6th–10th centuries The area was settled first by Slavic tribes in the 6th century. In the late 8th century, a large Slavic
gord, today called
Pohansko (meaning 'a paganish place'), was established southeast of today's town. In the 9th century, it became a significant centre of
Great Moravia. An agricultural settlement probably existed in the area of Old Břeclav, and the gord served as a hiding place for its inhabitants. In the 10th century it was abandoned.
11th–15th centuries After 1041, a border castle was established here by Duke
Bretislav I. The first written mention of Břeclav is from 1046, when it was referred by its Latin name
Bretyzlawe. In the second half of the 13th century, the castle was rebuilt to a massive Romanesque fortress. The castle often changed owners. At the beginning of the 15th century, it was acquired by the
House of Liechtenstein. The post-war recovery was slow. In 1742, Břeclav was destroyed by a large fire. Until the 1830s, both Břeclav and Old Břeclav were insignificant agricultural small
market towns and together had about 3,000 inhabitants. In 1836–1839, the
railway from Vienna to Brno was built and the causing the start of the economic development. Lumber and food factories were established, and the population began to grow. In 1872, Břeclav was promoted to a town.
20th–21st centuries With the
dissolution of Austria-Hungary after
World War I, the area (including the neighbouring municipalities of Poštorná and Charvátská Nová Ves, which were mostly Czech speaking, but had been parts of
Lower Austria until the 1919
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye) became part of newly independent
Czechoslovakia. In 1919, three formerly separate municipalities merged (Břeclav, Old Břeclav and Jewish Municipality of Břeclav). From 1938 to 1945, Břeclav was annexed by
Nazi Germany. The Jewish community disappeared as a result of
the Holocaust. After World War II, the German speaking population was
expelled. In 1974, Poštorná and Charvátská Nová Ves were incorporated into the town. From 1976 to 2006,
Ladná was also an administrative part of Břeclav. The northern edge of Břeclav was heavily damaged by the
2021 South Moravia tornado. ==Demographics==