Benešov
Encyclopedia
Benešov (ˈbɛnɛʃof; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region
, Czech Republic
, about 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) southeast of Prague
. The Konopiště
castle and the Czech national mountain Blaník
are near the town.
. A message from the 17th Century points to an existing church in 1070. The first written mention of Benešov however, dates only from 1226, when it was owned by the lords of Beneschau. A small Monastery was founded here in 1246 by Tobias von Beneschau, the Prague
provost and an uncle of the late Bishop of Prague, Tobias von Bechin. By 1300 they left and the property was sold to the Lord von Sternberg, whose crest is still the city's coat of arms. In 1420 the then mostly German
populated city was conquered and burned by the Hussites.
In the late Middle Ages Beneschau was the centre of several political negotiations, such as the 1451 and 1473 meetings of the Bohemian
Diet here. In the 15th and 16th centuries the town experienced an economic boom, especially thanks to its location on the trade route from Prague
to Linz
. After the end of the 16th Century there were several changes in ownership. During the Thirty Years War, the population had suffered because of passing Polish and Swedish troops. To promote the reintroduction of Catholicism
and improving the education a 1703 Priory college with a high school was founded in 1703. The Saint Anna Church of the Priory College was built over 1705 to 1715 according to plans submitted by the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi. After 1803 the town developed as a center of national rebirth for Slavic
Bohemians.
In 1871 the town was connected to Prague
by rail and by 1895 it was an important regional hub.
By World War I
Beneschau was an important garrison town of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. There were the Second Battalion of the II. Bataillon des Böhmischen Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 102 (Bohemian Infantry Regiment No. 102) and the II. Bataillon des k.k. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 28 (Second Battalion of the Imperial Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 28). Because of fears of possible political unrest in 1916 by Czech nationalists, the 2nd Regiment of the Tiroler Kaiserjäger with a reserve unit part from Bolzano was stationed here to 1918.
Early during World War II
the town was evacuated temporarily as the SS-Truppenübungsplatz Böhmen of the Waffen SS was stationed here.
A significant measure of industrialization began after 1945 with the establishment of a machinery factory and the food industry.
Central Bohemian Region
Central Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative center is placed in the Czech capital Prague , which lies in the center of the region...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, about 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) southeast of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. The Konopiště
Konopište
Konopiště is a four-winged three storey château located in the Czech Republic, about southeast of Prague, outside the city of Benešov. It has become famous as the last residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir of the Austro-Hungarian throne, whose assassination in Sarajevo triggered...
castle and the Czech national mountain Blaník
Blaník
Blaník is a mountain in the Czech Republic. Its height is 638 meters above sea level. The surrounding area is a small natural reservation.Ancient legends are associated with this mountain. The legend says that a huge army of Czech knights led by St. Wenceslas sleeps inside the mountain. The knights...
are near the town.
History
Benešov began to be settled in the 11th century. The first settlers are believed to have arrived on Karlov Hill in 1050 during the Přemyslid dynastyPremyslid dynasty
The Přemyslids , were a Czech royal dynasty which reigned in Bohemia and Moravia , and partly also in Hungary, Silesia, Austria and Poland.-Legendary rulers:...
. A message from the 17th Century points to an existing church in 1070. The first written mention of Benešov however, dates only from 1226, when it was owned by the lords of Beneschau. A small Monastery was founded here in 1246 by Tobias von Beneschau, the Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
provost and an uncle of the late Bishop of Prague, Tobias von Bechin. By 1300 they left and the property was sold to the Lord von Sternberg, whose crest is still the city's coat of arms. In 1420 the then mostly German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
populated city was conquered and burned by the Hussites.
In the late Middle Ages Beneschau was the centre of several political negotiations, such as the 1451 and 1473 meetings of the Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
Diet here. In the 15th and 16th centuries the town experienced an economic boom, especially thanks to its location on the trade route from Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
. After the end of the 16th Century there were several changes in ownership. During the Thirty Years War, the population had suffered because of passing Polish and Swedish troops. To promote the reintroduction of Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and improving the education a 1703 Priory college with a high school was founded in 1703. The Saint Anna Church of the Priory College was built over 1705 to 1715 according to plans submitted by the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi. After 1803 the town developed as a center of national rebirth for Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
Bohemians.
In 1871 the town was connected to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
by rail and by 1895 it was an important regional hub.
By World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Beneschau was an important garrison town of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. There were the Second Battalion of the II. Bataillon des Böhmischen Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 102 (Bohemian Infantry Regiment No. 102) and the II. Bataillon des k.k. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 28 (Second Battalion of the Imperial Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 28). Because of fears of possible political unrest in 1916 by Czech nationalists, the 2nd Regiment of the Tiroler Kaiserjäger with a reserve unit part from Bolzano was stationed here to 1918.
Early during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the town was evacuated temporarily as the SS-Truppenübungsplatz Böhmen of the Waffen SS was stationed here.
A significant measure of industrialization began after 1945 with the establishment of a machinery factory and the food industry.