Dolní Poustevna

Dolní Poustevna (German: Niedereinsiedel) in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants.

Dolní Poustevna
Town
Church of Saint Michael the Archangel
Flag Coat of arms
Dolní Poustevna Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°58′57″N 14°17′13″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Ústí nad Labem
District	Děčín
First mentioned	1241
Government
• Mayor	Robert Holec
Area
• Total	11.05 km2 (4.27 sq mi)
Elevation	298 m (978 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,655
• Density	150/km2 (390/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	407 82
Website	www.dolnipoustevna.cz

Administrative division

Dolní Poustevna consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Dolní Poustevna (1,238)
• Horní Poustevna (236)
• Karlín (53)
• Marketa (44)
• Nová Víska (12)

Geography

Dolní Poustevna is located about 23 kilometres (14 mi) north of Děčín and 38 km (24 mi) northeast of Ústí nad Labem, on the border with Germany. It is located in the Šluknov Hook area and is adjacent to Sebnitz. It lies in the Lusatian Highlands. The highest point is a hill at 510 m (1,670 ft) above sea level. The Sebnitz River (here called Vilémovský potok) flows along the southern municipal border, forming the Czech-German border.

History

The first written mention of the locality called Einsiedler (Poustevna) is in a deed of King Wenceslaus I from 1241. The village with the same name was founded in this locality around 1280. For most of its history, Dolní Poustevna belonged to the Tolštejn estate.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,127 —     1880 2,518 +18.4% 1890 2,938 +16.7% 1900 3,608 +22.8% 1910 5,406 +49.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 4,651 −14.0% 1930 4,809 +3.4% 1950 1,919 −60.1% 1961 1,839 −4.2% 1970 2,017 +9.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,916 −5.0% 1991 1,746 −8.9% 2001 1,948 +11.6% 2011 1,824 −6.4% 2021 1,583 −13.2%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

Dolní Poustevna is located on the railway line Děčín–Rumburk via Bad Schandau and Sebnitz. There are two stops in the municipality: Dolní Poustevna and Horní Poustevna.^[6]

On the Czech-German border are the railway border crossing and the road border crossing Dolní Poustevna / Sebnitz.

Sights

The most valuable building is the castle in Horní Poustevna. It was built in the Baroque style in 1736–1738. Today it is privately owned.^[7]

A notable landmark is the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel. It was built in the pseudo-Gothic style in 1854–1855.^[8]

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Dolní Poustevna is twinned with:^[9]

• Sebnitz, Germany