Príbram
Encyclopedia
Příbram (ˈpr̝̊iːbram; , earlier Freiberg in Böhmen) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region
of the Czech Republic
with a population of 35,147. The city is located on the Litavka
river and the foothills of Brdy
, 60 kilometers south-west of Prague
, the country's capital. The city is well known for its mining history, but is now finding a new look after economic restructuring.
The city is the third largest in the Central Bohemian Region (behind Kladno
and Mladá Boleslav
) and is a natural administrative and cultural center of the south-western part of the region, although it also tends to be largely influenced by the economy and lifestyle of Prague.
Widely-known pilgrimage site Svatá Hora is located just above the city, while the Mining Museum Příbram
, including the communist labor camp Vojna memorial, is another tourism attraction.
’s prophecy and destroying of Březové Hory mines by Horymír of Neumětely, both stories depicting the silver mining in region.
Hájek also explains the name of the city, although his etymology is now believed to be partially fancied, the basics of it is probably true, as the city name is derived from the name of a person, probably the site owner.
Since 1216 (the first remark about Příbram ever), the Příbram holding has been owned by Prague bishops and soon received its walls. The city castle was built under Prague archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice
. During Hussite
wars in the 15th century, Příbram stood on the reformation
side, but was captured and pillaged four times by Catholic aristocracy.
Archbishop Zdeněk Zajíc of Hasenburk gave Příbram town privileges
, which were confirmed by king Jiří z Poděbrad
in 1463, and in 1496 Příbram was named town by king Ladislaus II
, as Příbram was passed over to Czech King’s hands. The economic state of city however worsened, the rulers often impledged the city and temporary masters did not care of the city development.
had large impact on Příbram, lowering the number of its citizens and causing violent recatholicization that was supported by the growing importance of Holy Mountain
, nearby pilgrimage
site.
Since the 17th century the mining boom was followed with the city growth. The city however gave majority of its mining profit share over in favor of central Vienna
government, which soon slowed the development of the city when the silver mining was on its top at the end of the 18th century.
Five major deep-mines are built in 18th century in Březové Hory near Příbram, starting with the St. Adalbert mine . The Příbram mining district became one of the most modern in Europe in 19th century, which remained true until the 1920s. Příbram built educational sites and became the seat of central mining authorities and the mining academy. The St. Mary mine fire in 1892 was a large-scale catastrophe, as 319 miners died. Although the real importance of Příbram mines declined after 1900, the city’s reputation as the educational and cultural centre remained high.
Region with strong partisan
resistance was around Příbram during the World War II
. Several prominent citizens participated in the resistance, many of them were killed by Nazi occupiers. Student Antonín Stočes, his father and Příbram’s gymnasium director Josef Lukeš, were executed in Tábor
in the 1942 days following the assassination of Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich
. Their story was idealized in Jan Drda’s fiction Vyšší princip (Higher Principle). General Richard Tesařík
, the Hero of the Soviet Union
, or legionary Alois Laub, leader of the military resistance group Oliver, executed in Brandenburg
in 1945, were born in Příbram.
At the beginning of May 1945, Příbram spontaneously rose up against the occupiers, the Czech authority took formally the power, but the Wehrmacht
unit threatened with declaration of martial law. After negotiations, the city was liberated by the Soviet partisan brigade Death of Fascism led by Captain Yevgeny Antonovich Olesinsky. Although the majority of German forces had left the city before the liberation itself, Příbram’s surroundings are said to be the place where the last shots of the World War II were fired. German troops trying to leave Soviet zone over the demarcation line were met by partisan units and eventually fought Soviet Army, General von Pückler agreed to a surrender 12 May 1945, four days after the V-E Day
.
In 1950, the cities of Příbram and Březové Hory were merged.
The last epoch of Příbram mining occurred since the 1950s, when the district was opened again for uranite mining, several mines around the city were opened. The industry was included into a program of penal labour that Communist Czechoslovak government used for persecution of regime objectors. Labor camp
s Příbram-Vojna and Příbram-Brody were run there 1949-1951, holding up to 800 detainees. The new city quarter was built for more than a half of citizens; Březové Hory and several villages (e.g. Zdaboř) became part of city, which population overcame 40,000 citizens.
Located near to the Brdy military area, Příbram was an important locality during the 1968 Occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact
forces. The army command in Příbram was labeled focus of contrarevolution in the Czechoslovak Army as it did not cooperate the occupation forces and harbored the Czechoslovak Television
during its independent broadcasting. The rioting of Příbram-Bytíz crime prisoners and the strike of Příbram miners were the other major events related to the August 1968 invasion.
The 1989 Velvet Revolution
influenced the city life as much as the mines closure.
and two vice-mayors. As former county city, Příbram now has a status of the city with extended agency .
All city council seats are now occupied by the Czech Social Democratic Party
(ČSSD) members and the SNK European Democrats
(SNK-ED), their minority coalition was enabled by the votes of Communists
. Josef Řihák
(ČSSD) is the current city mayor.
Příbram area of almost 13 km² is divided into 18 city quarters, nine central numbered using roman numerals
, the others are usually the villages added to the city before in the second half of the 20th century like Brod, Bytíz, Jerusalem, Lazec, Žežice and others.
period when there was no state government with Parliament’s confidence and the situation was highly confrontational between the two strongest Czech parties – the Civic Democrats ODS and Social Democrats
ČSSD.
Both parties strengthened their position in the Příbram council for the second elections in a row, while the Christian Democrats of the former mayor Josef Vacek lost both two remaining seats, Vacek himself did not act as the party leader, but he was unsuccessfully running for re-election.
The result gave the Civic Democrats a chance to continue their coalition with the Social Democrats or to close a coalition deal with the SNK European Democrats, but they were not able to do so. After two weeks of negotiations, the minority coalition of Social Democrats and SNK European Democrats was approved by the Communists' votes. The coalition broke later and it was substituted by a large majority coalition of Social Democrats and Civic Democrats.
