Travel to the Czech Republic: a story about a trip to Beroun and Karlstejn Castle. Travel to the Czech Republic: a story about a trip to Beroun and Karlstejn Castle. What is produced in Beroun

Koneprus caves - the largest cave complex in the Czech Republic. It is located in Central Bohemia, near the castles of Kršivoklat and Karlštejn. This place was discovered by scientists in 1950, and open to visitors in 1959.

Koneprus caves were formed by limestone rocks of the Devonian period about 400 million years ago. The caves are located on three levels, and the height between the levels is about 70 meters. The length of the cave complex is 2 kilometers.

A route of about 600 m in length is available for tourist inspection. Here you can see unusual stalactites and stalagmites, as well as the famous "Koneprus roses" - beautiful growths on the ceiling resembling these flowers. In the cave were found the remains of ancient people and animals, as well as a secret laboratory of counterfeiters located in the 15th century on the upper level.

Dobříš Castle

Dobříš Castle is located in the central part of the Czech Republic, 35 kilometers from Prague. Dobříš is an excellent example of French architecture made in the Rococo style.

The first mention of the Dobříš castle dates back to the middle of the 13th century, but in those days it was a royal village associated with the name of Wenceslas I. A fully formed castle was built under Charles IV and Wenceslas IV - descendants of Wenceslas I. With numerous reconstructions, the castle moved according to the design style from gothic to renaissance. History did not spoil the castle, and it experienced several unpleasant moments - such as the act of plunder during the Hussite wars.

Now Dobris is open for tourists to visit - they conduct excursions, during which visitors admire various luxurious collections. It is curious that the castle was used for filming such films as “The Shanghai Knights” with Jackie Chan and “From Hell” with Johnny Depp.

The most popular attractions in Beroun with descriptions and photos for every taste. Choose the best places to visit the famous places of Beroun on our website.

Why go

The town of Beroun can serve not only as a transfer point from Prague or Karlstejn to Krsivoklat or Rakovnik. It is interesting, for example, at least because in 2009 he received the Czech Prize "Historical City of the Year" for the good preservation and restoration of ancient monuments.The historical center with a large rectangular medieval square and a Gothic church, the outstanding Museum of the Czech Karst are well preserved here. Especially valuable are the medieval defense system of the city, its walls and gates. The city was hit hard by the 2002 flood, but after that it was remarkably restored.  Beroun is famous for several festivals, two of which are very popular: this is the autumn ceramics fair and the classical music festival "Beroun Talikh".

Beroun is a popular tourist city. It is convenient to travel from here to the famous royal fortresses Karlstejn, Krshivoklat, Tochnik, Zhebrak. It is very interesting to visit neighboring Tetin: the ruins of the fortress of the first Czech princess Lyudmila, a baroque castle, and the remains of a Slavic settlement were preserved there. Near Beroun are the remains of the most famous Celtic settlement, and in the castle of Nizhbor you can get information about Celtic culture. Very close to the city are the baroque castles of Gorzowice and Karluv Dvur. Above the Lodenice river in the village of St. Jan near Scalow, there is a Benedictine monastery with the Church of St. John the Baptist. The first hiking trail in the Czech Republic takes place there (of those that were created in the 19th century by the Czech Tourist Club.

The nature of Central Bohemia is also unique. This is a picturesque hilly area with river valleys and shallow canyons, and sometimes high cliffs marked by the hail standing on them. Close to Beroun are the protected areas of the Czech Karst and Krshivoklatsko. It is convenient to visit Koneprus caves from Beroun - the largest cave complex in the Czech Republic.Campers located along the Berounka will attract outdoor enthusiasts. The river is used for rafting for a whole year. Several cycling routes start from Beroun: to Tetin, Karlstejn, Jan near Scalow, Nizhbor, Karluv Dvur and other places.

Security

Like all Czech cities, Beroun is quite safe.

