Town in Central Bohemian, Czech Republic
Brandys nad Labem-Stara Boleslav
(
Czech pronunciation:
[?brandiːs
?nad
lab?m
?staraː
?bol?slaf]
;
German
:
Brandeis
and
Altbunzlau
) is an administratively united pair of towns in
Prague-East District
in the
Central Bohemian Region
of the
Czech Republic
. It has about 20,000 inhabitants and it is the second largest Czech united pair of towns after
Frydek-Mistek
.
Stara Boleslav is known as an important pilgrimage site, which is the oldest in
Bohemia
. There are several important monuments. The historic centres of both Brandys nad Labem and Stara Boleslav are well preserved and are protected by law as two
urban monument zones
.
Administrative parts
[
edit
]
The municipality is made up of the towns of Brandys nad Labem and Stara Boleslav and the village of Popovice.
Geography
[
edit
]
Bridge over the Elbe
Brandys nad Labem-Stara Boleslav is located about 12 kilometres (7 mi) northeast of
Prague
. It lies in a flat landscape of the
Central Elbe Table
plateau, in the heart of the agricultural region of
Polabi
. Brandys nad Labem-Stara Boleslav lies upon the
Elbe
river, Brandys nad Labem on the left bank and Stara Boleslav on the right bank.
In the northern part of the municipal territory lies Probo?tske Lake, which is an artificial lake created by flooding a gravel quarry. It is used for recreational purposes.
[2]
History
[
edit
]
Around the year 900, during the rule of Duke
Spytihn?v I
, a
gord
was founded in the area of Stara Boleslav. In the first third of the 10th century, when Duke
Boleslaus I
resided here, the moats were replaced by stone walls, and the gord was named Boleslav after the duke. At that time, the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian already stood here. At the gate of the church, Boleslaus I murdered his brother Duke
Wenceslaus
on 28 September 935 (or 929). After his death, Wenceslaus was proclaimed a saint by the church and became the
patron saint
of the Czech nation as well as a symbol of moral reinforcement during hard times. Stara Boleslav subsequently became an important pilgrimage site.
[3]
After 1039, Duke
Bretislav I
established a new
Romanesque
basilica
dedicated to St. Wenceslaus at the site of the murder. Moreover, Bretislaus I had the Collegiate Chapter of Saints Cosmas and Damian, the oldest in
Bohemia
, built next to the basilica in 1052.
[4]
Kings
Charles IV
and
Wenceslaus
often used to visit the town to hunt in the 14th century, and had new town fortifications built. During the
Hussite Wars
(1419?1434), the castle in Stara Boleslav was burned down.
[4]
Brandys was founded in the early 14th century around a small castle from the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. A town with a fortress gradually emerged. At the end of the 15th century, a castle was built in Brandys, into which a tower from the original fortress was incorporated. During the
Thirty Years' War
, both Stara Boleslav and Brandys were almost completely destroyed. In the second half of the 17th century, Stara Boleslav regained its earlier fame through the cult of
Madonna
.
[4]
In the 18th century, both towns began to grow, but were again affected by wars. During the
Seven Years' War
in 1757, part of Stara Boleslav burned down. Prussian General
Hartwig Karl von Wartenberg
was killed during the battle. From the middle of the 18th century, manufactories and factories were established in the towns. The most famous was Melichar's factory for agricultural machinery in Brandys nad Labem, founded in 1883, which achieved fame abroad and had branches in many European cities.
[4]
In 1960, the two adjacent towns were joined to form one town of
Brandys nad Labem-Stara Boleslav
, after both towns refused to give up their names and accept a new one.
[4]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
| Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
|---|
| 1869
| 7,291
| ?
|
|---|
| 1880
| 7,945
| +9.0%
|
|---|
| 1890
| 8,065
| +1.5%
|
|---|
| 1900
| 8,750
| +8.5%
|
|---|
| 1910
| 10,681
| +22.1%
|
|---|
| | Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
|---|
| 1921
| 9,882
| ?7.5%
|
|---|
| 1930
| 11,609
| +17.5%
|
|---|
| 1950
| 12,243
| +5.5%
|
|---|
| 1961
| 13,292
| +8.6%
|
|---|
| 1970
| 13,993
| +5.3%
|
|---|
| | Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
|---|
| 1980
| 14,412
| +3.0%
|
|---|
| 1991
| 15,644
| +8.5%
|
|---|
| 2001
| 15,298
| ?2.2%
|
|---|
| 2011
| 17,537
| +14.6%
|
|---|
| 2021
| 19,029
| +8.5%
|
|---|
|
| Source: Censuses
[5]
[6]
|
Transport
[
edit
]
The
D10 motorway
from Prague to
Mlada Boleslav
passes through the town.