Summary of the 2006 Příbram council elections results
|-
! style="text-align:left; background:#e9e9e9; vertical-align:top;" colspan="2"|Parties and coalitions
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:left;"|Leader
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;"|Votes
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;"|%
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;"|Seats
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;"|+/-
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#00d;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Civic Democratic Party (ODS)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Ivan Fuksa
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|86,272
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|33.13
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|11
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|+4
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#fa0;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Czech Social Democratic Party
(ČSSD)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Josef Řihák
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|62,290
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|23.92
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|8
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|+2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#f00;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
(KSČM)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Jiří Svoboda
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|35,518
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|13.64
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-1
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#aaa;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|SNK European Democrats
(SNK-ED)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Petr Kareš
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|19,819
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|7.61
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|2
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|+2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#000;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party
(KDU-ČSL)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Lenka Ptáčková Melicharová
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|12,566
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4.82
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#0f0;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Green Party
(SZ)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Alena Šálová
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|11,637
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4.47
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#f0f;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Change for Příbram (Coalition of Path of Change
(CZ) and independents)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Jiří Schmidt
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|10,473
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4.02
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#a0f;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Union for Příbram (Coalition of Freedom Union – Democratic Union US-DEU and independents)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Vladimír Kříž
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|9,344
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|3.59
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-1
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#aaa;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Union of Independents (SN)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|did not participate
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#aaa;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|other
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|12,411
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4.77
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
| style="text-align:left; " colspan="2"|Total (turnout 39.77%)
| style="text-align:right; width:30px; "|
| style="text-align:right; width:75px; "|260,330
| style="text-align:right; width:30px; "|
| style="text-align:right; width:30px; "|25
| style="text-align:right; width:30px; "|0
|}
Since the 1989 Velvet Revolution
, the free parliamentary elections have been held five times in the Czech Republic. In 1990, the Civic Forum
received clear majority of 50 to 57 per cent of votes in Příbram. In 1992, rightist coalition of Civic Democratic Party and Christian Democratic Party (KDS) won in Příbram with a total of 25 to 34.8%. Both times the deputies in three parliament chambers were elected. Since 1996, the Czech Social Democratic Party won in Příbram, starting with 30% of votes in 1996 and between 34.3 and 36.8% in 1998, 2002 and 2006; with Civic Democrats in second place all times. In 2010 elections
Social Democrats won ahead of Civic Democrats once again, but they got only 24.7%.
City of Příbram is the center of Příbram electoral district for the Senate elections. Social Democrat Zdeněk Vojíř won the seat in 1996 in the second round, but he lost the seat to Civic Democrat Jaromír Volný in 2002. The results in city itself were comparable to the overall district results both times.
After 1989, the economy restructured because of the closure of mines and privatization. The nation-wide important branch office of state enterprise Diamo is the successor of the Uranium Mines, the office is named the Administration of Uranium Deposits . Several of the supplying companies continue their activities under new owners. The list of the Příbram’s biggest companies follows:
Several food industry companies or affiliates have also larger than regional importance (baking industry, beverages, meat-packing). Many services or trading companies have their seat in Příbram.
The District Economic Chamber Příbram was found in 1993.
Despite the development of Příbram enterprises, the unemployment in city and close surroundings stays high on 8.8 per cent in July 2006 – higher than in other parts of former Příbram district and over average in the Central Bohemian Region.
and Votice
) and the R4 expressway, which was modernized in the 1980s to a highway type road between Příbram and Prague; it heads south to Strakonice
and Vimperk
in the opposite direction, and in Germany is connected to road number 2 to Munich
via Passau
.
Příbram has an extensive system of bus connections to near villages and cities as well to Prague and further Czech cities. Direct lines however connect Příbram also to Slovakia cities, like Poprad
or Košice
.
Intra-city transport is run by Connex Příbram company. The system includes 15 bus lines numbered 1 to 16 (number 13 is empty). Connex Příbram uses buses Karosa (B731, B732, B932 or B952) and SOR (B 9.5 and BN 12). Basic line no. 2 has regular 10-minutes interval (5 minutes in rush periods), other lines periodicity varies down to several buses per day.
Bus terminal is located next to the railway station, the busiest hub for city buses is however located in the Jirásek Parks near the Pražská street.
to Protivín
, which runs directly through Příbram, was built in 1875. The train is now used especially for short-distance commutation. České Budějovice
or Most
are available direct by the Bezdrev fast train. The railway station is also important for goods and cargo transport.
LKPM), located 6 kilometers away north-east of Příbram at Dlouhá Lhota, is a civil airport with a daylight operation on one 1.45 km long runway.
In new city, built after 1945, you can find:
In Březové Hory you can find:
Mining life was described by poets and writers Fráňa Kučera, Quido Maria Vyskočil and František Gellner, who lived or studied in Příbram. Many books by Příbram's most famous writer, Jan Drda
, were inspired by Příbram and he used the names of the city's neighbouring villages in his tales. Some of the stories in his Němá barikáda (Silent Barricade) have their origin in Příbram (especially Vyšší princip – see Modern History) while his Městečko na dlani (City on Palm) describes Příbram directly, although reality is distorted there by having a river flowing through the city, which is named Rukapáň (God’s Hand) in the book.
The city library was opened in 1900.
The theatre in Příbram has a long history thanks to a long tradition of theatricals. During the struggle to build the permanent theatre stage, the plays had to be performed in different halls for a long time, especially in the Sokolovna, the hall of Příbram Sokol
. In 1959 the House of Culture was built, which hosts the Příbram theatre and includes a cinema hall (the only other cinema is the open-air stage, while two pre-1989 more cinema-halls were closed). The first cinema productions were however held in Příbram as early as in 1914. The Příbram theatre is a permanent scene with a professional ensemble, its repertory is enriched by regular on-tour performances by Prague’s and other cities ensembles. The reputation of Příbram ensemble is derived not only from departure of several actors to bigger ensembles, but also from the nation-wide successful spectacle of Hrdý Budžes (Proud Budžes), a comedy play after book of Příbram born Irena Dousková. Barbora Hrzánová won the Thálie award as the best Czech female stage actress of the 2004 year.
Musical life of Příbram is connected to the name of Antonín Dvořák
, who had his summerhouse in near Vysoká u Příbramě and visited Příbram often. In 1969, the Antonín Dvořák Music Festival was founded in Příbram, which has been organized annually till now, bringing domestic as well as foreign musicians and ensembles to the city and its neighbourhood. Příbram has its own amateur philharmonic orchestra, the Příbram Big Band
still helds its concerts, miners‘ bands perform during annual miners‘festivals, the newest form of musical performances was brought to Příbram with the Ensemble of Svatá Hora Horn-Blowers.
The most important form of the city’s musical activities was the choir
singing. Starting with the Lumír-Dobromila association, founded and directed by composer, choirmaster and choral director Bohumil Fidler
for fifteen years, and continuing as the Příbram Mixed Choir, the ensemble made a great impact on several generations of Příbram citizens. The most important choir leaders were Antonín Vepřek and his son, Vladimír. In 1939, Antonín Vepřek founded Příbram Children Choir, which is one of the oldest children choruses in the Czech Republic. Several children choruses are organized in Příbram elementary and art schools, Příbram hosts annual international show of children choruses.
Popular music is played in several clubs in Příbram, with the Junior club the oldest of them. Of the Příbram music groups, the E!E
punk rock
band is the most important.
Miners in Příbram used to earn more money by handicrafts (embroidery, woodcarving, painting etc.), often on good artistic level. The Christmas cribs
-making lives till today, the museum collects also several mechanical models of mine. Of the professional artists, painter and graphic artist Karel Hojden, pupil of Max Švabinský
was the most important. The world-known photographer of the first half of the 20th century František Drtikol
was born in Příbram. The city gallery, which now seats in Zámeček-Ernestinum, former Prague archbishop's residence, is named after him and offers permanent exhibition of his works.
The Příbram museum was founded in 1886 and after several changes of form it is now run by the Central-Bohemian Region and named Mining Museum Příbram
. It is the biggest museum of its kind in the Czech Republic, it contains the objects of historical mine with old headstock, miner’s house, drift with a mining train, exhibition of mining history, geological collection and others.
in 1945. For more information about the university see below.
