Horní Bříza


Horní Bříza is a town in the Plzeň-North District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of about 4,200 inhabitants.

History

During World War II, some death trains taking Jews, outspoken people, gypsies, intellectuals, communists, Russian prisoners travelled through Horní Bříza. It was on the route to Mathausen Extermination camp, further south on the Danube River. On 21 April 1945 a death train stopped here as the line was blocked. The station master intervened and organized the townspeople to cook food and bread for the about 1,000 women being taken to Mathausen – this was in the dying days of the Third Reich. The station master was Antonin Pavlicek, a devout Catholic. He asked the SS to leave the people there so the town could care for them – they refused. A townswoman gave one of the women who had just given birth her own hand-sown layette planned for her baby. This town was a source of Kaolin. The prisoners were in open wagons and it was very cold and wet.

Demography

Development of population of Horní Bříza:

Twin towns – sister cities

Horní Bříza is twinned with: