Sights

The main landmark of Zbečno is the Church of Saint Martin. The original Romanesque church probably existed already at the end of the 11th century. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 1470s. In 1714–1716, the church was rebuilt into its current Baroque form.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zbecno Villages in Rakovník District