Zbečno is a municipality and village in

Rakovník District Rakovník District () is a district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Rakovník. Administrative division Rakovník District is formed by only one administrative district of municipality with extended ...

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 600 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Zbečno consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Zbečno (311) *Újezd nad Zbečnem (272)

Etymology

The initial name of the village was Stbečna. The origin of the name is unclear. It could be derived from the word ''stéblo'' ('stalk') or from the old word ''jistba'', which denoted a log cabin or a type of bridge pillar.

Geography

Zbečno is located about southeast of

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 ...

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 ...

and within the Křivoklátsko Landscape Protected Area, which administration have its seat here. The municipality is situated at the confluence of 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 and Klíčava Stream. Klíčava Reservoir is located on the Klíčava Stream in the northernmost part of the municipal territory.

History

The first written mention of Zbečno is from 1003. After the Křivoklát Castle was built, it became part of the Křivoklát estate. At the beginning of the 16th century, Zbečno 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 ...

by King Vladislaus II, but it was severely damaged in 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 in the second half of the 17th century, it was again only a village. In 1685, Zbečno was bought by 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 ...

and ceased to be a royal property. In 1950–1953, Klíčava Reservoir was built, and Zbečov became a centre of tourism.

Demographics

Transport

Zbečno is located on the railway line

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. ...

–

. The municipality is served by two train stations: ''Zbečno'' and ''Újezd nad Zbečnem''.

Sights

The main landmark of Zbečno is the Church of Saint Martin. The original Romanesque church probably existed already at the end of the 11th century. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 1470s. In 1714–1716, the church was rebuilt into its current Baroque form.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zbecno Villages in Rakovník District