 slavkov u brna (, i.e. slavkov by brno; historically known as austerlitz) is a country town east of brno in the south moravian region of the czech republic. population: 6, 227 (2011). the town is widely known for giving its name to the battle of austerlitz which actually took place several kilometres to the west of the town. at the beginning of the 13th century, the teutonic order built a monastery stronghold whose remains can still be seen today in the vaults of the austerlitz palace. the first written testimony about the place date from 1237. the czech name slavkov is first documented in 1361, the german name austerlitz in 1633 and is said to be a truncation of the czech novosedlice (novosedlicz, nausedlicz), which means "new settlement", although this cannot be clarified definitively. after the defeat of the order in the battle of grunwald, the town became the property of a number of noble owners until, in 1509, the local gentry family of kaunitz assumed control for more than 400 years. at the end of world war ii, the ethnic german majority of residents were forcibly expelled. == sightseeing == * baroque slavkov castle (austerlitz) has 115 rooms and an impressive garden in the french style. the palace was designed by
Cities_and_towns_in_the_Czech_Republic Shtetls