Money and currency exchange

In the city center on Gusovaya Square there are several ATMs that operate around the clock. Currency Exchange - V Pražské bráně 74/2, 266 01 Beroun-Centrum (see map) http://www.firmy.cz/detail/2214327-n-59-beroun-centrum.html

the Internet

Internet can be used in the Tourist Information Center, in hotels, restaurants, cafes.

Urban transport

City transport of Beroun - these are three bus lines that connect two cities: Beroun and Kraluv Dvůr (Králův Dvůr). On the city website in the section Autobusová doprava  You will find three links, and on them - the route of each bus line in PDF format:http://www.mesto-beroun.cz/obcan/doprava/

Cars

Bicycles

Bicycles for rent:

http://www.cyklopujcovna.cz/?q\u003dcs/taxonomy/term/7

How to get to and from Beroun

Beroun is an important transportation hub. Several railway lines intersect here (Prague - Pilsen - Cheb and further to Germany, Prague - Beroun - Rakovnik, Prague - Beroun - Pribram). Central Bohemia has a dense road network. The D5 motorway provides easy access to the Vaclav Havel (Ruzyně) airport. It connects Prague with Germany through Pilsen. The city crosses the highway 605 Prague - Beroun - ебebrak - Pilsen; 118 Slans - Kladno - Beroun - диdice - Pribram; 116 Lana - Beroun - Rzhevnice - Mnishek under Brody - Nowy Klin.

  Air

The nearest airport is Prague-Vaclav Havel: http://www.prg.aero/en/

  The trains

There are two railway stations in Beroun: Beroun and Beroun-Závodí. The main branch Prague - Pilsen - Cheb, Beroun - Pribram, Prague - Ceske Budejovice passes through the Beroun station. Trains to Rakovnik go through the Beroun and Beroun-Závodí stations.

Buses

The bus service from Beroun to Beroun is very busy. There are many small towns and villages in the area, which can be reached by bus. Most important  is the Prague destination. In Prague, buses arrive at the Zličin and Nové Butovíce bus stations. Buses run very often, travel time is about 30 minutes.

Beroun Train Station (Vlaková stanice Beroun) is a simple reinforced concrete building, quite spacious, where there is everything necessary for passengers: a spacious waiting room, ticket offices, information stands, left-luggage offices, grocery stores and toilets.

The Infocentrum is located in the central square of the city, to the right of the town hall.The information center provides free information on the history of the city, tourist attractions, cultural events and accommodation in Beroun.

Independent travel in the Czech Republic allowed me get from Prague to Karlstejn castle, to see the sights of Beroun, find out cost of excursions from Prague; want to know more - read the story about an independent trip to the Czech Republic

Sometimes a genuine surprise comes over me: why, one wonders, are there robbers and robbers? They, you know, risk their lives by fishing on the high road and arranging armed raids, while they could have raked money with a shovel just sitting in the office. Just business - to open a travel agency ... The same robbery, but fuss an order of magnitude less ...

After all, they make a fool, make a fool of tourists at every step, and they do not fool around either deftly or gracefully, as if in a crime comedy about scams - they fool impudently, without any equivocation, curtsy and complicated schemes.

Take, for example, the cost of excursions from Prague: there are different options, but the price is about one, thirty-five or forty euros. Take a trip to the town of Kutna Hora or to the castle of Czech Sternberg, or to the castle of Krzhivoklat, or to the resort of Karlovy Vary, or to other cities and castles, and cheaper pleasure is unlikely to cost less than eight hundred crowns, and then this is the price of participation in a group tour. A group tour, as anyone who visited it should understand, is a lot of people, a lot of uselessly lost time, and very little useful information, well, if you do not come across a guide of exceptional interpretation, which is unlikely ...

At the same time, it is not difficult to get to the castles near Prague on your own, and the price of such a trip will be extremely low. I was convinced of the validity of this statement more than once; a trip to Karlstejn Castle alone proved once again what was already proved ...

