Beroun | |
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 View of Beroun | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Beroun Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Coordinates:49°57′51″N14°4′26″E / 49.96417°N 14.07389°E /49.96417; 14.07389 | |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Region | Central Bohemian |
| District | Beroun |
| First mentioned | 1265 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Soňa Chalupová (ODS) |
| Area | |
• Total | 31.25 km2 (12.07 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 235 m (771 ft) |
| Population (2025-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 21,521 |
| • Density | 688.7/km2 (1,784/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 266 01 |
| Website | www |
Beroun (Czech pronunciation:[ˈbɛroun];German:Beraun) is a town in theCentral Bohemian Region of theCzech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of theBerounka andLitavka rivers. Beroun creates aconurbation withKrálův Dvůr, former part of Beroun. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as anurban monument zone.
Beroun consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2]
Beroun is located about 26 kilometres (16 mi) southwest ofPrague. It lies at the confluence of theBerounka andLitavka rivers, in the valley of the rivers. TheLoděnice River flows through Beroun-Hostim in the easternmost part of the municipal territory and then joins the Berounka just outside the territory of Beroun.
The surrounding landscape is hilly. The southern part of the municipal territory, including the built-up area, lies in theHořovice Uplands. The northern part lies in theKřivoklát Highlands. The highest point is the Děd hill at 493 m (1,617 ft) above sea level. The lowest point is the river basin of the Berounka, at 212 m (696 ft).
The settlementNa Brodě ("By the Ford"), which was the predecessor of Beroun, was first mentioned in a 1088deed. The first written mention of Beroun (under its Latin nameVerona) is in a deed of KingOttokar II from 1265. Ottokar II designated a strategically important place for the establishment of a settlement, from which the town of Beroun originated, that formed the shortest and easiest connection between Prague andPlzeň.[3]
In 1295, KingWenceslaus II decided to re-settle and expand the town. At this time, the historic core of Beroun was created, which has been roughly preserved to this day. A Dominican convent was also founded. In 1303, Wenceslaus II made Beroun a royal town.[3]
During the reign of EmperorCharles IV, the town prospered and rapidly developed. In 1421,Hussite forces under the command ofJan Žižka stormed the town and demolished the Dominican convent, and though it was retaken and devastated after theBattle of Lipany, it has remained a mainlyCzech settled town since then. During the reign of KingVladislaus II (1471–1516), Beroun reached its greatest prosperity.[3]
Under the rule of theHouse of Habsburg from 1526, the town's estates were seized. During theThirty Years' War it was sacked in turn by theImperial army,Saxon forces, andSwedish forces. In theFirst Silesian War the same fate befell it at the hands ofFrench andBavarian troops.[4]
In the 18th century, Beroun became agarrison town and did not prosper again until the 1860s, with the opening oflimestone quarries andiron ore mines. Beside severalironworks, Beroun became the site oftextile manufacturing, and the population increased.[3]
Beroun was significantly transformed during communist rule.Heavy industry was expanded, and central government policy set quotas for new flats. As Beroun is situated between two rivers in a deep valley without suitable building plots, quotas were met by demolishing historical medieval buildings and erecting prefabricated high-rise buildings. The town look was changed again in the 1980s when the D5 highway was opened, running on the bridge above the town.
Králův Dvůr, together with multiple municipalities, was joined to Beroun in 1980.[5] In 1990, Králův Dvůr andTrubín became separate municipalities.[6]
Since the fall of communism, the town has been revitalised. Medieval buildings have been reconstructed, and town walls have been conserved. Heavy industry left the town, significantly raising the quality of living. In the 21st century, Beroun has become a popular place to live with high population growth and with an above-average quality of environment and health care.[7]
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| Source: Censuses[8][9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Beroun is connected viaD5 motorway (part of theEuropean route E50) with Prague and GermanBundesautobahn 6 toNuremberg.
Several railway lines run through Beroun: Prague–České Budějovice, Prague–Klatovy viaPlzeň, Beroun–Český Brod, Beroun–Rakovník and Beroun–Blatná There are two train stations: Beroun and Beroun-Závodí.[10]
The Talich's Beroun international music festival has been held annually in Beroun since 1983. It is named in honor of violinistVáclav Talich, who lived and died in the town.[11]
The town is represented by the ice hockey clubHC Berounští Medvědi. The formerly1st league club now plays in lower tiers. There is also theball hockey club SK Kelti 2008.
The football clubs in the town are Český Lev Union Beroun and SK Cembrit Beroun-Závodí, both playing in lower amateur tiers.
The sports club TJ Lokomotiva Beroun is dedicated to swimming, rowing, athletics and other.[12]
Husovo Square and its surrounding are the historic centre of Beroun. The square contains many valuable and well preserved houses. The town hall is a Renaissance building from 1560–1564.[13]
TheChurch of Saint James the Great is as old as the town. It is one of the most valuable building in the town. The Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was built in 1525, after a new cemetery was established during the great plague.[13]
The Beroun walls are an exceptional monument of a medieval fortification in Bohemia. They were built during the reign of Wenceslaus II. They surrounded the town with a total length of 1,170 metres (3,840 ft). Plzeňská Gate (also known as "Upper Gate") and Pražská Gate ("Lower Gate") were the most significant parts of town fortifications. Until 1842, the road fromPlzeň to Prague passed through the gates.[13]
In 1724, theChapel of Our Lady of Sorrows was built.[13]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Beraun".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 764.
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