Ústí in general
The City of Ústí nad Labem lies in the beautiful landscape of the Elbe Valley in the north of the Czech Republic. It is just under 90 km from the Capital City of Prague and only 75 km from Dresden in Germany. It has about 93,000 inhabitants, which makes it the eighth largest city in the Czech Republic, and it is the capital of the Ústí Region. In the past, the city was predominantly an industrial centre, but it is now also a significant cultural, sports and business centre.
The city lies at the boundary of 4 geographical formations: the Bohemian Massif, the Ore Mountains, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and the Most Basin. Ústí nad Labem and its environs can therefore boast attractive environs, a large number of cultural and historical monuments and at the same time it has very good conditions for cultural and sports events and leisure activities.
A little history
The first written mention of the city dates from 1056. Ústí nad Labem was mentioned as a royal town during the reign of King Wenceslas I prior to 1249. It is therefore one of the oldest of the approximately forty royal cities in Bohemia. The city enjoyed its greatest period of expansion in the 2nd half of the 19th century, when it became one of the most significant industrial and commercial centres in Bohemia thanks to the rapid development of industry and transport.
Famous local brands from Ústí nad Labem
You may be surprised to learn how many famous products have their origins in this north Bohemian regional city. The City of Ústí nad Labem grew out of its industrial tradition. It was a leading industrial metropolis of the Austro-Hungary monarchy and it can be proud of this. It can boast a legacy which is worthy of being called the “family silver” without any exaggeration.
A number of famous Czech products, whose names were also known to our great-grandmothers, are associated with Ústí. In order to ensure that nobody is in any doubt as to what "Originally made in Ústí nad Labem" means, a project has been established to present the famous brands which had their genesis in Ústí nad Labem.
Did you know that the City of Ústí nad Labem is the cradle of the famous soap with a stag on it and the birthplace of Viktor Cibich, whose face is on the label for Březňák beer? Or that one of the best-known Czech spirits, Stará myslivecká, comes from here?
As part of the project, a number of attractive souvenirs, which recall the renown of products from Ústí nad Labem, have been created and can be purchased at the Information Centre, as can an informative brochure which has been established in association with the Museum of the City of Ústí nad Labem.
The brochure with the local brands can be downloaded here.
The TOP monuments in Ústí nad Labem
The biggest north Bohemian city can boast a number of enviable superlatives. The BEST of Ústí project – superlatives from Ústí nad Labem – is based on the results of historical research which the historians at the Museum of the City of Ústí nad Labem undertook in 2006-2007. They discovered a number of surprising superlatives, which have been unjustly forgotten over the years and even corrected some entries in renowned encyclopaedias.
Have a look at this interesting video.
