Beroun
Encyclopedia
Beroun (ˈbɛrou̯n; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region
of the Czech Republic
. The town is part of the Prague metropolitan area. It is located 30 km southwest of Prague and has a population of 18,930 (2011). It lies on the confluence of Berounka
and Litavka
rivers.
Despite its small size, it is an administrative center akin to a "county seat". It lies on the D5 motorway that connects Prague
with Pilsen and, farther afield, with Bavaria
, Germany
.
, who was specially attached to the place, calling it "Verona mea." Under his patronage the town rapidly prospered. In 1421 Jan Žižka
stormed the town, which later on was retaken and devastated by the troops of Duke Leopold, bishop of Passau. During the Thirty Years' War
it was sacked by the Imperial army, the Saxons
and the Swedes in turn; and in the first Silesian war the same fate befell it at the hands of the French
and Bavaria
ns.
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...
of the 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....
. The town is part of the Prague metropolitan area. It is located 30 km southwest of Prague and has a population of 18,930 (2011). It lies on the confluence of Berounka
Berounka
The Berounka is a river in the Czech Republic. It carries the name Mže from its source in Germany, next to the Czech border, until its confluence with the Radbuza in Pilsen...
and Litavka
Litavka
Litavka is a river in the Czech Republic, the right tributary of the Berounka River. It originates in the Brdy mountain range at the elevation of 736 m and flows for 54.9 km to Beroun, where it enters the Berounka River....
rivers.
Despite its small size, it is an administrative center akin to a "county seat". It lies on the D5 motorway that connects 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...
with Pilsen and, farther afield, with Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Early history
Beroun was originally called na Brodě (by the ford), and received the name of Bern, Berun or Verona in the 13th century, when it obtained the privileges of a city from the emperor Charles IVCharles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
, who was specially attached to the place, calling it "Verona mea." Under his patronage the town rapidly prospered. In 1421 Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha , Czech general and Hussite leader, follower of Jan Hus, was born at small village Trocnov in Bohemia, into a gentried family. He was nicknamed "One-eyed Žižka"...
stormed the town, which later on was retaken and devastated by the troops of Duke Leopold, bishop of Passau. During the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
it was sacked by the Imperial army, the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
and the Swedes in turn; and in the first Silesian war the same fate befell it at the hands of the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
ns.