Panenské Břežany
Encyclopedia
Panenské Břežany is a village and municipality in Prague-East District
in the Central Bohemian Region
of the Czech Republic
.
The municipality covers an area of 5.79 km² and as of 2010 it had a population of 567.
Panenské Břežany lies in proximity of the capital city of Prague
, approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of its centre.
monastery of St. George at Prague Castle
. In the first half of the 18th Century a Baroque palace was built, which came to be called the Oberes Schloss.
After the secularization of the monastery during reign of Emperor Joseph II
the manor fell to the Virgin Teinitz Religious foundation. Until 1820 the owners changed several times, then it was purchased by Matthias von Riese-Stallburg. It was re-designed and re-built around 1840 as a French chateau
. His descendants lost the property in 1901 because of indebtedness to the Prague Credit Bank. In 1909 the property was bought by Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a financially strong buyer involved in the sugar industry. Bloch-Bauer decorated the Lower Castle with his private art collection and a hunting room full of trophies.
Following the Nazi occupation after 1939 the Jewish industrialist fled and the estate was confiscated. From 1939 to 1942 the Lower Castle was the residence of the Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia. In the castle complex lived both Konstantin von Neurath
and from 1941 his nominal successor SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich
with their families. Driving from the mansion to his work in Prague
Heydrich was assassinated in May 1942. After Heydrich's death, his widow Lina lived with the children until 1945 at the castle. Their ten year old son Klaus died in a car accident here in October 1943.
"In April 1943 Hitler finally decided that the future of the [Heydrich] family must be safeguarded, and by a special Fuehrer-Decree he ordered that Heydrich's "beloved schloss Jungfern-Breschan" with all its contents and lands should be handed over to his widow and family in perpetuity. The Fuehrer added that it was his desire that the heirs should always be associated with the property."
Prague-East District
The District of Prague-East is a district in the Central Bohemian Region , Czech Republic...
in the Central Bohemian Region
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 municipality covers an area of 5.79 km² and as of 2010 it had a population of 567.
Panenské Břežany lies in proximity of the capital city 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...
, approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of its centre.
History
The settlement was first mentioned in 1233 as the possession of the BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery of St. George at Prague Castle
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
. In the first half of the 18th Century a Baroque palace was built, which came to be called the Oberes Schloss.
After the secularization of the monastery during reign of Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
the manor fell to the Virgin Teinitz Religious foundation. Until 1820 the owners changed several times, then it was purchased by Matthias von Riese-Stallburg. It was re-designed and re-built around 1840 as a French chateau
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
. His descendants lost the property in 1901 because of indebtedness to the Prague Credit Bank. In 1909 the property was bought by Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a financially strong buyer involved in the sugar industry. Bloch-Bauer decorated the Lower Castle with his private art collection and a hunting room full of trophies.
Following the Nazi occupation after 1939 the Jewish industrialist fled and the estate was confiscated. From 1939 to 1942 the Lower Castle was the residence of the Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia. In the castle complex lived both Konstantin von Neurath
Konstantin von Neurath
Konstantin Freiherr von Neurath was a German diplomat remembered mostly for having served as Foreign minister of Germany between 1932 and 1938...
and from 1941 his nominal successor SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
with their families. Driving from the mansion to his work in 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...
Heydrich was assassinated in May 1942. After Heydrich's death, his widow Lina lived with the children until 1945 at the castle. Their ten year old son Klaus died in a car accident here in October 1943.
"In April 1943 Hitler finally decided that the future of the [Heydrich] family must be safeguarded, and by a special Fuehrer-Decree he ordered that Heydrich's "beloved schloss Jungfern-Breschan" with all its contents and lands should be handed over to his widow and family in perpetuity. The Fuehrer added that it was his desire that the heirs should always be associated with the property."