In truth, when I was wondering how to get to Karlštejn Castle on my own, I thought that it would be nice to visit the Krživoklat castle at the same time, since it is located nearby - so I set aside the whole day for a country walk. Alas, not all plans come true, and of the two beautiful castles of the Czech Republic I managed to visit only one, but I compensated for the failure by visiting the pretty town of Beroun.

To get from Prague to Karlstejn Castle on your own, you just have to get to the Praha Hlavni Nadrazi train station, which is easiest, well, or come to the Praha-Smi chov station, where you can catch a passing train to Beroun. The main terminal of the Czech capital is more convenient in that the necessary trains depart from there, so you can safely choose a seat and take seats, and the infrastructure is better - there are many ticket offices, ticket machines are also at hand, there is even a luggage storage room. In a word, I started the trip to Karlstejn Castle from the platform of Praha Hlavni Nadrazi, paying 50 crowns for a ticket. Yes, getting from Prague to Karlstejn Castle costs only 2 euros, and even when we take the price of the train back into account, all the same the numbers will be 10 times less than indicated on the price tags of travel agencies. In this case, the traveler will not experience any extra headache or any difficulties; on the contrary, he will not have to wait with the group for the laggards, those who are lost, he will not have to languish from idleness while visiting stores lured by the travel agency. It will take him only 50 minutes to travel all the way from Prague to the most beautiful castle in the Czech Republic, of which four fifths will be spent on contemplating Czech landscapes, and the last stretch of time will take a walk through the picturesque village, fixed at the Karlstejn foot.

It is necessary to leave the train to Beroun together with everything at the Karlsteijn station - almost the entire population of the train goes there, it is difficult to make a mistake. It is also difficult to make a mistake with the choice of the direction of further movement: the whole crowd will move from the station to the right along the road, but if someone gaps or decided to get there, they started to know the schedule of return trains from Karlstejn to Prague and lost sight of their fellow travelers, then there are signs. They will tell you that you need to go to the right side of the exit from the station, then turn left and head for the bridge, and after crossing it turn right again. Then there will be a fork, one road leading to a colossal parking lot, next to which are Karlstein’s tourist office and cafe, the other sending to the heights of the mountains, straight to the castle entrance. So you need to look into the tourist office, and then start the climb.

Getting to Karlstejn Castle is easy on foot, the road becomes steep only right next to the citadel, and for a long time it remains flat. The beautiful landscapes of rural Czechia, represented by the greenery of the surroundings and picturesque houses, each of which is either a gift shop or a restaurant, also facilitate the task. By the way, the higher you climb, the more prices rise. While beer costs 15 kroons and pizza 25 at the bottom, Verkhotura offers the same Velkopopovitsky goat for already 25.

It seems that it is better to dine all the same down, on the way back, returning after an excursion around Karlstejn Castle: you still should not climb up with a full belly. And the rise will require a breathing room, and, most importantly, it will require transitions through the interior of the citadel. So for the time being you have to revel only in fresh air ...

Photographing on the way up will have to be done almost constantly, so I recommend taking extra batteries with you: it’s not an hour, the kit put into the device will sit down from constant work. And he will sit still along the road, from beautiful houses and nature to the uttermost, before the traveler has an amazing view from the fortress walls. The panoramas are really magnificent, and the castle of Karlstejn is magnificent, formidable, beautiful and photogenic. No wonder this ensemble is characterized as the most beautiful castle in the Czech Republic.

Initially, Karlstein didn’t wait for a bright fate: King Charles IV ordered the building to be erected, intending to use it as a summer suburban residence - far enough from Prague to take a break from the courtyard, and close enough to quickly visit the capital, if something happened requiring personal presence. Only much later, when the ruler of the Czech Republic was elected head of the Holy Roman Empire, he decided to place imperial relics and other jewelry in a well-protected citadel. Karlstein, therefore, turned into the treasury of Bohemia, which he stayed for a very long time, more than two hundred years, with short interruptions. It’s clear that the castle’s defense was constantly improved and strengthened; over the long history of its existence, the ensemble suffered two dramatic changes. The first happened at the end of the XV century, the second somewhere in a hundred years. The final touches on the appearance of Karlstejn Castle were made by the architect Josef Moker, who was engaged in alterations at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and after the end of the work he headed, the fruit of many years of efforts was opened for the examination of the most respected public.

