History of Buštěhrad

The town of Buštěhrad is a remarkably interesting place rich in historical events and renowned personalities as well as a living witness of periods of social and political upheaval.

The settlement of the lands of Buštěhrad has been taking place continuously for thousands of years. The very first recorded reference to the name of the village was identified in a document signed by Daniel the Bishop of Prague in 1209 recognising the property of the Osek Monastery, naming a manorial farmstead in the village of Busczewes on the list. Later the village became known as Buckov.

Since the middle of the 13th century there was a fortress and later a castle owned by many distinguished, powerful and important aristocratic families. By the 15th century it gradually became one of the largest castles of its time. In 1497 King Vladislav Jagellonsky (Jagiello) officially assigned Buckov to town status.

The oldest houses were found under the castle and around the old Square. In the time before the battle of Bílá Hora (1620) there were a mere 17 homesteads. The castle was severely damaged during the Thirty Years' War and very slowly became dilapidated. During the 18th century its ruins provided plentiful building material for new houses that were being built in between the walls of the quickly disappearing castle, thus setting up today’s unique and most romantic quarter known as The Old Castle.

In 1699 Anna Maria Francesca, The Duchess of Tuscany, began building a new baroque castle with the help of the renowned baroque architects such as K.I. Dienzenhofer and A. Lurago. Later it underwent classicist modifications including the construction of a chapel which was later extended at the end of 19th century.

Just next to the pond there is a baroque brewery which was converted in the 19th century. Nevertheless, the existence of a brewery in Buštěhrad was first documented as early as the Middle Ages.

The 19th century brought new development to the town thanks to the expansion of coal mining in the Kladno region and the boom of the famous private rail company Buštěhrad Railway. During the 20th century Buštěhrad suffered from being in close proximity to the industrial zone and the resulting slag heap that had arisen as a dumping site for industrial waste from the nearby Poldi ironworks.

Today Buštěhrad is becoming an extremely well-balanced residential town combining the numerous advantages of suburban and country life. Currently Buštěhrad has a population of 3498 residents and because of its location close to Prague the number has been rising steadily.