Zbiroh (Czech pronunciation: [ˈzbɪrox]) is a town in Rokycany District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,500 inhabitants.
Zbiroh | |
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![]() Zbiroh Castle with the town | |
Coordinates: 49°51′37″N 13°46′22″E / 49.86028°N 13.77278°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Region | Plzeň |
District | Rokycany |
First mentioned | 1230 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Josef Štícha |
Area | |
• Total | 31.94 km2 (12.33 sq mi) |
Elevation | 414 m (1,358 ft) |
Population (2024-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 2,527 |
• Density | 79/km2 (200/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 338 08 |
Website | www |
Administrative parts
editThe villages of Chotětín, Jablečno, Přísednice and Třebnuška are administrative parts of Zbiroh.
Geography
editZbiroh is located about 18 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of Rokycany and 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Plzeň. It lies in the Křivoklát Highlands. The highest point is the Kohoutov hill at 596 m (1,955 ft) above sea level. The stream Zbirožský potok flows through the town.
History
editThe first written mention of Zbiroh is from 1230. It was a market village which was promoted to a market town in 1369. During the rule of the Rosenberg family, Zbiroh developed and acquired various rights. In 1897, Zbiroh was promoted to a town by Franz Joseph I.[2]
The first kill house in Czechoslovakia was built in 1947 in a police school in Zbiroh by World War II veterans of the Czechoslovak Army that had been trained in Great Britain.[3]
Demographics
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Source: Censuses[4][5] |
Transport
editThere are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality. The D5 motorway from Prague to Plzeň runs south of the town just outside the municipal territory.
Sights
editThe most important monument is the Zbiroh Castle. The original Romanesque-Gothic castle was built at the end of the 12th century[6] or in the early 13th century,[2] and belongs to the oldest aristocratic residences in the country. At the end of the 16th century, it was rebuilt into its current appearance of a large Renaissance castle. The landmark of the original castle part is the oldest detached watch tower in the Czech Republic.[6] The well located in Zbiroh Castle, 163 m (535 ft) deep, is one of the deepest castle wells in Europe.[7]
The Church of Saint Nicholas was originally a Gothic building, rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1719–1720.[8]
Notable people
edit- Josef Václav Sládek (1845–1912), poet
References
edit- ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
- ^ a b "Historie" (in Czech). Město Zbiroh. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
- ^ "Kdo vystřelí první, ten vyhrává!" (in Czech). Armádní noviny. 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
- ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
- ^ a b "Zbiroh Chateau" (in Czech). Zbiroh Chateau. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
- ^ "Zbiroh – Mysterious Castle of Three Emperors". TresBohemes. 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
- ^ "Kostel sv. Mikuláše" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-07-25.