Dobříš (; ) 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 8,900 inhabitants. It is known for the Dobříš Castle.

Administrative division

Dobříš consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Dobříš (8,764) *Trnová (8)

Etymology

The name was probably derived from the personal name Dobřech.

Geography

Dobříš is located about northeast 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 ...

. Most of the municipal territory lies in the Brdy Highlands, but the town proper lies entirely 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 Studený vrch at above sea level. In the town there is a set of fishponds, fed by the stream Sychrovský potok and its tributary Trnovský potok. Notably, Huťský Pond is the location where

muskrat The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...

s, brought from North America, were first released in continental Europe.

History

The first written mention of Dobříš is from 1252, when King Wenceslaus I signed a treaty with the Cistercian monastery in Plasy. Temporarily held by the noble Rosenberg family, King

John of Bohemia John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...

had a hunting lodge erected at Dobříš. It was devastated during the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

in 1421. After the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

had passed to the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

, Dobříš was given

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 ...

rights by King Ferdinand I in 1543, confirmed by his son and successor Emperor Maximilian II in 1569. The Dobříš estate was acquired by the German House of Mansfeld in 1630. After the local castle and a large part of the town were damaged by a fire in 1720, the family had the castle rebuilt into a

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

style manor house. The estate was inherited by the Austrian Colloredo-Mansfeld dynasty in 1780.

Demographics

Economy

In the 19th century, the town became associated with the manufacturing of

gloves A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a ...

, which began in 1865. This industry was first developed by Salamon Abeles. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, a glove factory (''Rukavičkářské závody'') was still operating here. The factory employed 3,300 people at its peak, but the production ended in 1992. Since 1993, the small company NAPA Dobříš has been keeping the tradition. In the town centre and near the main road to Prague there are

Bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus '' Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the c ...

factories.

Transport

The D4 motorway from Prague to

Písek Písek (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 31,000 inhabitants. The town is known for the oldest bridge in the country. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument z ...

runs next to the town. The town has a railway station located at the end of track from Prague via

Vrané nad Vltavou Vrané nad Vltavou is a municipality and village in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,700 inhabitants. Geography Vrané nad Vltavou is located about south of Prague. It lies in the Prague Pl ...

. The station opened on 22 September 1897.

Sights

The most significant monument in the town is the Dobříš Castle. In 1745–1755, the original Baroque castle was rebuilt into its current late Baroque form. Decorator

Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni Jean-Nicolas Servan, also known as Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni (2 May 1695 – 19 January 1766) was an Italian decorator, architect, scene-painter, firework designer and trompe-l'œil specialist. He was born in Florence, the son of a French ...

, sculptor Ignác František Platzer and painter Jan Petr Molitor participated in the decoration of the castle. Currently owned again by the noble family of Colloredo-Mansfeld, it is known as a fine example of Rococo architecture and for its gardens, including a

French formal garden The French formal garden, also called the , is a style of "Landscape architecture, landscape" garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed ...

(one of the most popular in the country) and an

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 ...

Notable people

* Josef Balabán (1894–1941), soldier and resistance fighter *

Jorge Amado Jorge Amado ( 10 August 1912 – 6 August 2001) was a Brazilian writer of the modernist school. He remains the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, with his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in film, includi ...

(1912–2001), Brazilian writer; lived here * Jan Drda (1915–1970), writer, journalist and politician; buried here * Zélia Gattai (1916–2008), Brazilian writer; lived here * Filip Dort (born 1980), footballer; lives here

Twin towns – sister cities

Dobříš is twinned with: * Geldrop-Mierlo, Netherlands * Tonnerre, France

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobris Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Příbram District