VIRTUAL TOUR OF BEROUN
Regular Markets
Beroun Beroun Open Markets
Famous markets selling items of all kinds.
Wednesdays and Saturdays 7-12 hod. https://www.mesto-beroun.cz/potrebuji-zjistit/trhy/?ftresult_menu=trh Address: Husovo náměstí
Wednesdays and Saturdays 7-12 hod. https://www.mesto-beroun.cz/potrebuji-zjistit/trhy/?ftresult_menu=trh Address: Husovo náměstí
Farmers Market
Beroun Beroun Open Markets
Small farmers market with vegetables, fruits, wooden baskets, pastry, etc. There are more stalls present on Tuesdays.
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 17. https://www.mesto-beroun.cz/potrebuji-zjistit/trhy/?ftresult_menu=trh Address: Husovo náměstí
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 17. https://www.mesto-beroun.cz/potrebuji-zjistit/trhy/?ftresult_menu=trh Address: Husovo náměstí
Christmas Market
Beroun Beroun Open Markets
Traditional Christmas open-air market held in the upper part of Husovo square. The market has seasonal items, food and drinks offered from wooden stalls. The stalls are surrounded by four Christmas trees, one for each of Beroun’s Elementary Schools.
Usually a roundabout for children and a synthetic ice skating rink are present.
The market also offers live entertainment on the stage.
From the beginning of Advent to 23th December https://www.mesto-beroun.cz/potrebuji-zjistit/trhy/?ftresult_menu=trh
Usually a roundabout for children and a synthetic ice skating rink are present.
The market also offers live entertainment on the stage.
From the beginning of Advent to 23th December https://www.mesto-beroun.cz/potrebuji-zjistit/trhy/?ftresult_menu=trh
Beroun Legends
Beroun Legends
Beroun, with its long history is of course full of supernatural beings. Within the town walls you are most likely to meet a little goblin Klepáček, Ohnivý Beha, several White ladies or a crowd of slaughtered monks.
The countryside around Beroun is full of water sprites, wisps, Dyma - the ruler of the local woods or Fabian - the sovereign of the Brdy mountains.
Here are the most famous legends:
About the Founding of Beroun
According to the legend, the town at the crossing of Mže river, was founded and named after Slavoš, husband of the mythical princess Teta and a brother in law of the famous princess Libuše.
The town was located near his wife´s hillfort in Tetín. Slavošov was soon deserted due to natural disasters and diseases. Only wild animals and bandits persisted in the town ruins. The bandits often robbed the travelers, and the place was soon called the dreadful Beroun ("taker")
And how did the bear get to the city emblem? A brave hero once visited the desolated town. His name was Tomák. A huge furious bear run against him from the ruins of the town gate. Tomák killed the bear, expelled the bandits and reestablished the town. In memory of this event the bear became a part of the city emblem.
About Klepáček
The most famous of the Beroun´s spectres, the little goblin Klepáček, can be seen in the townhall building at Husovo square. He announces his presence by clapping and knocking, when there is an injustice or spuriousness. Most of all he hates the intrigues, financial machinations and frauds. He usually looks like a little goblin with a small hammer, but some have seen him as a troll with a frowny face or a beheaded man.
And where did this strange creature come from? It is a ghost of a righteous Beroun´s burgomaster, who refused to divulge and hand ove the city treasure to the enemy soldiers. They tortured him to death for it. They never managed to fing the treasure and the ghost of the burghomaster has been guarding it to these days. Nowadays he mostly oversees meetings and acts of the municipality, but he frequently visits the local breweries, where he checks the work of the brewers.
Ohnivý (Fiery) Beha
For sure you do not want to meet this scary wraith of a man riding wildly in the flaming carriage, whipping the horses with a lightning. His apparition is aportent of a fire. According to the legend Beha, the reeve, sentenced to death an innocent youth. After he had found out his error, he hanged himself. Since then, from time to time he has been riding with his hell´s carriage from St. James church to Plzenka Culture House, where a city execution site used to be.
In reality, the burgher Beha, named Mates Rudolf, has never been a reeve. He was a butcher in early 18th century. After a destructive fire he went insane and hanged himself. Most likely this is the reason for his fiery appearance in the legend.
