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55-559: The villages of Bíletín, Malý Rapotín, Mýto, Oldřichov, Světce, Velký Rapotín, Vilémov and Vítkov are administrative parts of Tachov. Tachov is located about 53 km (33 mi) west of Plzeň . The eastern and central parts of the municipal territory with the town proper lie in the Upper Palatine Forest Foothills . The western part lies in the Upper Palatinate Forest and includes the highest point of Tachov,

110-472: A currency reform in 1953, which caused a wave of discontent, including the Plzeň uprising . On 1 June 1953, over 20,000 people, mainly workers at the Škoda Works, began protesting against the government. Protesters forced their way into the town hall and threw communist symbols, furniture and other objects out of the windows. The protest caused a retaliation from the government. As part of its retaliation, they destroyed

165-471: A depth of 12 m (39 ft). Built in 1532, the former water tower was integrated into the city's fortification system at Prague Gate. Another storey was added in 1822 in French Imperial style. The Gothic portal dating from the 1500s and coming from another house, which had been demolished, was added in 1912. Above the portal there is a commemorative plaque dedicated to Dr Josef Škoda (a professor at

220-637: A family tomb. It is a simple building located in park, which replaced a former churchyard. There are still many tombstones of significant burgesses, who lived in Tachov during the 15th–18th centuries. In 1947 the Czechoslovak Hussite Church took over this place. The former Franciscan monastery and the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene were founded in 1466 and since this year both buildings went through many reconstructions. The Italian architect Martino Allio made

275-850: A reconstruction of episcopacy). The current bishop is Filip Štojdl. The Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church is headquartered in Plzeň. St. Paul's Lutheran Church is a church of the Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plzeň. The other churches also present in Plzeň are the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Czech Republic, the United Methodist Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church,

330-510: A total of 818,700 inhabitants. The diocesan see is in St. Bartholomew's Cathedral on Republiky Square in Plzeň. The diocese is divided into 10 vicariates with a total of 72 parishes. The seat of the West Bohemian seniorate (literary presbytery; Central European protestant equivalent of a diocese) of Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren is currently set in Plzeň. The current senior is Miroslav Hamari,

385-600: Is a 563 m (1,847 ft) high hill to the west of the town. There is a 25 m (82 ft) high observation tower on its top and a monument that commemorates the Battle of Tachov . Mohyla is a memorial that commemorates the death of 232 people, who were killed during the death marches during World War II. Plze%C5%88 Plzeň ( Czech pronunciation: [ˈpl̩zɛɲ] ), also known in English and German as Pilsen ( German: [ˈpɪlzn̩] ),

440-459: Is a centre of business in the western part of the Czech Republic. Since the late 1990s the city has experienced high growth in foreign investment. In 2007, Israeli mall developer Plaza Centers opened the Pilsen Plaza , a 20,000 m (220,000 sq ft) shopping mall and entertainment centre featuring a multiplex cinema from Cinema City Czech Republic . Plzeň produces about two-thirds of

495-555: Is a city in the Czech Republic . It is the fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 186,000 inhabitants. It is located about 78 kilometres (48 miles) west of Prague , at the confluence of four rivers: Mže , Úhlava , Úslava and Radbuza , together forming the Berounka River. Founded as a royal city in the late 13th century, Plzeň became an important town for trade on routes linking Bohemia with Bavaria . By

550-491: Is a cultural heritage zone known for its Baroque architecture , and was European Capital of Culture in 2015. Plzeň is home to football club FC Viktoria Plzeň , one of the most successful clubs in the Czech league, and ice hockey club HC Škoda Plzeň . Plzeň is divided into ten boroughs, which are further divided into 25 administrative parts (in brackets): Plzeň is located about 78 km (48 mi) west of Prague . The city

605-705: Is divided between the Czech Republic and Germany . It is a part of the larger Bohemian Massif and the German Central Uplands . The German side belongs to the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria , it stretches about 100 km (330,000 ft) from the Bavarian Forest in the south up to the Fichtel Mountains and the Steinwald range in the north. However, the highest peaks of the range lie along

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660-619: Is from 1307. In the 14th century, the city had about 3,000 inhabitants on an area of 20 ha (49 acres), making it the third largest city in Bohemia after Prague and Kutná Hora . During the Hussite Wars , it was the centre of Catholic resistance to the Hussites : Prokop the Great unsuccessfully besieged it three times, and it joined the league of Catholic nobles against King George of Poděbrady . In

715-468: Is located in the southern part of the town. There are 190 gravestones here, and the oldest preserved one is from 1700. Světce is a complex of three historical buildings. One of them is a monastery built in the 17th century. Josef II cancelled it and so in 1787 the Windisch-Graetzs bought it and rebuilt it as a castle. The castle that was finished in 1700 went down, and nowadays there are only remains of

770-567: Is situated at the confluences of four rivers: Mže , Úhlava , Úslava and Radbuza . From the confluence of the Mže and Radbuza, the river is known as the Berounka . Plzeň lies mostly in the Plasy Uplands , with small parts of the municipal territory extending into the Švihov Highlands to the east and south. The highest point is the hill Chlum at 416 m (1,365 ft) above sea level. The lowest point