In fact, it turns out that Karlstejn’s castle illustrates the words about “there are terrible, kind inside”, just the opposite. Outside, the complex of towers and walls looks stunning, while the interior, to put it mildly, disappoint. That is, in them, of course, there is furniture and there are old paintings, but the atmosphere of the past is not felt. For example, I was in the fortress of Salzburg and was there captivated by the spirit of antiquity, but whoever you ask, everyone who visited the excursions inside the Karlstejn castle will say with one voice that they did not feel anything like that. As a result, in the courtyard of the castle is full of perplexed tourists, wondering what kind of bastard the devil they paid a lot of money for it is not clear what. Meanwhile, excursions fly in a pretty penny, because routes 1 cost 270 kroons, and route number two is all three hundred. And let the information booklet about the castle praise its decoration as much as you like and promise "the private chambers of Charles IV and the historic interiors of the Imperial Palace",

The second tour route includes such objects as the Chapel of St. Katerina, the suspension bridge of the tower, the former sacristy, the Lapidarium of the castle, the Grand Gallery, the tower staircase with wall paintings of the 14th century, the chapel of the Holy Cross, but still

Of all the premises of the castle, you can only shoot inside the hall, where there is a 78-meter mine, going deep into the earth - during a hypothetical siege, it would supply the garrison with fresh water. There is essentially nothing to shoot there, and all the same, tourists who escaped from the excursion are so happy about the absence of a ban on the photo that they almost lower their devices into the well’s mouth ...

It’s okay to take pictures of Karlštejn’s castle even though it’s not forbidden, and no one takes money for shooting panoramas. For example, I shot there a bunch of frames with picturesque landscapes, and I also added landscape shots a little later, when I was descending from the hill. For the descent, I chose not the usual road, which I climbed, like everyone else, but a path winding through the forest, leading to the other side of the citadel. It was quiet, deserted, in places beautiful and grace reigned in general - I had the opportunity to soak it completely ...

To get to the next place that I planned for the visit, Krzhivoklat Castle, was possible only through the town of Beroun. He was primarily interested in me as a transfer point, but it turned out that I stayed in the town for a long time and didn’t get to Krzhivoklat at all.

In the Czech Republic, it is full of small, pretty towns, little known to the most respected public - the tidy Beroun, where tourists are shish and kumysh, is on this list. He, of course, is not Kutna Hora with its famous Cossack, and not Pilsen beer, but 800 years of history force itself to be respected. The first mention of the city dates back to the 13th century, the heyday of Beroun came during the reign of King Charles IV, who contributed to the development of crafts; the king’s concern for income from industry and trade allowed the townspeople to succeed, especially wine merchants and brewers in this respect, although the weavers did not lag behind. Beroun suffered a fierce blow during the Hussite Wars, when the followers of Jan Hus looted and burned everything, and then the floods were interspersed with epidemics, and the horrors of the Thirty Years War did not pass over the city. Beroun again reached a more or less decent level of development only in the 19th century, after laying the railway line from Prague to Pilsen. The town has become an important junction of the Czech railways, and a transshipment base for those who are going to independently get to the castles of Nizhbor, Krzhivoklat and Karlstejn, Koneprus caves and other interesting places of southwestern Bohemia. Beroun's sights are also worth exploring, even if there are not many of them.

Beroun interested me only after studying the booklets taken at Karlstejn’s tourist office - they had beautiful photographs, and I thought that it’s quite possible to find an hour to put your nose in the center of the city and see for yourself his pretty houses. An additional incentive for a walk was the schedule of transport to Krzhivoklat Castle: there was a considerable gap between the arrival of the train from Prague and the nearest departure along the route I needed. So I examined the map of the area hanging on the wall and left the Beroun railway station, hoping to quickly get to the city center, take a walk there and quickly return. However, the walk dragged on for some time, and the reason was exclusively local landscapes.