About foundation of the church
The young king Wenceslas used to spend a lot of time at his kind grandmother. Her name was Ludmila, and before being canonised due to her martyred death, she had lived in Tetín high above the Mže (today Berounka) river. The river was often flooded and its crossing was impossible for the young king on his way to Prague. The king used to find a shelter by a poor fisherman, who was living near the ford. When, many years later, the old fisherman had heard of the kings murder, he decided to build a chapel to commemorate the king. That night, the fisherman saw Wenceslas in his dream, showing him a man dressed as a pilgrim - patron of fishermen, shepherds and travellers. The next morning, the fisherman went to Tetin priest, telling him about his strange dream. The priest immediately recognized St. James, and so the small chapel, that has later became a sumptuous church, got its patron.
Spectres Na klášteře
Street Na Klášteře and its surroundings is full of wraiths and spectres. A Dominican monastery, that was burnt down by the Hussitess in 1421, used to be here.
Later on small houses and shops were buil here, but the murdered monks did not want to move from their former home. The wraiths of priests and altar boys, sometimes accompanied by a big dog with fiery eyes, wandering on the top of the city walls, can be seen mainly during church holidays. Chorales singing and organ playing can be heard. A wraith of Dominican prior prays directly in St. James Church during church holidays!
White Lady of the Jenštejn House
A sad white lady rattling keys wanders around the most opulent house at Husovo Square, that hosts the Czech Karst Museum.
Her sad destiny was caused by a tragedy, which had happened in this house many years ago. The oracle told the wealthy lady owning the house, that her little children would drown that year. Since then she desperately watched over her children, preventing them to come close to any water. At last, there was the last day of the year, that should have ended the cruel prophecy. A banquet took place in the Jenštejn house that night. The maid was very busy and when rushing to the cellar for beer, she did not noticed, the children followed her. She switched the lights and locked the cellar, as she had been told to. The children called for help, but nobody could hear them. While groping around, the children fell into a deep well. The poor maid was then sentenced to death. Her ghost has to wander around the building, carrying the keys from the cellar forever.
The countryside around Beroun is full of water sprites, wisps, Dyma - the ruler of the local woods or Fabian - the sovereign of the Brdy mountains.
Here are the most famous legends:
About the Founding of Beroun
According to the legend, the town at the crossing of Mže river, was founded and named after Slavoš, husband of the mythical princess Teta and a brother in law of the famous princess Libuše.
The town was located near his wife´s hillfort in Tetín. Slavošov was soon deserted due to natural disasters and diseases. Only wild animals and bandits persisted in the town ruins. The bandits often robbed the travelers, and the place was soon called the dreadful Beroun ("taker")
And how did the bear get to the city emblem? A brave hero once visited the desolated town. His name was Tomák. A huge furious bear run against him from the ruins of the town gate. Tomák killed the bear, expelled the bandits and reestablished the town. In memory of this event the bear became a part of the city emblem.
About Klepáček
The most famous of the Beroun´s spectres, the little goblin Klepáček, can be seen in the townhall building at Husovo square. He announces his presence by clapping and knocking, when there is an injustice or spuriousness. Most of all he hates the intrigues, financial machinations and frauds. He usually looks like a little goblin with a small hammer, but some have seen him as a troll with a frowny face or a beheaded man.
And where did this strange creature come from? It is a ghost of a righteous Beroun´s burgomaster, who refused to divulge and hand ove the city treasure to the enemy soldiers. They tortured him to death for it. They never managed to fing the treasure and the ghost of the burghomaster has been guarding it to these days. Nowadays he mostly oversees meetings and acts of the municipality, but he frequently visits the local breweries, where he checks the work of the brewers.
Ohnivý (Fiery) Beha
For sure you do not want to meet this scary wraith of a man riding wildly in the flaming carriage, whipping the horses with a lightning. His apparition is aportent of a fire. According to the legend Beha, the reeve, sentenced to death an innocent youth. After he had found out his error, he hanged himself. Since then, from time to time he has been riding with his hell´s carriage from St. James church to Plzenka Culture House, where a city execution site used to be.
In reality, the burgher Beha, named Mates Rudolf, has never been a reeve. He was a butcher in early 18th century. After a destructive fire he went insane and hanged himself. Most likely this is the reason for his fiery appearance in the legend.
