Březová (Uherské Hradiště District)

48°55′32″N 17°44′23″E / 48.92556°N 17.73972°E / 48.92556; 17.73972Country Czech RepublicRegionZlínDistrictUherské HradištěFirst mentioned1351Area • Total13.74 km² (5.31 sq mi)Elevation433 m (1,421 ft)Population • Total985 • Density72/km² (190/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeWebsitewww.obecbrezova.cz

Březová is a municipality and village in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants.

The name of the municipality is derived from the landscape of birch trees (in Czech bříza), which was previously typical for this region.^[2]

Březová is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of Uherské Hradiště and 34 km (21 mi) south of Zlín, on the border with Slovakia. It lies in the White Carpathians mountain range. The highest point is at 832 m (2,730 ft) above sea level. The village is situated in the valley of the Hrubár Stream.

The settlement of the area began with the establishment of the Cistercian monastery Smilheim, which was built in 1261. The first written mention of Březová is from 1492.^[2]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 778 —     1880 661 −15.0% 1890 749 +13.3% 1900 850 +13.5% 1910 1,051 +23.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,080 +2.8% 1930 1,068 −1.1% 1950 1,218 +14.0% 1961 1,483 +21.8% 1970 1,357 −8.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,238 −8.8% 1991 1,186 −4.2% 2001 1,131 −4.6% 2011 1,000 −11.6% 2021 933 −6.7%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

On the Czech-Slovak border is the road border crossing Březová / Nová Bošáca.

The main landmark of Březová is the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Initially, there was a small chapel first mentioned in 1662. In 1747, a little church replaced the chapel. The contemporary church was constructed in 1865.^[5]

On 1576 a doctor Tomáš Jordán of Klausenburk mentioned Březová's spring in his medical book about healing water. The spring is considered to be healing and is generally known under the name of Kyselka. The area with the spring is a tourist destination.^[5]

A 13 metres (43 ft)-high wooden observation tower is located in the western part of Březová. It was built together with five other identical towers in 2011.^[6]

• Leoš Janáček (1854–1928), composer; visited Březová for several times to be inspired here by a variety of regional folk songs