At first the districts didn’t look very advantageous, especially when the E50 freeways hung overhead; the modern buildings next to him were disappointing. Beauty began further, about 10 minutes later, when I walked to the ancient walls surrounding the historical center of Beroun. The walls are solid, well-deserved, sometimes covered with moss, and they look marvelously pretty. Two of the sights of Beroun, directly connected with the walls, are beautiful - the Prague Tower and the Pilsen Tower. The first stands, as it should be, on the road to Prague, the second, on the contrary, is turned towards Pilsen. Both designs have a unique look; the original structures erected with the walls in     XIII - XIV    centuries, were subsequently modified and rebuilt in the Baroque style. I don’t know about the Prague Tower, but Pilsen can be visited by paying 20 crowns, and then, in addition to visiting the exposition of the city museum, the visitor will be able to climb to the observation deck and see the panoramas of Beroun.

The old gates rise above the city like cliffs, and the small, neat little houses in the neighborhood seem even smaller. The city center is characterized by just such a one- or two-story building, sometimes with the addition of a mezzanine. The entire main square, Husovo namestie, is furnished with devilishly picturesque crumbs of pastel colors, it stands out among all except the town hall of Beroun, which waved a three-story building. In fact, before it was not so hefty: the building was almost completely rebuilt in 1903 according to the project of the local native Frantisek Koufal. It turned out to be at least not authentic, but beautiful, and since then, Beroun Town Hall has dominated Jan Hus Square.

Another local dominant, the Church of St. Jacob, stands a little to the side, as if giving way to the town hall. The temple was built in     XIII    century, after three hundred years, adding to it the impressive bell tower of the Baroque style. For the time being, the church was surrounded by a cemetery, destroyed by time, and now the building stands on its own, without contacting anyone. Only the Plague Pill of the sample of 1680 is her company - it reminds of a terrible epidemic when the disease that came to the city mowed out almost half of the inhabitants ...

A contrast to the loneliness of the Church of St. Jacob is created by houses that have snuggled together, preserving the traditional features of Bohemian architecture. Here you have murals, and a clear rhythm of windows, and heraldry, and flowers on window sills. The Baroque and Renaissance features are intricately interwoven in the appearance of the buildings on Husa Square, inside, if the guide to Beroun does not lie, vaulted cellars are preserved, and in general the whole ensemble pleases the eye with both beauty and historicity.

Most of the houses on the square are occupied either by shops or pleasant cafes, and if it’s unprofitable to make purchases from private owners, you can eat inexpensively right in the center of Beroun. For example, I spotted a nice cafe on the south side of the square, where they offered to taste light beer on the terrace for only 12 coins. And to the left of the town hall, at 66, there was a grocery supermarket “Albert ", Where you can buy food very cheaply, and, what pleased me, there are inexpensive magnets.

On the other side of the town hall facade is the tourist office of Beroun, where I got a map of the city. It turned out that the Berounka River flows very close to the center - river species are always among my priority objects, and I hurried east. The landscapes were not bad, although I expected more. But what I did not expect in any way was the clouds approaching the city: the forecast didn’t talk about anything ... And it turned out that the shore of Berounka brought me to Wenceslas Square, where, as it turned out, there is a local transport ring, and that most importantly, buses from Beroun to Prague leave from here, and the buses are suburban, they must be paid at the usual Prague tariff. They go neither shaky, nor swirling, sometimes the intervals are, as far as I remember, more than two hours, and it was necessary to coincide so that the next flight was expected in only 5 minutes. “Well,” I decided, “it’s clear that I’m destined to get to Krzhivoklat Castle another time, but now I’ll go and enjoy Prague.” Clouds creeping closer and closer strengthened my determination to end the out-of-town excursion, and with some regret in my soul I climbed into the approaching transport — I left Beroun’s Bear Pit without my attention, and it would be worthwhile to climb onto the observation tower adjacent to it ...

