Mníšek pod Brdy () is a town in

Prague-West District Prague-West District () is a district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Prague. The most populated town of the district is Jesenice. Administrative division Prague-West District is formed by only one administ ...

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 6,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre and Skalka area are well preserved and are protected as an urban monument zone.

Etymology

The name Mníšek is a diminutive of ''mnich'', which means 'monk' in Czech. The attribute ''pod Brdy'' means "below

Brdy Brdy is a range of hills in the Czech Republic, forming a long massif stretching for c. 60 km southwest from Prague. The northern section of the Brdy is called "Hřebeny" and features one narrow ridge (highest elevation Písek - 690 m). The ...

" and refers to the town's location.

Geography

Mníšek pod Brdy is located about 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 mostly 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 ...

, only the northern part of the municipal territory extends into the Brdy Highlands. The highest point is the Skalka hill at above sea level. A system of fishponds supplied by the stream of Bojovský potok is located in the centre of the town. The largest body of water is Sýkorník Pond east of the built-up area.

History

The first written mention of Mníšek pod Brdy is from 1348, when existence of the castle is mentioned. From 1487 to 1655, the estate was owned by the Lords of Mitrovice. In 1639, 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 ...

, Mníšek pod Brdy was damaged and looted by the

Swedish army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

led by

Johan Banér Johan Banér (23 June 1596 – 10 May 1641) was a Swedish field marshal in the Thirty Years' War. Early life Johan Banér was born at Djursholm Castle in Uppland. As a four-year-old he was forced to witness the execution of his father, the ...

. In 1655, the estate was bought by Servác Engel of Engelsfluss, a burgher from Prague. He had repaired the castle. Among the following owners of the estate were the families of Unvert and Pachta of Rájov.

Demographics

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 through the territory of Mníšek pod Brdy. Mníšek pod Brdy is located on the railway line Prague–

Dobříš Dobříš (; ) is a town in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,900 inhabitants. It is known for the Dobříš Castle. Administrative division Dobříš consists of two municipal parts (in brack ...

. The town is served by two train station: ''Mníšek pod Brdy'' and ''Rymaně''.

Sport

Mníšek pod Brdy hosts an annual cross-country

ultramarathon An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of . The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the ...

of 50 km length, which is part of the

European Ultramarathon Cup The European Ultramarathon Cup, also known as the Europacup Ultramarathon (ECU), was an annual cup event covering some of the biggest Ultramarathon races in Europe from 1992 until 2019. History The European Ultramarathon Cup began after the fall o ...

Sights

Mníšek pod Brdy Castle is the main landmark of the town and its oldest building. It includes a fishpond and a small castle park. Today the castle is owned by the state and offers guided tours. The main landmark of the town square is the Church of Saint Wenceslaus. It was built in 1743–1756 by an unknown architect on the place of a church which was burned down by the Swedish army in 1639. The Baroque complex of Skalka is located on Skalka hill. It was built by Servác Engel of Engelsfluss in the 17th century. It includes the Chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene, a monastery,

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

and a hermitage.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mnisek Pod Brdy Cities and towns in the Czech Republic