There are two railways. Brandys nad Labem lies on the
?elakovice
?
Neratovice
railway line. It is served by three stations and stops. Stara Boleslav lies on a railway line leading from
Usti nad Labem
to
Lysa nad Labem
.
Culture
[
edit
]
Church of Saint Wenceslaus and Church of Saint Clement
Stara Boleslav is the oldest pilgrimage site in
Bohemia
.
[7]
From 2003, the renewed St. Wenceslaus National Pilgrimage in Stara Boleslav takes place here every year on 28 September and is the largest official celebration of St. Wenceslaus Day (
Czech Statehood Day
). On this occasion, in 2009
Pope Benedict XVI
visited Stara Boleslav as the first pope in its history.
[8]
Sights
[
edit
]
Brandys nad Labem Castle
Centre of Stara Boleslav with the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
The town is rich in monuments. There are several important objects, protected as
national cultural monuments
: Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Church of Saint Wenceslaus and Church of Saint Clement, Brandys nad Labem Castle, and
Palladium
of the
Bohemian land
.
[9]
Brandys nad Labem Castle was originally a medieval Gothic castle, rebuilt into the Renaissance residence in the mid-16th century. The castle is characterized by an exceptionally extensive
sgraffito
decoration and a park with a preserved Renaissance layout. After
Prague Castle
, the castle was one of the most important Habsburg residences in the
Czech lands
. Between 1547 and 1918, it was visited by all the monarchs of the Habsburg dynasty.
[10]
The Church of Saint Wenceslaus and the Church of Saint Clement are a pair of important neighbouring Romanesque churches. The area of churches is located in the place where the gord with the old Romanesque Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian stood. The Church of Saint Wenceslaus is a three-nave
basilica
, founded in 1039 by Duke
Bretislav I
and consecrated in 1046. At the end of the 11th century, the adjoining Church of Saint Clement was built. It is valuable for its Romanesque frescos from the latter half of the 12th century depicting scenes from St. Clement's life and martyrdom.
[3]
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a large early Baroque church, associated with many notable artists. It was built in 1613?1623. It is located on the site of the older building of the Church of the Virgin Mary and Saint George, which was first mentioned around 1098. Due to the
Thirty Years' War
, the first tower was built only in 1674?1675 and the second, according to the design of
Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer
, in 1750?1760. The main altar was made in the years 1717?1723 according to the design of
Franti?ek Maxmilian Ka?ka
. The sculptural decoration comes from the workshop of
Matthias Braun
.
[11]
The main altar of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary contains a Gothic relief of Madonna and Child called Palladium of the Bohemian land. It probably dates from the 1380s and according to legend, its origin is connected with
St. Ludmila
and St. Wenceslaus. It is among the most valuable movable monuments in the country. In the 17th?20th centuries, many copies were made, located in churches all over the Czech Republic.
[12]
A town gate, which is a remnant of medieval fortifications of Stara Boleslav, has been preserved. Other monuments in Stara Boleslav include several notable Baroque buildings: the Chapel of Blessed Podiven from 1738, designed by K. I. Dientzenhofer; the Jesuit college from the second half of the 17th century; the provost's seat built in 1728?1734; and the chapter deanery built in 1710?1712.
[7]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Jan Tesanek
(1728?1788), scholar and author of scientific literature
- Karel ?ebor
(1843?1903), opera composer
- Maria Theresa of Austria
(1862?1933), archduchess
- Leopold Salvator of Austria
(1863?1931), archduke and Prince of Tuscany
- Bohumil Honzatko
(1875?1950), gymnast and long-distance runner
- Antonin Be?va?
(1901?1965), astronomer
- Rudolf Kirs
(1915?1963), cellist
- David Novotny
(born 1969), actor
- David Rikl
(born 1971), tennis player
- Oto Biederman
(born 1973), serial killer
- Toma? Votava
(born 1974), footballer
- Marek Mat?jovsky
(born 1981), footballer
- Ond?ej Synek
(born 1982), rower, Olympic medalist
- Michaela Uhrova
(born 1982), basketball player
- Amalie Hilgertova
(born 1997), slalom canoeist
Twin towns ? sister cities
[
edit
]
Brandys nad Labem-Stara Boleslav is
twinned
with:
[13]
Trivia
[
edit
]
The name of municipality is the second longest in the country (after
Nova Ves u Noveho M?sta na Morav?
) with 32 letters and spaces.
[14]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Masarykovo Square in Brandys nad Labem
-
Sv. Vaclava Square in Stara Boleslav
-
Medieval tower in Stara Boleslav
-
Palladium of the Bohemian land
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]