Benešov

Benešov is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, about 32 kilometres southeast of Prague, on the stream Benešovský potok in the Benešov Uplands. The article gives it about 17,000 inhabitants and 15 municipal parts, and the town is best known for Konopiště Castle, which is protected as a national cultural monument. The name comes from the personal name Beneš, meaning the castle or court of Beneš. The area was settled around the 11th century, and the first verified written mention dates from 1219 to 1222. Benešov was the seat of the Lords of Benešov until 1317, became a market town in 1327, was conquered and burned by the Hussites in 1420 and received town status in 1512. In the 18th century it became a centre of education and culture with the founding of a Piarist college. Its highest point is the hill U Vlčí jámy at 493 metres, and fishponds lie in the western part of the municipal territory.