With the removal of the Mining University, Příbram lost the status of university city. In the 1990s, the city authorities aspired for the status again. In 2005 the College of European and Regional Studies with seat in České Budějovice
opened its affiliate in Příbram, with 30 students in the courses.
There were news of another university department opened in Příbram in 2006 autumn, specialized on correspondence course of physical therapy
.
High schools offer in Příbram includes two gymnasiums, technical school, business academy, medical school and training college. Gymnasium Příbram was founded 1871 and serves as a general educational propaedeutics
institutions for applicants for university studies. The Pod Svatou Horou gymnasium was founded in the 1990s. The technical school was derived from the preliminary courses of the Mining University, so called Mining School, founded already in 1851. In 2006 the school had 564 students.
Seven elementary schools are in Příbram, six of them with traditional educational program (the number was reduced by two in the 1990s). The remaining one, found in 1991, stands on the Waldorf education program and it has also opened its own high school.
The city has 13 kindergartens and runs also two musical and art schools.
)
Mining education in Příbram dates from the beginning of the 19th century. The mining high school was founded in 1851 and it was changed to Mining Academy in 1865. It was then the only mining educational institution in the Czech lands
. The academy struggled in the shadow of Leoben
academy, which repeatedly obtained its privileges in advance. Geologist František Pošepný was one of the most important educators of this era and of all the school's history.
In 1894, the academy received its university status decree and A. Hoffmann was elected the first chancellor of the university in 1898.
At the beginning of the 20th century the national conflicts went to the attempts to move Leoben academy to Vienna
, while Příbram school should have been dissolved. Long proceedings and the fact, that three quarters of the mining production of the Austria-Hungary
was provided by the mines in the Czech lands
. In 1904 both Leoben and Příbram institutions were renamed Mining Academy with prof. Josef Theurer as the first chancellor.
The university started with 11 departments, but the number grew to 18 in 1924. The university had the right to name doctors of mining sciences (dr. mont.). The highest number of students was almost 500 in 1921, but in the late 1930s the number fell to 120.
The position of the institution changed basically after arousal of Czechoslovakia
in 1918, one year later the Czech language
became the official language of the university. Many attempts to move it out of Příbram recurred, several of them initiated from the university itself, but they were refused.
World War II
and the closure of Czech universities interrupted the work of the institution, which was resumed in 1945. The university was however moved to Ostrava within few months to bring the education closer to the booming mining industry in the Ostrava region. The last mining university students left Příbram in 1946 summer.
club, successor of past Dukla Prague. The top division games have been played at the Na Litavce
Stadium since 1997. The other Příbram’s football club Spartak (also called Horymír) plays regional competition.
Příbram’s volleyball
club Vavex Příbram, found in 1935, has been a member of the Czech top division since 1998.
The ice hockey
club entered regional league in 2006. The city is regular host of a city run, several road cycling races including the Grand Prix of Příbram. The Rallye
Příbram (former Rallye Vltava) used to be part of the European Championships, now is the integrant part of the national championships. The movement of the little football plays a major role in the sport for all in the city and region organizing regular long-term competitions twice a year for almost 50 teams.
Besides the Na Litavce Stadium, the sport facilities in Příbram include two indoor ice rinks (main arena for approx. 5,000 spectators opened in 1978), indoor sports arena (opened 1978, capacity enlarged in reconstruction in 2005), modern open-air and indoor swimming pool and several playgrounds and tennis centers. Many of the Příbram’s elementary schools have their sport-oriented classes and they have sports facilities like the high schools in the city.
with:
in 1959. The meteorite is notable because it was the first meteorite whose trajectory was tracked by multiple cameras recording the associated fireball. Several fragments of it were found near to Příbram, exactly at a nearby village Luhy.
Also see
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....
with a population of 35,147. The city is located on the 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....
river and the foothills of Brdy
Brdy
Brdy are hills in the Czech Republic, forming a long massif stretching for cca.60 km from Prague in the direction of southwest. The northern section of the Brdy is called "Hřebeny" and features one narrow ridge . The Brdy proper starts south of the Litavka river gorge and consists of several...
, 60 kilometers south-west 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...
, the country's capital. The city is well known for its mining history, but is now finding a new look after economic restructuring.
The city is the third largest in the Central Bohemian Region (behind Kladno
Kladno
Kladno is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 25 km northwest of Prague. Kladno is the largest city of the region and holds a population together with its adjacent suburban areas of more than 110,000 people...
and Mladá Boleslav
Mladá Boleslav
Mladá Boleslav is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, on the left bank of the Jizera river about 50 km northeast of Prague.Founded in the second half of the 10th century by King Boleslav II as a royal castle...
) and is a natural administrative and cultural center of the south-western part of the region, although it also tends to be largely influenced by the economy and lifestyle of Prague.
Widely-known pilgrimage site Svatá Hora is located just above the city, while the Mining Museum Příbram
Mining Museum Príbram
Mining Museum Příbram is a large open air museum of mining with historical buildings and expositions of mining history and mineralogy. It is located in Příbram's Březové Hory quarter, former important Czech mining centre. It is one of the biggest museums in the Czech Republic...
, including the communist labor camp Vojna memorial, is another tourism attraction.
From legends to Middle Ages
Several legends mentioning Příbram in the early history of Czech statehood are mentioned in the Annales Bohemorum written by Václav Hájek z Libočan in first half of 16th century. The legends talk about princess LibušeLibuše
Libuše, Libussa or, historically Lubossa, is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czech people as whole. Libuše was the wisest of the three sisters and prophesied the foundation of Prague from her castle Libušín...
’s prophecy and destroying of Březové Hory mines by Horymír of Neumětely, both stories depicting the silver mining in region.
Hájek also explains the name of the city, although his etymology is now believed to be partially fancied, the basics of it is probably true, as the city name is derived from the name of a person, probably the site owner.
Since 1216 (the first remark about Příbram ever), the Příbram holding has been owned by Prague bishops and soon received its walls. The city castle was built under Prague archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice
Arnošt of Pardubice
Arnošt z Pardubic was the first Archbishop of Prague. He was also an advisor and diplomat to Emperor Charles IV....
. During Hussite
Hussite
The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus , who became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation...
wars in the 15th century, Příbram stood on the reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
side, but was captured and pillaged four times by Catholic aristocracy.
Archbishop Zdeněk Zajíc of Hasenburk gave Příbram town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
, which were confirmed by king Jiří z Poděbrad
George of Podebrady
George of Kunštát and Poděbrady , also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad , was King of Bohemia...
in 1463, and in 1496 Příbram was named town by king Ladislaus II
Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
Vladislaus II, also known as Ladislaus Jagiellon ; was King of Bohemia from 1471 and King of Hungary from 1490 until his death in 1516...
, as Příbram was passed over to Czech King’s hands. The economic state of city however worsened, the rulers often impledged the city and temporary masters did not care of the city development.
