Nestled in the mountains at the confluence of the Bilina and Elbe Rivers, Ústí nad Labem is a city in the far north of the Czech Republic. Prior to Czechoslovak independence, it was referred to by its German name Aussig, while its modern Czech name translates as “Mouth upon the Elbe”.

Ústí nad Labem is a major industrial city, with significant chemical, metallurgical, textile and food industries, together with being an important river port and railway junction for the northern Czech Republic. The spectacular cantilever Mariánský Bridge which spans the River Elbe was recently voted as one of the ten best structures to be built in the world during the last decade. The 16th century late-Gothic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in nearby Most is also a magnificent example of the region’s historic architecture. Ústí nad Labem is most renowned as home to the 14th century Střekov Castle which perches atop a cliff overlooking the River Elbe and was built to collect taxes along what was an important trade route to Germany. It has long inspired artists, musicians and writers with its sweeping views and romantic architecture, including Goethe who is said to have declared its view the most beautiful in Central Europe. Ústí nad Labem is also on the doorstep of the picturesque region known as “Bohemian Switzerland”, protected within the České Švýcarsko National Park. It’s famed for its spectacular sandstone rock formations and ravines, as well as magnificent panoramas along its hiking trails.

Ústí nad Labem is an important railway hub, with services across the Baltic states and to Berlin, as well as throughout the Czech Republic. There is an extensive network of public buses and trolleybus lines throughout the city itself, and pleasure cruises run along the Elbe River to Hamburg and Pardubice.

Ústí nad Labem has been razed and ransacked numerous times throughout its history, by the Hussites in 1426, the Swedes in 1639 and amidst the Seven Years’ War during the 1813 Battle of Kulm. It was eventually incorporated into Austria and underwent heavy industrialisation during the 19th century as a major producer of paper, chemicals, linen and wool items.