Březnice | |
|---|---|
 Town square with the Church of Saints Francis Xavier and Ignatius of Loyola | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Březnice Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Coordinates: 49°33′31″N 13°57′15″E / 49.55861°N 13.95417°E | |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Region | Central Bohemian |
| District | Příbram |
| First mentioned | 1224 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Petr Procházka |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19.47 km2 (7.52 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 462 m (1,516 ft) |
| Population (2023-01-01)[1] | |
| • Total | 3,554 |
| • Density | 180/km2 (470/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 262 72 |
| Website | www |
Březnice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbr̝ɛzɲɪtsɛ]; German: Bresnitz) is a town in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Administrative parts
The villages of Bor, Dobrá Voda, Martinice, Přední Poříčí and Zadní Poříčí are administrative parts of Březnice.
Etymology
The name of the town is probably derived from Březná , which was the former name of the stream that flowed through the birch forest (from Czech bříza, i.e. 'birch').[2]
Geography
Březnice is located about 13 kilometres (8 mi) south of Příbram and 61 km (38 mi) southwest of Prague. It lies in the Benešov Uplands. The highest point is the hill Vinice at 538 metres (1,765 ft). The Skalice River flows through the town.
History
The first written mention of Březnice is from 1224, when Budislav of Březnice, a member of the royal council, was documented. In 1327, Březnice was first referred to as a market town. Until the Battle of the White Mountain, it was a small market town. In 1621, Březnice was acquired by Přibík Jeníšek of Újezd, who together with his wife started the construction development, founded a Jesuit college and had a new church built.[3]
During the Thirty Years' War, the town was not damaged much, and continued to develop after the war, especially in the 18th century. The Jewish ghetto was founded in 1726. In 1728, Březnice was inherited by the Kolowrat family. In 1872, the town was inherited by the Pálffy family, who owned it until 1945. For centuries, Březnice was an agricultural town. In 1875, the railway was built, and industry began to develop slowly. Between 1918 and 1931, several factories were established.[3]
Demographics
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| Source: Censuses[4][5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
Březnice is home to the Březnice Castle Brewery, which sells its beer under the Herold brand name.
Transport
The I/19 road from Plzeň to Tábor passes through the town.
Březnice is located on the major railway line Prague–České Budějovice and on the line Beroun–Blatná.[6]
Sights
Březnice is known for the Březnice Castle, protected as a national cultural heritage. It was built in the 13th century. The castle is surrounded by a Renaissance garden and English landscape garden. Historically significant is its library from 1558, one of the oldest in Bohemia. The castle is open to the public.[7]
Church of Saints Francis Xavier and Ignatius of Loyola is a landmark of historical town centre. It was built by Carlo Lurago in 1642–1650. It includes many valuable paintings and carved sculptures.[8]
The Jewish ghetto is a unique urban complex with preserved Neoclassical houses. The synagogue was built in 1726–1728 and rebuilt in 1874. Březnice served as an important cultural and social centre for Jewish population in a wide area. There is also a Jewish cemetery in the town.[9]
Notable people
- Joachim Edler von Popper (1722–1795), merchant, banker and manufacturer
- Václav Pichl (1741–1805), composer; served here
- Albert Popper (1808–1889), physician and politician
- Jiří Veselý (born 1993), tennis player
Twin towns – sister cities
Lindow, Germany
References
- ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
- ^ Profous, Antonín (1947). Místní jména v Čechách I: A–H (in Czech). pp. 185–186.
- ^ a b "Historie města Březnice" (in Czech). Město Březnice. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
- ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Příbram" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 1–2.
- ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
- ^ "Detail stanice Březnice" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ "Zámek v Březnici" (in Czech). Město Březnice. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ "Kostel sv. Ignáce z Loyoly a sv. Františka Xaverského" (in Czech). Město Březnice. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ "Židovské ghetto a synagoga" (in Czech). Město Březnice. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ "Partnerské město". breznice.cz (in Czech). Město Březnice. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
This page was last edited on 15 September 2023, at 12:47