About foundation of the church
The young king Wenceslas used to spend a lot of time at his kind grandmother. Her name was Ludmila, and before being canonised due to her martyred death, she had lived in Tetín high above the Mže (today Berounka) river. The river was often flooded and its crossing was impossible for the young king on his way to Prague. The king used to find a shelter by a poor fisherman, who was living near the ford. When, many years later, the old fisherman had heard of the kings murder, he decided to build a chapel to commemorate the king. That night, the fisherman saw Wenceslas in his dream, showing him a man dressed as a pilgrim - patron of fishermen, shepherds and travellers. The next morning, the fisherman went to Tetin priest, telling him about his strange dream. The priest immediately recognized St. James, and so the small chapel, that has later became a sumptuous church, got its patron.
Spectres Na klášteře
Street Na Klášteře and its surroundings is full of wraiths and spectres. A Dominican monastery, that was burnt down by the Hussitess in 1421, used to be here.
Later on small houses and shops were buil here, but the murdered monks did not want to move from their former home. The wraiths of priests and altar boys, sometimes accompanied by a big dog with fiery eyes, wandering on the top of the city walls, can be seen mainly during church holidays. Chorales singing and organ playing can be heard. A wraith of Dominican prior prays directly in St. James Church during church holidays!
White Lady of the Jenštejn House
A sad white lady rattling keys wanders around the most opulent house at Husovo Square, that hosts the Czech Karst Museum.
Her sad destiny was caused by a tragedy, which had happened in this house many years ago. The oracle told the wealthy lady owning the house, that her little children would drown that year. Since then she desperately watched over her children, preventing them to come close to any water. At last, there was the last day of the year, that should have ended the cruel prophecy. A banquet took place in the Jenštejn house that night. The maid was very busy and when rushing to the cellar for beer, she did not noticed, the children followed her. She switched the lights and locked the cellar, as she had been told to. The children called for help, but nobody could hear them. While groping around, the children fell into a deep well. The poor maid was then sentenced to death. Her ghost has to wander around the building, carrying the keys from the cellar forever.
Quick Look to Beroun History
Beroun Insight into History
The merchants road from Prague to Regensburg in Germany and further to Nürnberg has led through the broad valley surrounded by deep Křivoklát forests on one side and the hills of the Czech Karst and the Brdy hills on the other side since time immemorial. No wonder, this place at confluence of Berounka and Litavka rivers has been populated since prehistory.
The royal town of Beroun was built at the Mže river ford (renamed Berounka in 19th century) in the middle Ages. Traces of the past can be seen at every step. Some are hidden deep under the surface.
The settlement near the Mže river ford dates back to 11th century. In 13th century, the king Ottokar II. established a royal town at the southern end of the royal hunting forest. Beroun is mentioned in the chronicles for the first time in 1265. The town got its recent look during the reign of Venceslas II., when it was surrounded by solid walls with two dominating gates, that persisted to these days. The oldest part of St. James church dates back to the same era.
There are several legends about the origin of the name "Beroun". Most likely it originated in the German word Bär (bear). Not after bears wandering around the town in the middle Ages, but after the royal governor, whose name Ursus, which means "bear" in Latin. However, the bear has became a part of the city emblem. In 2000 Beroun has became home for three bear brothers called Vojta, Kuba and Matěj, from the popular TV series for children.They have become one of the top attractions in Beroun.
Another explanation of the name Beroun might be adapting the Latin version Dalším možným vysvětlením vzniku jména Beroun je počeštění latinského názvu města, který se objevoval na listinách z dob Přemysla Otakara II. v podobě „Verona“.
V Berouně trávila svůj čas při různých příležitostech celá řádka českých panovníků, od Přemysla Otakara II. až po Františka Josefa I., a můžeme pokračovat třeba i prezidentem T. G. Masarykem. Výjimkou nebyly ani návštěvy korunovaných hlav cizích zemí. Místní měšťané se již záhy mohli těšit nejrůznějším výsadám a právům, která byla pro středověká města zásadní – pořádání trhů, vaření piva a další. Díky výhodné poloze na obchodní tepně přicházeli zdejší obyvatelé do kontaktu s nejrůznějším vzácným a exotickým zbožím, například kořením. Bujela zde nejrůznější řemesla. Největšího věhlasu však dosáhli místní hrnčíři, kteří své bohatě dekorované zboží vyváželi na přelomu 16. a 17. století nejen do Prahy, ale i na měšťanská a šlechtická sídla v celé střední Evropě. Beroun je neodmyslitelně spjatý také s hezkou řádkou věhlasných osobností. Za všechny jmenujme dirigenta Václava Talicha, nebo třeba jazykovědce Čeňka Šercla či básníka Františka Branislava.