Modern history
Available information about silver and iron mining in Příbram are extended as mining books starting from late 16th century survived to present days. In 1579 Rudolf II named Příbram “Royal Mining City” to promote its reputation. The Thirty Years' WarThirty 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....
had large impact on Příbram, lowering the number of its citizens and causing violent recatholicization that was supported by the growing importance of Holy Mountain
Holy Mountain
Holy Mountain may refer to:*the mytheme or archetype of the world mountain*specific peaks identified as sacred mountain*in Abrahamic tradition** Mount Sinai, by the Bedouin, is the name of a mountain near Saint Catherine in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt...
, nearby pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
site.
Since the 17th century the mining boom was followed with the city growth. The city however gave majority of its mining profit share over in favor of central Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
government, which soon slowed the development of the city when the silver mining was on its top at the end of the 18th century.
Five major deep-mines are built in 18th century in Březové Hory near Příbram, starting with the St. Adalbert mine . The Příbram mining district became one of the most modern in Europe in 19th century, which remained true until the 1920s. Příbram built educational sites and became the seat of central mining authorities and the mining academy. The St. Mary mine fire in 1892 was a large-scale catastrophe, as 319 miners died. Although the real importance of Příbram mines declined after 1900, the city’s reputation as the educational and cultural centre remained high.
Region with strong partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
resistance was around Příbram during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Several prominent citizens participated in the resistance, many of them were killed by Nazi occupiers. Student Antonín Stočes, his father and Příbram’s gymnasium director Josef Lukeš, were executed in Tábor
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
in the 1942 days following the assassination of Reichsprotektor 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...
. Their story was idealized in Jan Drda’s fiction Vyšší princip (Higher Principle). General Richard Tesařík
Richard Tesarík
Richard Tesařík was a Czechoslovakian general and war hero. Holder of the Hero of the Soviet Union medal.Czech athlete Štěpán Tesařík is his grandson.-External links:*...
, the Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, or legionary Alois Laub, leader of the military resistance group Oliver, executed in Brandenburg
Brandenburg (town)
Brandenburg an der Havel is a town in the state of Brandenburg, Germany, with a population of 71,778 . It is located on the banks of the River Havel. The town of Brandenburg, which is almost as widely known as the state of Brandenburg, provided the name for the medieval Bishopric of Brandenburg,...
in 1945, were born in Příbram.
At the beginning of May 1945, Příbram spontaneously rose up against the occupiers, the Czech authority took formally the power, but the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
unit threatened with declaration of martial law. After negotiations, the city was liberated by the Soviet partisan brigade Death of Fascism led by Captain Yevgeny Antonovich Olesinsky. Although the majority of German forces had left the city before the liberation itself, Příbram’s surroundings are said to be the place where the last shots of the World War II were fired. German troops trying to leave Soviet zone over the demarcation line were met by partisan units and eventually fought Soviet Army, General von Pückler agreed to a surrender 12 May 1945, four days after the V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
.
In 1950, the cities of Příbram and Březové Hory were merged.
The last epoch of Příbram mining occurred since the 1950s, when the district was opened again for uranite mining, several mines around the city were opened. The industry was included into a program of penal labour that Communist Czechoslovak government used for persecution of regime objectors. Labor camp
Labor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
s Příbram-Vojna and Příbram-Brody were run there 1949-1951, holding up to 800 detainees. The new city quarter was built for more than a half of citizens; Březové Hory and several villages (e.g. Zdaboř) became part of city, which population overcame 40,000 citizens.
Located near to the Brdy military area, Příbram was an important locality during the 1968 Occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
forces. The army command in Příbram was labeled focus of contrarevolution in the Czechoslovak Army as it did not cooperate the occupation forces and harbored the Czechoslovak Television
Ceská televize
Česká televize is the public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting four channels.- Czechoslovak Television :Television in Czechoslovakia started to take its first steps before World War II. However, before visible results could be achieved, all activities were interrupted by...
during its independent broadcasting. The rioting of Příbram-Bytíz crime prisoners and the strike of Příbram miners were the other major events related to the August 1968 invasion.
The 1989 Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
influenced the city life as much as the mines closure.
Politics and administration
Příbram city assembly is the highest authority of the city. It is elected during communal election every four years and has 25 members. The assembly elects the City council of six members including the mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and two vice-mayors. As former county city, Příbram now has a status of the city with extended agency .
All city council seats are now occupied by the Czech Social Democratic Party
Czech Social Democratic Party
The Czech Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in the Czech Republic.-History:The Social Democratic Czechoslavonic party in Austria was founded on 7 April 1878 in Austria-Hungary representing the Kingdom of Bohemia in the Austrian parliament...
(ČSSD) members and the SNK European Democrats
SNK European Democrats
The SNK European Democrats , is a small liberal conservative political party in the Czech Republic, led by Zdeňka Marková. The first regular chairperson of this party was Jana Hybášková...
(SNK-ED), their minority coalition was enabled by the votes of Communists
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia , abbreviated to KSČM, is a political party in the Czech Republic. It has a membership of 82,994 and is a member party of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left bloc in the European Parliament...
. Josef Řihák
Josef Rihák
Josef Řihák is a Czech politician. Řihák is a member of Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic and mayor of Příbram....
(ČSSD) is the current city mayor.
Příbram area of almost 13 km² is divided into 18 city quarters, nine central numbered using roman numerals
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
, the others are usually the villages added to the city before in the second half of the 20th century like Brod, Bytíz, Jerusalem, Lazec, Žežice and others.
Elections in Příbram
The last time the city council was elected in October 2006 during the post parliamentary electionCzech legislative election, 2006
Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 2 and 3 June 2006.The pre-election campaign was fierce and mostly negative. A major scandal broke out few days before the election. The two largest parties had profited from the divisive campaign – both had obtained the highest percentage...
period when there was no state government with Parliament’s confidence and the situation was highly confrontational between the two strongest Czech parties – the Civic Democrats ODS and Social Democrats
Czech Social Democratic Party
The Czech Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in the Czech Republic.-History:The Social Democratic Czechoslavonic party in Austria was founded on 7 April 1878 in Austria-Hungary representing the Kingdom of Bohemia in the Austrian parliament...
ČSSD.
Both parties strengthened their position in the Příbram council for the second elections in a row, while the Christian Democrats of the former mayor Josef Vacek lost both two remaining seats, Vacek himself did not act as the party leader, but he was unsuccessfully running for re-election.
The result gave the Civic Democrats a chance to continue their coalition with the Social Democrats or to close a coalition deal with the SNK European Democrats, but they were not able to do so. After two weeks of negotiations, the minority coalition of Social Democrats and SNK European Democrats was approved by the Communists' votes. The coalition broke later and it was substituted by a large majority coalition of Social Democrats and Civic Democrats.
