MOST

German Brx, city, Severocesk kraj (region), Czech Republic. It lies along the Blina River, southwest of ts nad Labem. It was mentioned in early 11th-century German documents as Brx, which means bridge, as does its Czech name. This probably refers to an ancient structure spanning marshy ground near the old town. Most is the heart of the northern Bohemian coalfield and the headquarters of the state lignite-mining authority. In the 1960s, in connection with expansion of the coalfield, the town was entirely relocated; the project included the spectacular removal of the medieval Gothic Church of St. Mary to the new site. The production of steel, chemicals, and ceramics is also important in Most, and a petrochemical plant at nearby Zluz processes crude oil. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 70,675.