Velké Březno () is a municipality and village in

Ústí nad Labem District Ústí nad Labem District () is a district in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Ústí nad Labem. Administrative division Ústí nad Labem District is formed by only one administrative district of munic ...

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 2,400 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Velké Březno consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Velké Březno (1,658) *Valtířov (658)

Etymology

The name Březno is derived from ''březový les'' (i.e. 'birch forest'). From the 15th century, the attribute ''Velké'' ('great') is used.

Geography

Velké Březno is located about east 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. ...

. It lies in

Central Bohemian Uplands The Central Bohemian Uplands (also known as Central Bohemian Highlands; , ) is a highland and Geomorphological division of the Czech Republic, geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Ústí nad Labem Region. ...

and in the eponymous protected landscape area. The highest point is the hill Kočičí vrch at above sea level. The municipality is situated on the right bank of the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

River.

History

The first written mention of Velké Březno is from 1167, when the area became property of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

. At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, Velké Březno was acquired by the Wartenberg family. For financial reasons they were forced to sell the village in 1520 to the Salhausen family, then the owners often changed. In 1712–1841, the estate was a property of Counts of Harrach. The last noble owners of Velké Březno were the

Chotek family The Chotek family was an old and influential Czech noble family in the Kingdom of Bohemia, whose members occupied many important positions within the Holy Roman Empire and later in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. History The family is first do ...

. They had rebuilt the old castle and then had built a new one.

Demographics

Economy

Velké Březno is known for its brewery, which produces beer under the brand

Březňák Březňák is a brand of a pilsner-type beer produced in Velké Březno near Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic. It has been brewed since 1753. Since 2008, the Velké Březno Brewery is owned by the Heineken N.V. group. History Brewery was first ...

. Today the brewery is owned by

Heineken N.V. Heineken N.V. (), branded as The Heineken Company is a Dutch multinational brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. Heineken owns over 165 breweries in more than 70 countries. It produces 348 international, re ...

Transport

Velké Březno is located on the railway line Ústí nad Labem–

Děčín Děčín (; ) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It is the seventth largest municipality in the country by area. Děčín is an important traffic junction. Administrative division Děč ...

Sights

The main landmark of Velké Březno is the Velké Březno Castle. It was built in the Neoclassical style in 1842–1845 according to the design by

Ludwig Förster Ludwig Christian Friedrich (von) Förster (8 October 1797 – 16 June 1863) was a German-born Austrian architect. While he was not Jewish, he is known for building Jewish synagogues and churches. Ludwig Förster studied in Munich and Vienna. ...

. In 1885, it was rebuilt in the Neo-Renaissance style. The castle is surrounded by a park. Today the castle is owned by the state. It is open to the public and offers guided tours. The Old Castle (also called Lower Castle) was probably originally a fortress from second half of the 15th century, rebuilt after 1528 into a small aristocratic Renaissance residence. After 1841, the castle was rebuilt and was raised by a floor. Today it houses a retirement home. The Church of Saint Wenceslaus is located in Valtířov. It was built in the Gothic-Renaissance style in 1573–1574 on the site of an older church from the 14th century. It is valuable because of its authentically preserved form. Next to the church is the brick neo-Gothic tomb of the Chotek family from 1869.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Velke Brezno Villages in Ústí nad Labem District