Summary of the 2006 Příbram council elections results
|-
! style="text-align:left; background:#e9e9e9; vertical-align:top;" colspan="2"|Parties and coalitions
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:left;"|Leader
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;"|Votes
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;"|%
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;"|Seats
! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;"|+/-
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#00d;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Civic Democratic Party (ODS)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Ivan Fuksa
Ivan Fuksa
Ivan Fuksa is a Czech local politician. Fuksa was a mayor of Příbram between 2002 and 2006 and is first deputy of the Minister of Finance. From July 2010 to October 2011 he served as a Minister of Agriculture....
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|86,272
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|33.13
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|11
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|+4
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#fa0;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Czech Social Democratic Party
Czech Social Democratic Party
The Czech Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in the Czech Republic.-History:The Social Democratic Czechoslavonic party in Austria was founded on 7 April 1878 in Austria-Hungary representing the Kingdom of Bohemia in the Austrian parliament...
(ČSSD)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Josef Řihák
Josef Rihák
Josef Řihák is a Czech politician. Řihák is a member of Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic and mayor of Příbram....
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|62,290
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|23.92
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|8
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|+2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#f00;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia , abbreviated to KSČM, is a political party in the Czech Republic. It has a membership of 82,994 and is a member party of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left bloc in the European Parliament...
(KSČM)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Jiří Svoboda
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|35,518
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|13.64
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-1
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#aaa;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|SNK European Democrats
SNK European Democrats
The SNK European Democrats , is a small liberal conservative political party in the Czech Republic, led by Zdeňka Marková. The first regular chairperson of this party was Jana Hybášková...
(SNK-ED)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Petr Kareš
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|19,819
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|7.61
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|2
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|+2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#000;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party
Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party
The Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party is a political party in the Czech Republic expressing Christian democratic views...
(KDU-ČSL)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Lenka Ptáčková Melicharová
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|12,566
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4.82
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#0f0;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Green Party
Green Party (Czech Republic)
The Green Party is a political party in the Czech Republic.The party was founded in February 1990 but for a long time it struggled to obtain significant influence in Czech politics. In the 2002 legislative election the party received 2.4% of the vote...
(SZ)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Alena Šálová
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|11,637
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4.47
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#f0f;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Change for Příbram (Coalition of Path of Change
Path of Change
Path of Change is a small liberal party in the Czech Republic. Its current president is Jiří Lobkowicz...
(CZ) and independents)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Jiří Schmidt
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|10,473
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4.02
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#a0f;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Union for Příbram (Coalition of Freedom Union – Democratic Union US-DEU and independents)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Vladimír Kříž
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|9,344
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|3.59
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-1
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#aaa;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|Union of Independents (SN)
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|did not participate
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|-2
|-
| valing="top" style="text-align:center; background:#aaa;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|other
| valing="top" style="text-align:left;"|
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|12,411
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|4.77
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
| valing="top" style="text-align:right;"|0
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
| style="text-align:left; " colspan="2"|Total (turnout 39.77%)
| style="text-align:right; width:30px; "|
| style="text-align:right; width:75px; "|260,330
| style="text-align:right; width:30px; "|
| style="text-align:right; width:30px; "|25
| style="text-align:right; width:30px; "|0
|}
Since the 1989 Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
, the free parliamentary elections have been held five times in the Czech Republic. In 1990, the Civic Forum
Civic Forum
The Civic Forum was a political movement in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, established during the Velvet Revolution in 1989...
received clear majority of 50 to 57 per cent of votes in Příbram. In 1992, rightist coalition of Civic Democratic Party and Christian Democratic Party (KDS) won in Příbram with a total of 25 to 34.8%. Both times the deputies in three parliament chambers were elected. Since 1996, the Czech Social Democratic Party won in Příbram, starting with 30% of votes in 1996 and between 34.3 and 36.8% in 1998, 2002 and 2006; with Civic Democrats in second place all times. In 2010 elections
Czech legislative election, 2010
A legislative election in the Czech Republic took place on 28–29 May 2010. The election had been expected to take place some time before the end of 2009 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic...
Social Democrats won ahead of Civic Democrats once again, but they got only 24.7%.
City of Příbram is the center of Příbram electoral district for the Senate elections. Social Democrat Zdeněk Vojíř won the seat in 1996 in the second round, but he lost the seat to Civic Democrat Jaromír Volný in 2002. The results in city itself were comparable to the overall district results both times.
Economy
Příbram’s economy was determined by the mining industry and supplying companies for hundreds of years. At the end of the 1980s, when the mining was slowly derogating, the basic Příbram corporations included the Uranium Mines ( full name Czech State Uranium Industry ), the Ore Mines and suppliers like ZRUP ( Base of Uranium Industry Development) and others. Also the Hamiro company was located in Příbram,After 1989, the economy restructured because of the closure of mines and privatization. The nation-wide important branch office of state enterprise Diamo is the successor of the Uranium Mines, the office is named the Administration of Uranium Deposits . Several of the supplying companies continue their activities under new owners. The list of the Příbram’s biggest companies follows:
- ZAT, a. s. – production of control systems for power engineering and industry;
- ZRUP, a. s. – prefab buildings production;
- DISA Industries, s.r.o. – production of shot blasting equipment;
- Kovohutě Příbram nástupnická, a. s. – recycling and production of lead and precious metals;
- Halex-Schauenberg – steel buildings and steel construction;
- Vibros, s.r.o. – production of surface vibrators and vibrating machines;
- Průzkum Příbram, s.r.o. – mining and geological works;
- Ravak, a. s. – the biggest producer of baths and shower-baths in middle and eastern Europe;
- Yoko, s.r.o. – plush toys;
- Stella Ateliers, s.r.o. – production of bed linen.
Several food industry companies or affiliates have also larger than regional importance (baking industry, beverages, meat-packing). Many services or trading companies have their seat in Příbram.
The District Economic Chamber Příbram was found in 1993.
Despite the development of Příbram enterprises, the unemployment in city and close surroundings stays high on 8.8 per cent in July 2006 – higher than in other parts of former Příbram district and over average in the Central Bohemian Region.
Road transport
Příbram is located near to a crossroad of national road 18 (from Rožmitál pod TřemšínemRožmitál pod Tremšínem
Rožmitál pod Třemšínem is a town in the Czech Republic.-External links:*...
and Votice
Votice
Votice is a municipality and town in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The municipality covers an area of km² and as of 2007 it had a population of 4.482.-References:...
) and the R4 expressway, which was modernized in the 1980s to a highway type road between Příbram and Prague; it heads south to Strakonice
Strakonice
Strakonice is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Estimated population: 24,000.-History:The settlement of this region took place in the second half of 12th century when a castle was built...
and Vimperk
Vimperk
Vimperk is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. In 2000 the town had 8,090 inhabitants. Vimperk is situated in the Šumava region in the Volyňka River valley among the foothills of the Boubín Mountains. The town elevation is 700 metres above sea level.Vimperk is surrounded by...
in the opposite direction, and in Germany is connected to road number 2 to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
via Passau
Passau
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....
.
Příbram has an extensive system of bus connections to near villages and cities as well to Prague and further Czech cities. Direct lines however connect Příbram also to Slovakia cities, like Poprad
Poprad
Poprad is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia with a population of approximately 55,000.The Poprad-Tatry Airport is...
or Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
.
