Happy TravellerWelcome to Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav, a charming pair of towns located in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. With a population of about 19,000 inhabitants, it is the second largest Czech united pair of towns after Frýdek-Místek. The municipality is made up of towns of Brandýs nad Labem and Stará Boleslav and a village of Popovice. The historic centres of both Brandýs nad Labem and Stará Boleslav are well preserved and are protected by law as urban monument zones.
Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav lies about 25 km northeast from Prague and is part of the Prague metropolitan area. It is located in the Central Elbe Table plateau, in the heart of the agricultural region of Polabí. The towns lie upon the Elbe river, Brandýs nad Labem on the left bank and Stará Boleslav on the right bank. The Proboštovský Pond lies in the municipal territory.
Brandýs nad Labem dates its origin to the 13th century. The town was originally named Boleslav by Boleslaus I who built here his castle at the beginning of the 10th century. Stará Boleslav is a historical town and the oldest pilgrimage site in Central Bohemia. It was an early Přemyslid dynasty stronghold built in the late 9th and 10th century and surrounded by stone ramparts. Its fame came from a major historical event: the murder of Duke Wenceslaus by his brother Boleslaus at the gate of St Cosmas and Damian Church on 28 September 935 (or 929). After his death, Wenceslaus was proclaimed a saint by the church and became the patron saint of the Czech nation as well as a symbol of moral reinforcement during hard times. After 1039, Bretislaus I established a new Romanesque basilica dedicated to St. Wenceslaus (consecrated in 1046 by the Prague bishop) at the site of the murder and pilgrimage site. Moreover, Bretislaus I had the Collegiate Chapter of St Cosmas and Damian, the oldest in Bohemia, built next to the basilica in 1052. By the end of the 11th century, the adjoining Romanesque Chapel of Saint Clement was built. It is valuable for its Romanesque frescos from the latter half of the 12th century depicting scenes from St. Clements life and martyrdom. In 1310 Bohemia fell under the House of Luxemburg and subsequently the Habsburgs. Emperor Charles IV often used to visit the town to hunt in the 14th century, supported the Chapter, and had new ramparts built.
In 1960, the two adjacent towns were joined to form one town of Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav, after both towns refused to give up their names and accept a new one. In 2003, the St. Wenceslaus National Pilgrimage to Stará Boleslav was renewed and is now the largest official celebration of St. Wenceslaus Day (28 September, Czech Statehood Day). On this occasion Pope Benedict XVI visited the St. Wenceslaus Basilica and held mass for over 50,000 people who had gathered in Stará Boleslav.
Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav is twinned with Dunaivtsi, Ukraine, Gödöllő, Hungary, and Montescudaio, Italy. The name of municipality is the second longest in the country (after Nová Ves u Nového Města na Moravě) with 32 letters and spaces. Come and visit this hidden gem and discover the rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and mouthwatering local cuisine of Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav.
