HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Březnice (; ) is a town in
Příbram District Příbram District () is a Okres, district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Příbram. Administrative division Příbram District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities ...
in the
Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...
of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.


Administrative division

Březnice consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Březnice (3,197) *Bor (67) *Dobrá Voda (45) *Martinice (51) *Přední Poříčí (49) *Zadní Poříčí (24)


Etymology

The name of the town is probably derived from ''Březná'', which was the former name of the stream that flowed through the birch forest (from the Czech word ''bříza'', i.e. 'birch').


Geography

Březnice is located about south of
Příbram Příbram (; or ''Przibram'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It is known for its mining history, and more recently, its new venture into economic restructuring. The town is the t ...
and southwest of
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. It lies in the
Benešov Uplands The Benešov Uplands or Benešov Hills () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Central Bohemian Region. It belongs to the largest mesoregions in the country. It is named after Benešov ...
. The highest point is the hill Vinice at above sea level. The Skalice River flows through the town.


History

The first written mention of Březnice is from 1224, when Budislav of Březnice, a member of the royal council, was documented. In 1327, Březnice was first referred to as 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 rura ...
. Until the
Battle of the White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain (; ) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the next three hundred years. It was fought on 8 November 162 ...
, it was a small market town. In 1621, Březnice was acquired by Přibík Jeníšek of Újezd, who together with his wife started the construction development, founded a
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
college and had a new church built. During the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, the town was not damaged much, and continued to develop after the war, especially in the 18th century. The Jewish ghetto was founded in 1726. In 1728, Březnice was inherited by the
Kolowrat family The House of Kolowrat is a Czech noble familyHouse of Kolowrat history
kolowrat.cz/en. Citation: " < ...
. In 1872, the town was inherited by the Pálffy family, who owned it until 1945. For centuries, Březnice was an agricultural town. In 1875, the railway was built, and industry began to develop slowly. Between 1918 and 1931, several factories were established.


Demographics


Economy

Březnice is home to the Březnice Castle Brewery, which sells its beer under the Herold brand name.


Transport

The I/19 road from
Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...
to
Tábor Tábor (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populated town in the region. The town was founded by the Hussites in 1420. The historic town centre is well pres ...
passes through the town. Březnice is located on the major railway line Prague–
České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...
and on the line
Beroun Beroun (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers. Beroun creates a conurbation with Králův Dvůr, former part of Beroun. ...
Blatná Blatná (; ) is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,700 inhabitants. It is known for a water castle in the centre of a fishpond, and a landscape garden around it. The historic town centr ...
.


Sights

Březnice is known for the Březnice Castle, protected as a national cultural heritage. It was built in the 13th century. The castle is surrounded by a Renaissance garden and
English landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...
. Historically significant is its library from 1558, one of the oldest in
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
. The castle is open to the public. The Church of Saints Francis Xavier and Ignatius of Loyola is a landmark of historical town centre. It was built by
Carlo Lurago Carlo Lurago (also spelled Luraghi) (1615 – 12 October 1684) was an Italian architect who was active in Prague. He was born in Pellio Superiore in the Val d'Intelvi, near Como. At the age of 23, as an already an accomplished plasterer, he ...
in 1642–1650. It includes many valuable paintings and carved sculptures. The Jewish ghetto is a unique urban complex with preserved Neoclassical houses. The synagogue was built in 1726–1728 and rebuilt in 1874. Březnice served as an important cultural and social centre for Jewish population in a wide area. There is also a Jewish cemetery in the town.


Notable people

* Joachim Edler von Popper (1722–1795), merchant, banker and manufacturer * Václav Pichl (1741–1805), composer; served here * Albert Popper (1808–1889), physician and politician *
Jiří Veselý Jiří Veselý (; born 10 July 1993) is a Czech professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 35 on 27 April 2015. Youth career Veselý reached the No. 1 junior combined world ranking in January 2011, co ...
(born 1993), tennis player


Twin towns – sister cities

Březnice is twinned with: * Lindow, Germany


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Breznice Populated places in Příbram District Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Prácheňsko Jewish communities in the Czech Republic