But there was really only some regret: after all, amazing Prague was waiting for me ... And finally, the city was waiting for me

Beroun is a small, cozy provincial town with Czech flair and typical modern buildings. However, the historical part remained untouched. The status of the city was granted to him by Charles IV in the 13th century. A notable attraction is the brewery “Berounsky Bear.

In the Central Bohemian Region (Středočeský kraj), between Prague and Pilsen, at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers, stands the city of Beroun. 30 km - and you are in Prague, 75 km - in Pilsen. Now many people prefer to work in a big city, and live outside it. Therefore, Beroun becomes a popular place of residence among residents of Prague.

Beroun is located among the hills, on the border of the Křivoklátsko and Czech Beauty (Český kras) nature reserves. It is believed that Beroun received a name in honor of the Italian Verona.

History of the city

The settlement on the banks of the Berounka River existed until the 13th century. The first documented mention of Beroun dates back to 1265. During the reign of Charles IV, Beroun reached its peak. He was known at that time for his artisans. Far beyond the city limits, the Beroun potters and textile workers, winemakers and brewers were famous. Wealthy citizens lived here, most of the families were of German origin. Pottery of Beroun masters is known to this day - every year ceramics fairs are held in the city.

Under Wenceslas II, the city, walled by the fortress walls, was fortified.

In the 19th century, limestone mining began in Beroun, and the steel and textile industries began to develop. During the communist regime, factories appeared: iron-rolling, metallurgical, and cement. The Berounsky station and panel microdistricts were built. But, unfortunately, as a result of this, many monuments were demolished.

Sights of Beroun

Pilsen Gate

Gates of prague

Catholic church of St. Jacob

Medvarium

Viewing tower

Brewer Bearoun Bear

Jan Hus Square

Today, the old part of the city is surrounded by the ruins of the fortress wall. The historic core of Beroun is formed by Husovo náměstí, several streets and two ancient twin towers. The towers were part of the city wall. They were called Prague (Pražská brána) and Pilsen gates (Plzeňská brána), through them the road from Prague to Pilsen passed. The beauty of the Prague Gate is in its simplicity. The Pilsen Gate, on the contrary, looks majestic, they are taller, they have an observation deck and a clock.

Town Hall

On Gusova Square is the Town Hall (Radnice v Berouně). This building, after reconstruction in 1903, was included in the register of monuments of Czech culture. In 1998, the building was restored. In the course of the work, the moldings of the facade and sculptures of William Amorth were recreated, and a modern wing was added. The Town Hall had to be repaired again - after 2002. Then the flood damaged many buildings of the old center.

Catholic church of St. Jacob

The dominant feature of Gusova Square is the renaissance church of St. Jacob (Kostel sv. Jakuba) (XIII century). Some of the paintings in the church are the work of students of the Dutch artist Anton van Dyck. The twin city of Beroun, Risewijk, gave the temple an organ.

Renaissance and baroque houses

Czech Beauty Museum (photo by Daniil Kotofeev)

Several more Renaissance and Baroque houses have survived on the square. Jenshtein’s house houses the Museum of Czech Beauty (Muzeum Českého krasu), which presents samples of rocks from the vicinity of Beroun.

Medvarium

Medvědárium, photo by Bart de Bruijn

Today's favorite tourist destination in Beroun is the Medvědárium. It is located on the hillside of Grandfather, not far from the observation tower. Three bears live in the Medvarium. They were brought from Cesky Krumlov. The animals lived in the Krumlov zoo and were filmed by the cubs in a series of television programs. Now the bears Cuba, Voite and Matei are nine years old. They are an urban symbol, serve as a living emblem of the hockey club "Beroun bears."

Viewing tower

The tower was built in 1939. Its height is 15 m. Given the height of the hill, observers climb almost 300 m to look at Beroun and its environs.

