Nižbor () is a municipality and village in

Beroun District Beroun District () is a district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Beroun. Administrative division Beroun District is divided into two administrative districts of municipalities with extended compete ...

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 2,100 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Nižbor consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Nižbor (1,368) *Stradonice (427) *Žloukovice (295)

Etymology

The local castle was originally named ''Miesenburg'', meaning "castle upon

Mže The Mže (; ) is a river in the Czech Republic and shortly in Germany. It flows through Bavaria in Germany and through the Plzeň and Central Bohemian regions. It is the upper course of the Berounka, but usually is considered a separate river. U ...

". Later it was distorted to ''Nižbor''.

Geography

Nižbor is located about northwest of

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. ...

and west 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

Křivoklát Highlands Křivoklát () 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 medieval Křivoklát Castle, protected as national cultural monument. Administrative d ...

, in the

Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area (abbreviated as Křivoklátsko PLA; ) is a protected landscape area in the Czech Republic. Geography Křivoklátsko PLA lies in the western part of the Central Bohemian Region, only a small part extends in ...

. The highest point is the hill Lísek at above sea level. The

Berounka The Berounka () is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Vltava River. It flows through the Plzeň Region, Plzeň and Central Bohemian Region, Central Bohemian regions to Prague. It is formed by the confluence of the Mže and Radbu ...

River flows through the municipality.

History

The first written mention of Nižbor is from 1265, when Nižbor Castle was founded by King Ottokar II. The castle became an important centre of the region. In 1425, it was conquered by the

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

. Nižbor was a royal property until 1601. From 1510 to 1601, however, it was granted to the Otta of Los family. During their rule, an iron smelter was established here and there was an influx of new inhabitants. In 1601–1613, Nižbor was owned by the Šanovec family, who had rebuilt the castle. The

Waldstein family The House of Waldstein (Valdstejn, Valdonio, or Wallenstein) is an old, wealthy and important noble family from Central Europe (Germany and the Czech Republic). They owned many castles across Europe. Origin The House of Waldstein or House of V ...

acquired the estate 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 ...

and annexed it to the neighbouring

Křivoklát Křivoklát () 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 medieval Křivoklát Castle, protected as national cultural monument. Administrative div ...

estate. In 1731, the Waldsteins sold the Křivoklát estate with Nižbor to the Fürstenberg family, who owned it until 1929.

Demographics

Economy

Nižbor is known for the

Nižbor glassworks Nižbor glassworks, officially Rückl Crystal, is a Czech glass factory in the municipality of Nižbor, Czech Republic. It lies about 7 km west of the town of Beroun. The glass factory produces 24% lead crystal. The major part of its produ ...

, a

Bohemian crystal Bohemian glass (), also referred to as Bohemia crystal (''český křišťál''), is glass produced in the regions of Bohemia and Silesia, now parts of the Czech Republic. It has a centuries long history of being internationally recognised for its ...

factory founded in 1903.

Transport

Nižbor is located on the railway line

–

Rakovník 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 ...

Sights

The most important monument is the Nižbor Castle. The original medieval castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence n the early 17th century, then it was completely rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1720–1725. It was rebuilt by the architect

František Maxmilián Kaňka František Maxmilián Kaňka (19 August 1674 – 14 July 1766) was a Czech architect. He was among the most important and most prolific Baroque architects in the Czech lands. Life František Maxmilián Kaňka was born in Prague on 19 August 16 ...

. Today the castle is open to the public. It houses the Information centre of Celtic culture. The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was built in the Baroque style in 1724. It was built on the site of the Gothic castle chapel next to the castle. A cultural monument is the Fürstenberg Tomb. The burial ground of the Fürstenberg family with a number of sepulchral objects was built from 1787 until the mid-19th century.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nizbor Villages in the Beroun District