Břežany II

50°5′38″N 14°48′16″E / 50.09389°N 14.80444°E / 50.09389; 14.80444Country Czech RepublicRegionCentral BohemianDistrictKolínFirst mentioned1305Area • Total9.11 km² (3.52 sq mi)Elevation258 m (846 ft)Population • Total941 • Density100/km² (270/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeWebsitewww.brezanyii.cz

Břežany II is a municipality and village in Kolín District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants.

The name Břežany is derived from the word břeh ('[river] bank' in Czech, but in old Czech also meaning 'hillside') or from the word březí ('birch forest'). The word břežané denoted people who live near a bank, hillside or birch forest, so Břežany was a village of such people.^[2]

The Roman numeral in the name serves to distinguish it from the nearby municipality of the same name, Břežany I. The Roman numeral is used since 1960.^[3]

Břežany II is located about 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of Kolín and 20 km (12 mi) east of Prague. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape on the border between the Central Elbe Table and Prague Plateau. In the eastern part of the municipal territory is a small flooded quarry.

The first written mention of Břežany is from 1305. Until 1588, the village was divided into two parts; one part was owned by the royal chamber and the other was owned by the Prague archbishopric. In 1588, the entire village was acquired by the Smiřický noble family and annexed to the Kostelec estate. In 1622, the estate was bought by the Liechtenstein family. In 1639, during the Thirty Years' War, Břežany was looted by the Swedish army under the leadership of Johan Banér.^[3]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 571 —     1880 678 +18.7% 1890 701 +3.4% 1900 744 +6.1% 1910 703 −5.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 664 −5.5% 1930 871 +31.2% 1950 695 −20.2% 1961 652 −6.2% 1970 603 −7.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 587 −2.7% 1991 483 −17.7% 2001 502 +3.9% 2011 653 +30.1% 2021 932 +42.7%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Among the protected cultural monuments are a gate of a homestead, dating from the first half of the 19th century, and a fire mast rotary siren. The siren, located on a 4 m (13 ft) high mast, was constructed in the 1920s and was brought to Břežany II in 1935 at the latest.^[6]