Location – Dobříš area

Dobříš - www.mestodobris.cz - a picturesque town with eight thousand inhabitants, is situated 40 km southwest of Prague. Thanks to its location in the middle of the mountain ranges Hřebeny, Brdy and Kozí Hory, it is a popular place for winter and summer recreation. A forest landscape with numerous ponds offers a number of trails for hikers, cyclists and skiers.

The first written mention of Dobříš as the royal court, where King Václav I resided, dates back to 1252.

Already in the early Middle Ages, Dobris was a remarkable settlement mainly because of its important trade route, the so-called Golden Trail leading from Prague to Passau. During the reign of King John of Luxembourg, the hunting lodge Vargač was built here, and a small town grew in its neighborhood.

In the 15th century, as a result of the Hussite wars, the town was abandoned and a new village emerged in its place (somewhere in today's Mírové Square). In 1569 Dobris was promoted to a market town and from the Emperor Rudolf II (1589) it got its emblem. In 1630 Dobris was sold to Philip of Mansfeld and owned by his family (since 1780 Colloredo-Mansfeld) remained until the abbolition of feudal administration.

In the places of today's castle, Philip of Mansfeld originally built a fortress that burnt down in 1720. In the forties of the eighteenth century, according to the plans of a French architect J. Robert de Cotte, a new mansion was built in the late baroque style. The sculptural decoration of the chateau and the castle terraced garden comes mainly from the works of I. F. Platzer. The garden is optically finished with orangery, followed by an extensive English park. Since 1945, the castle has served as the Home of Writers. In the immediate vicinity of the castle, the Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1797 on the site of a former Loreto chapel, later rebuilt in late baroque style in its present form in 1907. Near the pond Koryto, around 1500, the Church of the Holy Cross was built as a "chapel" during the time of the Royal Headmaster Oldřich Doudlebský of Doudleb.

In the 19th century, the glove industry, which is typical for the town of Dobris today, was beginning to grow, and it was the Jewish Diaspora in Dobris which deserved of its origin and development. The Jewish population settled here at the end of the 16th century and the first tombstones at the Jewish Cemetery at the northern outskirts of the city also come from this period.

A job opportunity for poor people was offered at local small factories (brewery, distillery, sawmill), forestry, farm and ironing facilities in Stará Huť. A great benefit for the whole area was the construction of the railway from Prague to Dobříš in 1897.

After the First World War the land reform was carried out and part of the land was divided among poorer peasants, and bus lines to Prague and Příbram were established. On the western edge of the city was built a pulmonary sanatorium (1937), now Masaryk´s sanatorium.

During the occupation of the World War II resistance activities of many guerrilla groups took action in the town and its surroundings.

In the post-war period after the nationalization in Dobris, the Gloves factory, Kaloria engineering plant - later Kovosvit, BIOS, the State farm, Dobříš forest plant and other small businesses were created. After the new administrative division, Dobris was the seat of the district until 1960. It is now administratively the district of Příbram.

The city and its surroundings are increasingly becoming a place of recreation and tranquility for the inhabitants of Prague.

Construction of new family houses with new, young residents, especially from Prague and its surroundings, has also grown considerably.

The neighboring cottage settlements are recultivated, recreational centers are also used at the nearby dam of Slapy. Recently there have been many visits to tourists from abroad, especially from the Netherlands and Germany.

The current social and economic situation makes it possible for the town to further develop its business and services serving not only the inhabitants of Dobris, but also holidaymakers and visitors.