825-477: Is still among the economically least developed Czech regions. Tachov is located on the Planá – Domažlice railway line of local importance. Around 1300, the town fortifications were built around the town. They gradually became a pride of Tachov, because they belong to the best-preserved wall systems in the country. The medieval town was enclosed by an 8–10 m high and 150 cm thick circular wall. There were 26 towers around

880-527: Is the river bed of the Berounka at 293 m (961 ft). The largest body of water is the České údolí Reservoir, built on the Radbuza. A system of fishponds is located on the northern edge of the city. Plzeň has a cool and temperate Oceanic climate (Cfb). The average annual precipitation is 525 mm (21 in). The annual average temperature is 8.4 °C (47.1 °F). The extreme temperature throughout

935-672: The Wehrmacht , and Czech contributions, particularly in the field of tanks, were noted. The Nazis operated a Gestapo prison in the city, and a forced labour camp in the Karlov district. Between 17 and 26 January 1942, the majority of the city's Jewish population, over 2,000 people, were deported by the Nazis to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Terezín . On 6 May 1945, in the final days before

990-585: The Czech Handball Extraliga . The motorcycle speedway team PK Plzeň race at the Plzeň speedway track . The track has hosted significant speedway events including qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Team Cup . The most prominent sights of Plzeň are the Gothic St. Bartholomew's Cathedral , founded in the late 13th century, whose tower, at 102 m (335 ft), is the highest in

1045-667: The Nazis after 1933 in the hope that Adolf Hitler might be able to unite them with their German-speaking neighbours. Following the Munich Agreement in 1938, Plzeň became a frontier town as the creation of the Sudetenland moved Nazi Germany 's borders closer to the city's outer limits. During the German occupation from 1939 to 1945, the Škoda Works in Pilsen was forced to provide armaments for

1100-581: The Vienna University ), who was born next door on 10 December 1805. A popular tourist attraction is the Plzeňský Prazdroj brewery tour where visitors can discover the history of beer. Upper Palatinate Forest The Upper Palatine Forest ( German : Oberpfälzer Wald German pronunciation or Böhmischer Wald , Czech : Český les ) is a mountain range in Central Europe that

1155-529: The end of World War II in Europe , Plzeň was liberated from Nazi Germany by the 16th Armored Division of General George Patton 's 3rd Army . Also participating in the liberation of the city were elements of the 97th and 2nd Infantry Divisions supported by the Polish Holy Cross Mountains Brigade . Other Third Army units liberated major portions of Western Bohemia. The rest of Czechoslovakia

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1210-615: The 1470s and 1480s, the city had the first printing press in Bohemia. The first book printed here and therefore the oldest book in Bohemia is Statuta written by Arnošt of Pardubice , which was printed in 1476. Emperor Rudolf II made Plzeň his seat from 1599 to 1600. During the Thirty Years' War the town was taken by Mansfeld in 1618 after the Siege of Plzeň and it was not recaptured by Imperial troops until 1621. Wallenstein made it his winter quarters in 1633. Accused of treason and losing

1265-488: The 14th century it had grown to be the third largest city in Bohemia. The city was besieged three times during the 15th-century Hussite Wars , when it became a centre of resistance against the Hussites. During the Thirty Years' War in the early 17th century the city was temporarily occupied after the Siege of Plzeň . In the 19th century, the city rapidly industrialised and became home to the Škoda Works , which became one of

1320-474: The 14th century. The last reconstruction lasted from 1904 to 1908 and the church was rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style. The inside arrangements come from 1670. It does not have only the classical function of a church. Nowadays there are held many concerts during the year. The church of Saint Wenceslaus is the oldest church in Tachov and may antedate the town itself. In 1802 the Windisch-Graetzs bought it and they made it

1375-678: The Church of Brethren, the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, the Greek Catholic Church, and others. The University of West Bohemia in Plzeň is well known for its Faculty of Law, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Applied Science in particular. Martin Luther Elementary School (Základní škola Martina Luthera) is a private Christian school of the Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plzeň. Plzeň

1430-716: The Czech Republic, the Renaissance Town Hall, and the Moorish Revival Great Synagogue , the second largest synagogue in Europe, after the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest . There is also a 20 km (12 mi) historic tunnel and cellar network, among the longest in Central Europe. Part of this network is open to the public for tours of about 750 m (2,500 ft) in length and down to

1485-716: The Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Plzeň, known as The Western congregation located in the Western part of the city in the borough of Jižní předměstí and The Congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Chrást located in Chrást in the very east of Plzeň-City District. The seat of Plzeň diocese of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church is located in Plzeň (although the bishop has resided in Mirovice for several years due to