Intra-city transport is run by Connex Příbram company. The system includes 15 bus lines numbered 1 to 16 (number 13 is empty). Connex Příbram uses buses Karosa (B731, B732, B932 or B952) and SOR (B 9.5 and BN 12). Basic line no. 2 has regular 10-minutes interval (5 minutes in rush periods), other lines periodicity varies down to several buses per day.
Bus terminal is located next to the railway station, the busiest hub for city buses is however located in the Jirásek Parks near the Pražská street.
Railroad transport
Railroad from ZdiceZdice
Zdice is a small town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic in the Beroun District....
to Protivín
Protivín
Protivín is a small town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants.It is also known for the Protivín Brewery, which produces a regional beer label Platan.-External links:*...
, which runs directly through Příbram, was built in 1875. The train is now used especially for short-distance commutation. České Budějovice
Ceské Budejovice
České Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
or Most
Most
Most is the capital city of the Most District, situated between the Czech Central Mountains and the Ore Mountains, approximately northwest of Prague along the Bílina River and southwest of Ústí nad Labem.-Etymology:...
are available direct by the Bezdrev fast train. The railway station is also important for goods and cargo transport.
Airplane transport
The Příbram airport (ICAO airport codeICAO airport code
The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-character alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators.The ICAO codes are used by air traffic...
LKPM), located 6 kilometers away north-east of Příbram at Dlouhá Lhota, is a civil airport with a daylight operation on one 1.45 km long runway.
Landmarks and places of interest
Svatá Hora monastery and St. Jacob church are dominants of the city’s panorama. Old town has the following landmarks:- Svatá Hora – baroque church and monastery at a pilgrimage site, connected to the city with unique roofed stairs;
- Tomás Garrigue Masaryk Square:
- the St. Jacob church (found 1298, baroque aisle, 19th century neo-gothic tower),
- former court building (decorated with sgraffiti from Mikoláš AlešMikoláš AlešMikoláš Aleš , was a Czech painter.-Biography:Aleš was born in Mirotice near Písek, into a relatively rich family that was in debt at the time. He was taught history by his brother František until the latter's death in 1865; he expressed interest in painting at an early age...
mining drawings), - city library and other historic buildings;
- City Hall – neo-renascence building from 1890, architect Václav Ignác Ulmann;
- Zámeček-Ernestinum – castle found in 14th century, later archbishop residence, now culture centre, original gothic bay
- memorial of victims of World War I, statue of archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice (sculptor Ivar Kodym);
- Pražská street – precinct with shops and restaurants, on the top end, the St. Wenceslas square is located with a statue of the saint (sculptor Stanislav Hanzík);
- Jiráskovy sady (Jirásek Parks) – the park in the center of the old town, surrounded by historical buildings:
- the konvikt (ecclesiastical school), former mining academy rectorate or Příbram district office, architect V. I. Ulmann,
- statue memorial to Alois JirásekAlois JirásekAlois Jirásek was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a secondary-school teacher until his retirement in 1909. He wrote a series of historical novels imbued with faith in his nation and in progress toward freedom and justice...
literature work (sculptor Václav Šára), bust of general Richard Tesařík;
- Příbram cemetery – graves of many Příbram natives, memorial of 1892 St. Mary mine disaster victims (the duplicate one is located in the Zdaboř cemetery), memorial of the Red Army World War II victims;
- Antonín Dvořák bust on the Dvořák Front .
In new city, built after 1945, you can find:
- House of Culture – built 1959, architect V. Hilský, house of Příbram theatre,
- near is statue of Antonín DvořákAntonín DvorákAntonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
(sculptor Josef Wagner);
- near is statue of Antonín Dvořák
- statue of Miner (sculptor L. Lošák) at the Příbram gymnasium
In Březové Hory you can find:
- Five historical mines and other buildings of the Mining Museum PříbramMining Museum PríbramMining Museum Příbram is a large open air museum of mining with historical buildings and expositions of mining history and mineralogy. It is located in Příbram's Březové Hory quarter, former important Czech mining centre. It is one of the biggest museums in the Czech Republic...
; - St. Adalbert church – neo-renascence, built 1889;
- St. Prokop church – found on a place of old wooden campanile in 18th century;
- church of Master Jakoubek of Stříbro Charge – built 1936.
Culture
Thanks to high level of education and culture life, Příbram was nicknamed Brdy Athens at the end of the 19th century. The city’s culture was then largely influenced by the mining industry, which went on until the late 20th century.Mining life was described by poets and writers Fráňa Kučera, Quido Maria Vyskočil and František Gellner, who lived or studied in Příbram. Many books by Příbram's most famous writer, Jan Drda
Jan Drda
Jan Drda was a Czech prose writer and playwright.He was a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia since 1945...
, were inspired by Příbram and he used the names of the city's neighbouring villages in his tales. Some of the stories in his Němá barikáda (Silent Barricade) have their origin in Příbram (especially Vyšší princip – see Modern History) while his Městečko na dlani (City on Palm) describes Příbram directly, although reality is distorted there by having a river flowing through the city, which is named Rukapáň (God’s Hand) in the book.
The city library was opened in 1900.
The theatre in Příbram has a long history thanks to a long tradition of theatricals. During the struggle to build the permanent theatre stage, the plays had to be performed in different halls for a long time, especially in the Sokolovna, the hall of Příbram Sokol
Sokol
The Sokol movement is a youth sport movement and gymnastics organization first founded in Czech region of Austria-Hungary, Prague, in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner...
. In 1959 the House of Culture was built, which hosts the Příbram theatre and includes a cinema hall (the only other cinema is the open-air stage, while two pre-1989 more cinema-halls were closed). The first cinema productions were however held in Příbram as early as in 1914. The Příbram theatre is a permanent scene with a professional ensemble, its repertory is enriched by regular on-tour performances by Prague’s and other cities ensembles. The reputation of Příbram ensemble is derived not only from departure of several actors to bigger ensembles, but also from the nation-wide successful spectacle of Hrdý Budžes (Proud Budžes), a comedy play after book of Příbram born Irena Dousková. Barbora Hrzánová won the Thálie award as the best Czech female stage actress of the 2004 year.
Musical life of Příbram is connected to the name of Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
, who had his summerhouse in near Vysoká u Příbramě and visited Příbram often. In 1969, the Antonín Dvořák Music Festival was founded in Příbram, which has been organized annually till now, bringing domestic as well as foreign musicians and ensembles to the city and its neighbourhood. Příbram has its own amateur philharmonic orchestra, the Příbram Big Band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
still helds its concerts, miners‘ bands perform during annual miners‘festivals, the newest form of musical performances was brought to Příbram with the Ensemble of Svatá Hora Horn-Blowers.
