Měcholupy () is a market town in

Louny District Louny District () is a Okres, district in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Louny, but the most populated town is Žatec. Administrative division Louny District is divided into three Districts of the Cze ...

in the

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

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 1,000 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Měcholupy consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Měcholupy (442) *Milošice (43) *Velká Černoc (237) *Želeč (208)

Geography

Měcholupy is located about southwest of

Louny Louny (; ) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument ...

, southwest of

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction. ...

and northwest 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 ...

. The northern part of the municipal territory lies in the

Most Basin The Most Basin (also known as North Bohemian Basin; , ) is a structural basin and geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is named after the city of Most. It forms the southwestern and central parts of the Ústí nad Labem Region. ...

. The southern part lies in the

Rakovník Uplands Rakovník (, ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Rakovník consists o ...

and includes the highest point of Měcholupy at above sea level. The market town is situated on the

Blšanka The Blšanka is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Ohře River. It flows through the Ústí nad Labem Region, Ústí nad Labem and Karlovy Vary Region, Karlovy Vary regions. It is long. Etymology The river is named after the ...

River.

History

The first written mention of Měcholupy is from 1295. Among the owners of the village were King Vladislaus II, the Sekera od Sedčice family, and members of the dynasties of Kolowrat and

Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is an important Bohemian noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest noble families of the region. Over the ce ...

. At the end of the 17th century, during the rule of Karl of Paar, the local fortress was rebuilt into a Baroque castle with a chapel. In 1860,

Anton Dreher Anton Dreher (7 May 1810 in Schwechat near Vienna – 27 December 1863 in Schwechat) was an Austrian brewer, business magnate, philanthropist of Danube Swabian ancestry, the founder of the Dreher Breweries who was an important figure in the devel ...

bought Měcholupy, established a new brewery and had rebuilt the castle into its current appearance. The village 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 rura ...

in 1875. The ''Michelob'' beer brand of

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC ( ) is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...

was introduced in 1896 and was named after the German name of Měcholupy.

Demographics

Economy

Měcholupy is located in an area known for growing the

Saaz hops Saaz is a "noble" variety of hops. It was named after the Czech town of Žatec (). This hop is used extensively in Bohemia to flavor beer as the Czech pilsner. Saaz hops accounted for more than of total 2009 hop production in the Czech Republi ...

Transport

Měcholupy lies on a railway line heading from

Jirkov Jirkov (; ) is a town in Chomutov District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. Jirkov creates a conurbation with Chomutov. Administrative division Jirkov consists of five municipal parts (in brack ...

and

Chomutov Chomutov (; ) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 47,000 inhabitants. There are almost 80,000 inhabitants in the city's wider metropolitan area. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as ...

to Lužná. There are two stations and stops: ''Měcholupy'' and ''Želeč''.

Sights

Today the Měcholupy Castle serves as a special school. In the centre of Želeč are a late Baroque castle and the Church of Saint Nicholas. It is a Baroque church from 1750. The tower was added in 1842. The Church of Saint Wenceslaus in Velká Černoc was built in the Baroque style in 1783–1787.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mecholupy Market towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Louny District