Battle of Locust Grove

Vlachovo Březí (German: Wällisch Birken, Wällischbirken) is a town in Prachatice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Svobody Square with the Church of the Annunciation

Villages of Chocholatá Lhota, Dachov, Dolní Kožlí, Doubrava, Horní Kožlí, Mojkov and Uhřice are administrative parts of Vlachovo Březí.

Etymology

The name Březí is derived from bříza (i.e. 'birch') and referred to the forest that was around the settlement. The adjective Vlachovo (meaning Vlach's) refers to the knight Vladislav Vlach Malovec, who owned the settlement.[2]

Geography

Vlachovo Březí is located about 7 kilometres (4 mi) north of Prachatice and 38 km (24 mi) northwest of České Budějovice. It lies in the Bohemian Forest Foothills. The highest point is the hill Běleč at 923 m (3,028 ft) above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Vlachovo Březí is from 1274, then called just Březí. In the first half of the 15th century, Březí was owned by the Malovec family and was renamed Vlachovo Březí after Vladislav Vlach Malovec.[2] In 1538, the settlement was promoted to a market town by Emperor Ferdinand I and received its coat of arms. From the second half of the 17th century, the cloth making flourished, and local products were also exported abroad. Prosperity started population growth. In 1868, Vlachovo Březí was promoted to a town by Emperor Franz Joseph I.[3]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18693,157—    
18803,124−1.0%
18902,826−9.5%
19002,660−5.9%
19102,658−0.1%
YearPop.±%
19212,575−3.1%
19302,364−8.2%
19501,661−29.7%
19611,701+2.4%
19701,616−5.0%
YearPop.±%
19801,574−2.6%
19911,629+3.5%
20011,668+2.4%
20111,651−1.0%
20211,708+3.5%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

There is no railway or state road leading to the town. The main connection with the surrounding area is the II/144 road.

Sights

The Manor Brewery building with the castle courtyard

Vlachovo Březí Castle was a fortress, rebuilt into a Renaissance castle in 1561. In 1698, it was rebuilt into its current early Baroque form.[6] Today it is unused and the premises are offered for rent.[7]

The first mention of a brewery in Vlachovo Březí is from 1623. The Manor Brewery in its current form was founded around 1670 and its capacity caused the gradual demise of breweries in the surrounding villages.[7][8] The Baroque brewery building with distinctive gables was built in the 18th century and forms the western wing of the castle complex. The beer brewing continued until 1924.[9] In 2014–2015, the valuable building was repaired and now it is owned by the town.[7] The beer brewing was renewed in 2017.[8]

The original Church of the Annunciation was first mentioned in 1359, when it was built in the Romanesque style. In 1659–1669, the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style, in which form it still stands today.[10]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Vlachovo Březí is twinned with:[11]

References

  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
  2. ^ a b "Po stopách místních názvů, aneb Proč se to tak jmenuje. Vlachovo Březí" (in Czech). Jižní Čechy TEĎ. 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  3. ^ "Historie" (in Czech). Město Vlachovo Březí. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  4. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Prachatice" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 19–20.
  5. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  6. ^ "Zámek Vlachovo Březí" (in Czech). Hrady.cz. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  7. ^ a b c "Památky" (in Czech). Město Vlachovo Březí. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  8. ^ a b "Historie" (in Czech). Březí Koza Brewery. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  9. ^ "Budova Panského pivovaru Vlachovo Březí" (in Czech). PRO Šumavsko, z.s. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  10. ^ "Historie" (in Czech). Farnost Vlachovo Březí. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  11. ^ "První vlachovobřezské noviny květen – červen – červenec 2014" (in Czech). Město Vlachovo Březí. 2014-07-19. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-08-06.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlachovo_B%C5%99ez%C3%AD