Brewer Bear Bear

Beroun, photo by Edvard Kožušník

Beroun is surrounded by picturesque forests and hills. The outskirts of the city attract lovers of water sports, bikers, climbers. From here, several important hiking trails begin.

Krsivoklat Discount Hotels Here

Beroun  (Czech Beroun) is a district city in the Central Bohemian region. The city lies at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers, 30 southwest of Prague.

Location

Due to its strategic location - between Prague and the city of Pilsen - Beroun already in the Middle Ages was an important transport intersection, a place of trade, crafts and industry. After the construction of the highway for high-speed communication with Prague along the D5 highway, the city is increasingly becoming a suburban area of \u200b\u200bthe Czech metropolis, from where people come to Prague to work.

Beroun is located on a hilly area at the turn of the Czech Krast and Krshivoklato regions. Along with its historical monuments (whose number in 1992 led to the declaration of the historical core of the city as a protected historical zone), this makes the city an important starting point for tourist routes.

Pottery markets arranged every year are also of national importance. The international music festival Tallihuv Beroun is also known.

Title

The name of the city comes from the German name of the northern Italian city of Verona (Bern, Beronia). The alleged derivation of the city name from the verb “take” is wrong.

History

The first mention of the royal city of Beroun dates back to 1265, although the city was inhabited even earlier.

The city, founded probably during the peak of the medieval wave of urban formation in the Czech Republic, was soon, however, almost abandoned. It was rebuilt during the reign of Wenceslas II. Beroun at that time was well fortified (walls were built in the first half of the 14th century) and had two gates. Its significance, however, was again lost after a 30-year war. Since the 18th century, Beroun has become the so-called garrison city, i.e. the city where the military units were located.

In the 60s of the 19th century, limestone mining began near the city, and other industrial sectors (textile industry, ferrous metallurgy) gradually developed. Thanks to the railway connection between the cities of Prague and Pilsen, Beroun has become a convenient place for the construction of new industrial enterprises, both in the south-west and north-east directions from the city. Subsequently, less important railways were built to Rudna and to Rakovnik, which also served to transport goods and, thereby, strengthened the importance of Beroun as an industrial city.

During the communist rule in Beroun, classic city houses were first built, later panel microdistricts, as well as new industrial enterprises (for example, a metallurgical and rolling mill, a cement plant in Kraluv Dvur). After administrative reform in the 1960s, Beroun became a district center, one of the few in Central Bohemia. The railway station was modernized, which acquired a modern waiting room and apron. Some nearby small towns were attached to the city (for example, Kraluv Dvur in 1980). However, this period was manifested in many negative aspects. Despite the fact that the transport situation improved after the construction of the D5 highway (which, however, due to the nature of the terrain, is too close to the city center), many cultural monuments were destroyed during the forty years of the communist period, environmental degradation and a general increase in transport activity took place. New panel buildings were located not only on the outskirts of the city, but also in the immediate vicinity of the historic core of the city.

In November 1990, one of its units (Kraluv Dvur) detached from Beroun. The importance of industry after 1989 has fallen significantly. Production was reoriented to light industry, small and medium enterprises. A new industrial zone was built. Traditional limestone mining in the vicinity of the city, however, has not declined. The historical center of the city was reconstructed, in particular, preserved fragments of the defensive walls, city gates (Prague and Pilsen) were repaired, and a pedestrian zone appeared on the main square. The city was again culturally reborn. The new buildings, which are currently mainly represented by private houses, are concentrated in the area between Beroun and the city of Kraluv Dvur, they are supplemented by various logistics areas that use the nearby highway from Prague to Pilsen (the Beroun-Kraluv Dvur cluster emerges).

Architectural monuments

The most noticeable are the remains of the fortification: City Gate (Prague and Pilsen) and the remains of the fortress.

The dominant feature of the charming town square is the Gothic parish church of St. Jacob.

