Benešov

Benešov (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbɛnɛʃof]; German: Beneschau) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of Prague. The Konopiště castle and the Czech national mountain Blaník are near the town. Benešov began to be settled in the 11th century. The first settlers are believed to have arrived on Karlov Hill in 1050 during the Přemyslid dynasty. A message from the 17th Century points to an existing church in 1070. The first written mention of Benešov however, dates only from 1226, when it was owned by the lords of Beneschau. A small Monastery was founded here in 1246 by Tobias von Beneschau, the Prague provost and an uncle of the late Bishop of Prague, Tobias von Bechin. By 1300 they left...