Březina (Rokycany District)

Březina
Municipality
Březina Castle
Flag Coat of arms
Březina Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°48′27″N 13°35′49″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Plzeň
District	Rokycany
First mentioned	1379
Area
• Total	7.60 km^2 (2.93 sq mi)
Elevation	483 m (1,585 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	397
• Density	52/km^2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	338 24
Website	www.obecbrezina.eu

Březina (German: Brzezina) is a municipality and village in Rokycany District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants.

Geography

Březina is located about 7 kilometres (4 mi) north of Rokycany and 15 km (9 mi) northeast of Plzeň. It lies in the Křivoklát Highlands. The highest point is the Hradiště hill at 619 m (2,031 ft) above sea level. The stream Korečný potok originates in Březina and flows across the municipal territory.

History

There was an ancient Slavic gord on Hradiště Hill. It was one of the oldest gords in the region.^[2]

The first written mention of Březina is from 1379. From 1379 to 1651, Březina was the centre of an estate, administered from the Březina Castle. It was owned by various noble families and ofter changed hands.^[2] During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was devastated, and in 1661, it was described as abandoned.^[3]

From 1682 to 1758, Březina was property of the Bubna of Litice family. In 1758, it was acquired by the Sternberg family, who were its most notable owners. In the early 19th century, they had built here a new castle. Kaspar Maria von Sternberg established a large castle park with rare species, although many of them were destroyed by frost in 1929.^[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 636 —     1880 664 +4.4% 1890 725 +9.2% 1900 725 +0.0% 1910 668 −7.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 666 −0.3% 1930 596 −10.5% 1950 545 −8.6% 1961 457 −16.1% 1970 425 −7.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 354 −16.7% 1991 294 −16.9% 2001 298 +1.4% 2011 327 +9.7% 2021 372 +13.8%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

Salon Castle

Neo-Gothic reconstructions of the ruin of the original Březina Castle were made in the 19th century, and the castle became known as Salon. It is a landmark of Březina located on a hill above the village.^[3]

The new Březina Castle was built in the Empire style in 1790–1808. The Sternbergs owned it until 1949, when it was confiscated by the state. Until 2002, the castle housed a forestry training school. In 1990, the castle was returned to the Sternbergs.^[6]

Notable people

• Kaspar Maria von Sternberg (1761–1838), nobleman and scientist; died here
• Vlasta Burian (1891–1962), actor; used to spend vacations on his cottage in Březina^[2]

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. "Historie" (in Czech). Obec Březina. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
3. "Tip na výlet: zřícenina hradu Salon" (in Czech). Plzeňoviny. 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
4. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
5. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
6. "Empírový zámek Březina" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2024-12-18.

External links

• Official website