Jak už to ale v dějinách bývá, ani život v Berouně nebyl vždycky procházkou růžovým sadem. Město sužovaly morové rány, ničivé požáry (naposledy v roce 1735) a vzhledem k své poloze také mnohdy katastrofální povodně. Ta poslední v roce 2002 paradoxně přispěla k dnešní úhledné podobě berounských uliček, protože zdivočelá voda odnesla s sebou zbytky nánosů dob minulých a po opravách povstal Beroun jako bájný Fénix z popela v celé své dnešní nádheře. Ulicemi města se krom zlomocných živlů prohnal bohužel též nespočet válečných konfliktů, jejichž zdivočelé armády byly schopné sídlo zdecimovat často účinněji než nemoci a přírodní katastrofy. První velkou ránu zasadili Berounu v roce 1421 husité, ošklivé to zde pochopitelně bylo také během třicetileté války v 17. století. Naposledy se tudy cizí armáda provalila v srpnu 1968. Kéž tedy město Beroun čeká v budoucnosti už jen to dobré!
The royal town of Beroun was built at the Mže river ford (renamed Berounka in 19th century) in the middle Ages. Traces of the past can be seen at every step. Some are hidden deep under the surface.
The settlement near the Mže river ford dates back to 11th century. In 13th century, the king Ottokar II. established a royal town at the southern end of the royal hunting forest. Beroun is mentioned in the chronicles for the first time in 1265. The town got its recent look during the reign of Venceslas II., when it was surrounded by solid walls with two dominating gates, that persisted to these days. The oldest part of St. James church dates back to the same era.
There are several legends about the origin of the name "Beroun". Most likely it originated in the German word Bär (bear). Not after bears wandering around the town in the middle Ages, but after the royal governor, whose name Ursus, which means "bear" in Latin. However, the bear has became a part of the city emblem. In 2000 Beroun has became home for three bear brothers called Vojta, Kuba and Matěj, from the popular TV series for children.They have become one of the top attractions in Beroun.
Another explanation of the name Beroun might be adapting the Latin version Dalším možným vysvětlením vzniku jména Beroun je počeštění latinského názvu města, který se objevoval na listinách z dob Přemysla Otakara II. v podobě „Verona“.
V Berouně trávila svůj čas při různých příležitostech celá řádka českých panovníků, od Přemysla Otakara II. až po Františka Josefa I., a můžeme pokračovat třeba i prezidentem T. G. Masarykem. Výjimkou nebyly ani návštěvy korunovaných hlav cizích zemí. Místní měšťané se již záhy mohli těšit nejrůznějším výsadám a právům, která byla pro středověká města zásadní – pořádání trhů, vaření piva a další. Díky výhodné poloze na obchodní tepně přicházeli zdejší obyvatelé do kontaktu s nejrůznějším vzácným a exotickým zbožím, například kořením. Bujela zde nejrůznější řemesla. Největšího věhlasu však dosáhli místní hrnčíři, kteří své bohatě dekorované zboží vyváželi na přelomu 16. a 17. století nejen do Prahy, ale i na měšťanská a šlechtická sídla v celé střední Evropě. Beroun je neodmyslitelně spjatý také s hezkou řádkou věhlasných osobností. Za všechny jmenujme dirigenta Václava Talicha, nebo třeba jazykovědce Čeňka Šercla či básníka Františka Branislava.
Jak už to ale v dějinách bývá, ani život v Berouně nebyl vždycky procházkou růžovým sadem. Město sužovaly morové rány, ničivé požáry (naposledy v roce 1735) a vzhledem k své poloze také mnohdy katastrofální povodně. Ta poslední v roce 2002 paradoxně přispěla k dnešní úhledné podobě berounských uliček, protože zdivočelá voda odnesla s sebou zbytky nánosů dob minulých a po opravách povstal Beroun jako bájný Fénix z popela v celé své dnešní nádheře. Ulicemi města se krom zlomocných živlů prohnal bohužel též nespočet válečných konfliktů, jejichž zdivočelé armády byly schopné sídlo zdecimovat často účinněji než nemoci a přírodní katastrofy. První velkou ránu zasadili Berounu v roce 1421 husité, ošklivé to zde pochopitelně bylo také během třicetileté války v 17. století. Naposledy se tudy cizí armáda provalila v srpnu 1968. Kéž tedy město Beroun čeká v budoucnosti už jen to dobré!