Some houses on and around the square are also considered interesting, as well as the branch - formerly cemetery - Church of the Resurrection of the Lord. Villa Duslova in the style of the new renaissance of the late 19th century (designed by architect Antonin Vigla) currently serves as a city gallery.

Nature

The city is almost completely surrounded by hills and forests. A number of marked tourist routes run through its surroundings. Nearest places to visit: Karlstejn, St. John under the Rock, Koneprusy, Tetin, Goodlice, Nizhbor.

Near the center there is a wooded hill of Mestska gora with an observation post. On this hill there is a territory where three bears live - former cubs, known for cartoons. The bear is depicted on the emblem of the city, so the city authorities sponsor the maintenance of these bears. Further on, there is the Grandfather hill with an observation tower, from which, however, the view of Beroun is limited due to the high forest located in the direction of the city.

Two rivers flow through the city: Berounka and Litavka. Therefore, floods sometimes occur in the city, one of them occurred in the summer of 2002. The water in Berounka is suitable for swimming, the city has different places for swimming (for example, a pond in Giskovo).

Education

There are 4 primary schools in the city. Secondary education is represented by the following institutions: Private Secondary School of Tourism, Trading Academy and Secondary Pedagogical School, Beroun Gymnasium, Beroun Secondary Medical School, Secondary Specialized School and Beroun-Glinka Secondary School, Beroun Management Academy and Liten Special School.

Transport

As mentioned earlier, Beroun has always been on an important route from Prague through Pilsen to Bavaria. The most significant, undoubtedly, is the D5 highway Prague-Pilsen-Rozvadov, which diverted traffic from the city center, but - at the same time - disfigured the view of the area, creating many eye-repelling corners. The routes of the second class are II / 116 (Lany-Beroun-Rzhevnice-Mnishek near Brdy-Novy Knin) and II / 118 (Doksany-Slany – Kladno-Beroun-Zdice-Pribram-Petrovice).

In Beroun there is a high-speed railway station on the main railway line No. 170 on the route Prague-Beroun-Cheb. Two local routes join this road: No. 173 (Prague-Rudna-Beroun) and No. 174 (Beroun-Rakovnik). Berounsky station is quite modern compared to railway tracks. The current "modern" station building was built in 1972.

City public transport is provided by buses operated by PROBO BUS. Some routes run to the neighboring town of Kraluv Dvur.

Administrative division of the city

The city consists of four cadastral units and seven local units. These include:

• Beroun (parts of the Beroun Center, Beroun City, Beroun Zavadilka, Beroun Plant):
• Guest at Beroun (Beroun-Guest);
• Yarov at Beroun (Beroun-Yarov);
• Zdeicin (Beroun-Zdeicin);

Administrative area

Beroun is a district city, as well as a city with expanded competence, performing the functions of a municipality. The Beroun area consists of 85 micro-regions and 48 micro-districts with expanded competence.

Symbols of the city

Coat of arms of the city: a silver battlement of the castle with a wide open gate in the form of a golden lattice is depicted on a blue shield. On the sides of the gate are visible two low rounded towers of stone blocks with battlements, each tower has one window and a red gabled roof with a golden spire. Above the gate between the towers you can see a warrior in armor with a sword drawn from a scabbard and a shield in his left hand. The shield is red with the image of a silver Czech lion. Under the overhanging grille in the gate against the background of black and gray rocky rock depicts a brown bear walking to the left.

Famous personalities

- Joseph Jungmann (1773-1847), a linguist, studied at Beroun;
  - Alois Gerout (1860-1943), teacher and founder of Czech shorthand;
  - Frantisek Branislav (1900-1968), writer, a native of the city;
  - Victor Palivets (1908-1989), historian;
  - Kheda Prukhova (1904-1997), writer;
  - Frantisek Nepil (1929-1995), writer;
  - Vaclav Talich (1883-1961), conductor;
  - Jan Shnweis (1904-1995), composer;
  - Marta Krasova (1901-1970), opera singer;
  - Jan Preiser (1872-1918), artist.

Gallery:

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