Košťany

Košťany (Kosten) is a town in Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,300 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The village of Střelná is an administrative part of Košťany.

Etymology
Both the Czech name Košťany and the German name Kosten were derived from the old Czech word chvosten. The word chvost means literally 'tail', but in Old Czech it figuratively also meant 'thicket', 'bush'. Chvosten denoted a hill or a forest with thicket or bush.

Geography
Košťany is located about 5 km west of Teplice and 19 km west of Ústí nad Labem. The southern part of the municipal territory with the built-up area lies in the Most Basin. The northern part lies in the Ore Mountains and borders Germany. The highest point is the Pramenáč mountain at 910 m above sea level. The stream of Sviní potok flows through the town.

History
The first written mention of Košťany is from 1394. In 1994, Košťany received the town status.

Transport
The village of Střelná is located on the railway line Most–Moldava, but it is only in operation on weekends.

Sights
The only monument in the town is the Košťany Castle. It was built in the Historicist style at the end of the 18th century. It served as a hunting lodge of the Lobkowicz family and later as their summer residence. Between 1919 and 2010, it served as apartments. It is privately owned and inaccessible.

Twin towns – sister cities
Košťany is twinned with:
 * 🇸🇰 Košťany nad Turcom, Slovakia
 * 🇸🇰 Valaliky, Slovakia