The most important form of the city’s musical activities was the choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
singing. Starting with the Lumír-Dobromila association, founded and directed by composer, choirmaster and choral director Bohumil Fidler
Bohumil Fidler
Bohumil Fidler was a Czech composer, choirmaster, choral conductor and music teacher. He was born in Příbram, where he lived and worked his entire life.- Biography :...
for fifteen years, and continuing as the Příbram Mixed Choir, the ensemble made a great impact on several generations of Příbram citizens. The most important choir leaders were Antonín Vepřek and his son, Vladimír. In 1939, Antonín Vepřek founded Příbram Children Choir, which is one of the oldest children choruses in the Czech Republic. Several children choruses are organized in Příbram elementary and art schools, Příbram hosts annual international show of children choruses.
Popular music is played in several clubs in Příbram, with the Junior club the oldest of them. Of the Příbram music groups, the E!E
E!e
E!E is an important punk rock band from Příbram in the Czech Republic. It was founded in fall 1987 and it still plays today. The band members are: vocals: Bořivoj Řehoř, lead guitar and vocals: Petr Bakalerov, guitar: Petr Stawarz, bass: Petr Mottl, drums: Roman Vojtíšek.-Discography:*0001 -...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band is the most important.
Miners in Příbram used to earn more money by handicrafts (embroidery, woodcarving, painting etc.), often on good artistic level. The Christmas cribs
Nativity scene
A nativity scene, manger scene, krippe, crèche, or crib, is a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke...
-making lives till today, the museum collects also several mechanical models of mine. Of the professional artists, painter and graphic artist Karel Hojden, pupil of Max Švabinský
Max Švabinský
Max Švabinský was a Czech painter, draughtsman, graphic artist, and professor in Academy of Graphic Arts in Prague. Švabinský is considered to be one of the more notable artists in the history of Czech painting and produced significant work during the first half of the 20th century...
was the most important. The world-known photographer of the first half of the 20th century František Drtikol
František Drtikol
František Drtikol was a Czech photographer of international renown. He is especially known for his characteristically epic photographs, often nudes and portraits.- Life and work :...
was born in Příbram. The city gallery, which now seats in Zámeček-Ernestinum, former Prague archbishop's residence, is named after him and offers permanent exhibition of his works.
The Příbram museum was founded in 1886 and after several changes of form it is now run by the Central-Bohemian Region and named Mining Museum Příbram
Mining Museum Príbram
Mining Museum Příbram is a large open air museum of mining with historical buildings and expositions of mining history and mineralogy. It is located in Příbram's Březové Hory quarter, former important Czech mining centre. It is one of the biggest museums in the Czech Republic...
. It is the biggest museum of its kind in the Czech Republic, it contains the objects of historical mine with old headstock, miner’s house, drift with a mining train, exhibition of mining history, geological collection and others.
Education
Příbram was the site of the Mining University, which tradition goes on till now, but the institution was moved to OstravaOstrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
in 1945. For more information about the university see below.
With the removal of the Mining University, Příbram lost the status of university city. In the 1990s, the city authorities aspired for the status again. In 2005 the College of European and Regional Studies with seat in České Budějovice
Ceské Budejovice
České Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
opened its affiliate in Příbram, with 30 students in the courses.
There were news of another university department opened in Příbram in 2006 autumn, specialized on correspondence course of physical therapy
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
.
High schools offer in Příbram includes two gymnasiums, technical school, business academy, medical school and training college. Gymnasium Příbram was founded 1871 and serves as a general educational propaedeutics
Propaedeutics
Propaedeutics or propedeutics is a historical term for an introductory course into a discipline: art, science, etc. Etymology: pro- + Greek: paideutikós, "pertaining to teaching"....
institutions for applicants for university studies. The Pod Svatou Horou gymnasium was founded in the 1990s. The technical school was derived from the preliminary courses of the Mining University, so called Mining School, founded already in 1851. In 2006 the school had 564 students.
Seven elementary schools are in Příbram, six of them with traditional educational program (the number was reduced by two in the 1990s). The remaining one, found in 1991, stands on the Waldorf education program and it has also opened its own high school.
The city has 13 kindergartens and runs also two musical and art schools.
Mining University in Příbram (1894-1945)
(see also Technical University of OstravaTechnical University of Ostrava
The Technical University of Ostrava , is a university located in the city of Ostrava, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic....
)
Mining education in Příbram dates from the beginning of the 19th century. The mining high school was founded in 1851 and it was changed to Mining Academy in 1865. It was then the only mining educational institution in the Czech lands
Czech lands
Czech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...
. The academy struggled in the shadow of Leoben
Leoben
Leoben is a Styrian city in central Austria, located by the Mur river. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial center and hosts the University of Leoben which specialises in mining...
academy, which repeatedly obtained its privileges in advance. Geologist František Pošepný was one of the most important educators of this era and of all the school's history.
In 1894, the academy received its university status decree and A. Hoffmann was elected the first chancellor of the university in 1898.
At the beginning of the 20th century the national conflicts went to the attempts to move Leoben academy to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, while Příbram school should have been dissolved. Long proceedings and the fact, that three quarters of the mining production of the Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
was provided by the mines in the Czech lands
Czech lands
Czech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...
. In 1904 both Leoben and Příbram institutions were renamed Mining Academy with prof. Josef Theurer as the first chancellor.
The university started with 11 departments, but the number grew to 18 in 1924. The university had the right to name doctors of mining sciences (dr. mont.). The highest number of students was almost 500 in 1921, but in the late 1930s the number fell to 120.
The position of the institution changed basically after arousal of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1918, one year later the Czech language
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
became the official language of the university. Many attempts to move it out of Příbram recurred, several of them initiated from the university itself, but they were refused.
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the closure of Czech universities interrupted the work of the institution, which was resumed in 1945. The university was however moved to Ostrava within few months to bring the education closer to the booming mining industry in the Ostrava region. The last mining university students left Příbram in 1946 summer.
Sports
Příbram is the home of 1. FK Příbram footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club, successor of past Dukla Prague. The top division games have been played at the Na Litavce
Na Litavce
Na Litavce is a football stadium in Příbram, Czech Republic. It is currently used as the home ground of 1. FK Příbram. The stadium holds 9,100 people.-History:...
Stadium since 1997. The other Příbram’s football club Spartak (also called Horymír) plays regional competition.
Příbram’s volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
club Vavex Příbram, found in 1935, has been a member of the Czech top division since 1998.
The ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
club entered regional league in 2006. The city is regular host of a city run, several road cycling races including the Grand Prix of Příbram. The Rallye
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
Příbram (former Rallye Vltava) used to be part of the European Championships, now is the integrant part of the national championships. The movement of the little football plays a major role in the sport for all in the city and region organizing regular long-term competitions twice a year for almost 50 teams.
Besides the Na Litavce Stadium, the sport facilities in Příbram include two indoor ice rinks (main arena for approx. 5,000 spectators opened in 1978), indoor sports arena (opened 1978, capacity enlarged in reconstruction in 2005), modern open-air and indoor swimming pool and several playgrounds and tennis centers. Many of the Příbram’s elementary schools have their sport-oriented classes and they have sports facilities like the high schools in the city.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Příbram is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
-
HoornHoorn-Cities :* Purmerend * Enkhuizen * Alkmaar * Amsterdam * Lelystad * Den Helder * Leeuwarden -Towns :* Edam...
, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, since 1992; -
VilleruptVilleruptVillerupt is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, since before 1989; -
ChekhovChekhov, Moscow OblastChekhov is a town and the administrative center of Chekhovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia. Before 1954, it was named Lopasnya , after the Lopasnya River. Population: 56,000 ....
, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, since before 1989; -
FreibergFreiberg, SaxonyFreiberg is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, administrative center of the Mittelsachsen district.-History:The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , 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...
, since 1999; -
KežmarokKežmarokKežmarok is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia , on the Poprad River.-History:...
, SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, since 1997; - Königs WusterhausenKönigs WusterhausenKönigs Wusterhausen is a town in the Dahme-Spreewald district of the state of Brandenburg in Germany.-Geographical location:Königs Wusterhausen – or "KW" as it is often called locally – lies on the Notte Canal and the river Dahme southeast of Berlin...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , 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...
, since before 1989; - AltöttingAltöttingAltötting is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Altötting.This small town is famous for the Gnadenkapelle , one of the most-visited shrines in Germany. This is a tiny octagonal chapel which keeps a venerated statue of the Virgin Mary...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , 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...
.
Notable people born in or otherwise connected to Příbram
- listed chronologically
- Arnošt of PardubiceArnošt of PardubiceArnošt z Pardubic was the first Archbishop of Prague. He was also an advisor and diplomat to Emperor Charles IV....
, Archbishop of PragueArchbishop of PragueThe following is a list of bishops and archbishops of Prague. The bishopric of Prague was established in 973, and elevated to an archbishopric on 30 April 1344. The today's Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague is the continual successor of the bishoprie established in 973...
, owner of the Příbram domain; - Bohuslav BalbínBohuslav BalbínBohuslav Balbín was a Czech writer and Jesuit, the "Bohemian Pliny," whose Vita beatae Joannis Nepomuceni martyris was published in Prague, 1670,...
(1621, Hradec Králové - 1688, Prague), writer and poet, lived in Příbram; - František Pošepný (1836–1895), geologist, led the Mining Academy in Příbram;
- Antonín DvořákAntonín DvorákAntonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
(1841–1904), composer, stayed often in nearby Vysoká u Příbramě, composed his opera Rusalka there; - Bohumil FidlerBohumil FidlerBohumil Fidler was a Czech composer, choirmaster, choral conductor and music teacher. He was born in Příbram, where he lived and worked his entire life.- Biography :...
(1860–1944), composer, choirmaster, choir director and music teacher; - Jiří BaborovskýJirí BaborovskýJiří Baborovský was a prominent Czech physical chemist, and pioneer in the study of kinetic chemical reactions. He wrote many famous textbooks widely used in Czechoslovakia....
(1875–1946) - František GellnerFrantišek GellnerFrantišek Gellner was a Czech poet, short story writer, artist and anarchist.-Biography:František Gellner was born to a poor Jewish family in Mladá Boleslav, Bohemia. His father was a seller and a keen socialist...
(1881–1914), Jewish poet, lived and studied in Příbram; - František DrtikolFrantišek DrtikolFrantišek Drtikol was a Czech photographer of international renown. He is especially known for his characteristically epic photographs, often nudes and portraits.- Life and work :...
(1883, Příbram - 1961, Prague), photographer, born in Příbram; - Hermína TýrlováHermína TýrlováHermína Týrlová was a prominent Czech stage designer, animator, and film director. She was often called the mother of Czech animation. She was a close collaborator of Karel Zeman.-External links:**. [14-05-2003] Por Andrea Fajkusová*....
(1900–1993), cartoon-movieAnimationAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
maker, born i Březové Hory; - Adina MandlováAdina MandlováAdina Mandlová was a Czech actress, sex-symbol of the 1930s and European movie star....
(1910, Mladá Boleslav - 1991 Příbram), Czech actress, died there - Jan DrdaJan DrdaJan Drda was a Czech prose writer and playwright.He was a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia since 1945...
(1915, Příbram - 1970, Dobříš), writer, born in Příbram; - Richard TesaříkRichard TesaríkRichard Tesařík was a Czechoslovakian general and war hero. Holder of the Hero of the Soviet Union medal.Czech athlete Štěpán Tesařík is his grandson.-External links:*...
(1915–1967), general and war hero; - Josef DoležalJosef DoležalJosef Doležal was a Czechoslovak athlete who competed mainly in the 50 kilometre walk....
(1920, Příbram - 1999 in Prague) - Josef Vacek (born 1959, Příbram)
- Ivan FuksaIvan FuksaIvan Fuksa is a Czech local politician. Fuksa was a mayor of Příbram between 2002 and 2006 and is first deputy of the Minister of Finance. From July 2010 to October 2011 he served as a Minister of Agriculture....
(born 1963, Příbram) - Martin ŠvejnohaMartin ŠvejnohaMartin Švejnoha is a Czech football player who currently plays for Wacker Innsbruck.-References:* at ČMFS website*...
(born 1977, Příbram) - Filip DortFilip DortFilip Dort is a Czech football player.Dort played for several Gambrinus liga clubs. He made his debut in the top league in the 2003-2004 season, while playing for SFC Opava. In his very first season Dort scored 11 goals and was eventually voted "Revelation of the Year" at the Golden Ball...
(born 1980) - Patrik ŠtefanPatrik StefanPatrik Štefan is a Czech retired professional ice hockey player who was drafted 1st overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft...
(born 1980) - Stanislav NohýnekStanislav NohýnekStanislav Nohýnek is a professional Czech footballer who currently plays for the Slovak 2. liga club MFK Zemplín Michalovce.-External links:* * -References:...
(born 1983) - František RajtoralFrantišek RajtoralFrantišek Rajtoral is a Czech football player who currently plays for FC Viktoria Plzeň.He won the Czech Football Cup with FC Viktoria Plzeň in 2010.-Club:FC Viktoria Plzeň:* Czech Republic Football Cup: 2010...
(1986, Příbram) - Tomáš PilíkTomáš PilíkTomáš Pilík is a professional Czech footballer player, playing currently for 1. FK Příbram.-References:* *...
(born 1988, Příbram) - Milan MišůnMilan MišunMilan Mišůn is a Czech footballer who currently plays for Celtic as a left back and also as a centre back.-FK Příbram:Mišůn played for FK Příbram, where he made 24 appearances and scored 2 goals.-Celtic:...
(born 1990, Příbram) - Pavel PilíkPavel PilíkPavel Pilík is a professional Czech footballer player.-References:* *...
(born 1992, Příbram) - Martin Kubín (?), physician, Johns Hopkins University, born in Příbram;
- Arnošt of Pardubice
Příbram meteorite
The city is also known as the impact site of the Příbram's meteoriteMeteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
in 1959. The meteorite is notable because it was the first meteorite whose trajectory was tracked by multiple cameras recording the associated fireball. Several fragments of it were found near to Příbram, exactly at a nearby village Luhy.
Also see