Zbiroh

Zbiroh
Town
Zbiroh Castle with the town
Flag Coat of arms
Zbiroh Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°51′37″N 13°46′22″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Plzeň
District	Rokycany
First mentioned	1230
Government
• Mayor	Josef Štícha
Area
• Total	31.94 km^2 (12.33 sq mi)
Elevation	414 m (1,358 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	2,527
• Density	79/km^2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	338 08
Website	www.zbiroh.cz

Zbiroh (Czech pronunciation: [ˈzbɪrox]) is a town in Rokycany District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,500 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The villages of Chotětín, Jablečno, Přísednice and Třebnuška are administrative parts of Zbiroh.

Geography

Zbiroh is located about 18 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of Rokycany and 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Plzeň. It lies in the Křivoklát Highlands. The highest point is the Kohoutov hill at 596 m (1,955 ft) above sea level. The stream Zbirožský potok flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Zbiroh is from 1230. It was a market village which was promoted to a market town in 1369. During the rule of the Rosenberg family, Zbiroh developed and acquired various rights. In 1897, Zbiroh was promoted to a town by Franz Joseph I.^[2]

The first kill house in Czechoslovakia was built in 1947 in a police school in Zbiroh by World War II veterans of the Czechoslovak Army that had been trained in Great Britain.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,577 —     1880 2,484 −3.6% 1890 2,317 −6.7% 1900 2,212 −4.5% 1910 2,236 +1.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 2,082 −6.9% 1930 1,999 −4.0% 1950 1,852 −7.4% 1961 2,220 +19.9% 1970 2,053 −7.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 2,560 +24.7% 1991 2,437 −4.8% 2001 2,593 +6.4% 2011 2,567 −1.0% 2021 2,420 −5.7%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality. The D5 motorway from Prague to Plzeň runs south of the town just outside the municipal territory.

Sights

Church of Saint Nicholas

The most important monument is the Zbiroh Castle. The original Romanesque-Gothic castle was built at the end of the 12th century^[6] or in the early 13th century,^[2] and belongs to the oldest aristocratic residences in the country. At the end of the 16th century, it was rebuilt into its current appearance of a large Renaissance castle. The landmark of the original castle part is the oldest detached watch tower in the Czech Republic.^[6] The well located in Zbiroh Castle, 163 m (535 ft) deep, is one of the deepest castle wells in Europe.^[7]

The Church of Saint Nicholas was originally a Gothic building, rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1719–1720.^[8]

Notable people

• Josef Václav Sládek (1845–1912), poet

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. "Historie" (in Czech). Město Zbiroh. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
3. "Kdo vystřelí první, ten vyhrává!" (in Czech). Armádní noviny. 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
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. "Zbiroh Chateau" (in Czech). Zbiroh Chateau. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
7. "Zbiroh – Mysterious Castle of Three Emperors". TresBohemes. 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
8. "Kostel sv. Mikuláše" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-07-25.

External links

• Official website