1540-585: The Hussite Wars. From the end of the 17th century, the architecture of Plzeň has been influenced by the Baroque style. The city centre has been under cultural heritage preservation since 1989. In the second half of the 19th century Plzeň, already an important trade centre for Bohemia , near the Bavarian/German border, began to industrialise rapidly. In 1869 Emil Škoda founded the Škoda Works , which became

1595-534: The Plzeň Region GDP, even though it contains only 29.8% of its population. Based on these figures, the city of Plzeň has a total GDP of approximately $ 7.2 billion, and a per capita GDP of $ 44,000. While part of this is explained by commuters to the city, it is one of the most prosperous cities in the Czech Republic. The Škoda company, established in Plzeň in 1859, has been an important element of Austro-Hungarian, Czechoslovak and Czech engineering, and one of

1650-453: The art of triple decoction mashing . The combination of pale colour from the new malts, Plzeň's remarkably soft water, Saaz noble hops from nearby Žatec ( Saaz in German) and Bavarian-style lagering produced a clear, golden beer which was regarded as a sensation. Improving transport meant that this new beer was soon available throughout Central Europe and Pilsner Brauart -style brewing

1705-443: The beer right, and it is one of the oldest breweries to survive to modern times. Many breweries were located in the interconnected deep cellars of the city. The officials of Plzeň founded a city-owned brewery in 1839, Bürger Brauerei (Citizens' Brewery, now Plzeňský Prazdroj ), and recruited Bavarian brewer Josef Groll (1813–1887) who produced the first batch of modern Pilsner beer on 5 October 1842. This included mastering

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1760-820: The biggest European arms factories. During the Communist era (1948–1989) the company's production had been directed to the needs of the Eastern Bloc . Disarray in the era after the Velvet Revolution , and unsuccessful efforts to gain new Western markets, resulted in sales problems and debts. After a huge restructuring process, the company was divided into several subsidiaries, which were later sold. The most important successors companies are Škoda Transportation and Doosan Škoda Power . Many foreign companies now have manufacturing bases in Plzeň, including Daikin , Hisense and Panasonic . The software provider company ZF Openmatics

1815-545: The castle was used for civil and military purposes, but it was seriously ruined, so in 1968 there was the possibility of demolition. Eventually, the castle was saved and from 1969 to 1983 it was under reconstruction. Today, part of the building is used as a primary art school and the rest is open to the public. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mar was originally a Gothic church, but it went through many arrangements during

1870-546: The city and its surroundings, linked to the city by commuting and migration. It has about 328,000 inhabitants. Plzeň is well known for the Pilsner Urquell (since 1842) and Gambrinus (since 1869) breweries , currently owned by Asahi Group Holdings. Plzeň is an important city in the history of beer, including the development of Pilsner . In 1375, Bohemian King Charles IV endowed the Dobrow Monastery near Plzeň with

1925-526: The city is the D5 highway connecting Prague and Nuremberg . A public domestic and private international airport is located 11 km south-west from Plzeň, at the nearby village of Líně . Since 31 May 1993 Plzeň has been the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plzeň . The first bishop (current bishop emeritus) was František Radkovský. The current bishop is Tomáš Holub. The diocese covers an area with

1980-502: The city of Plzeň. For residents of the city, a Plzeň Card can be purchased and through a system of "topping up" be used on any public transport with no limitations, as long as it is paid up and valid. Tickets can be purchased in vehicles with a contactless smart card. Plzeň is an important centre of Czech railway transport, with the crossing of five main railway lines: Plzeň main railway station ( Plzeň hlavní nádraží ) serves all five of these lines. The most important transport link in

2035-850: The eastern Czech side in the Plzeň Region of western Bohemia , northwest of the Bohemian Forest . The southern rim runs from the Cham and Furth Basin across the border to the Všeruby ( Neumark ) mountain pass , which is part of the Main European Watershed . The other end is marked by Waldsassen , the northernmost town of the Upper Palatinate. The Mittelgebirge range is a mountainous solid mass, its highest point Čerchov being at an altitude of 1,042 m (3,419 ft). Prominent rocks include

2090-507: The first reconstruction in 1686–1694, and the most important one came in years 1745–1750. In 1945 bombs damaged the church and four years later it was closed. Since 1945, the monastery has been used as the Museum of the Upper Palatinate Forest , and it offers information about the history of Tachov and the region surrounding it. The museum is used for many activities and many expositions are held here every year. The Jewish cemetery, founded in 1615,

2145-406: The hill Světecký vrch at 616 m (2,021 ft) above sea level. The Mže River flows through the town. The area was inhabited by humans around 8,000–6,000 BCE. The first written mention of Tachov is from 1126. King Ottokar II of Bohemia (1233–1278) built a new castle with a massive round stone tower there. He also founded a walled town near the castle. During the Hussite Wars (1419–1434),

2200-681: The house in the classical style at great expense. Until 1918, Tachov – Tachau was part of Austria-Hungary , in the district of the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia . In 1938, it was occupied by the Nazi Germany and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland . Most of the German-speaking population was expelled in 1945 according to the Beneš decrees . The area

2255-413: The most important and influential engineering company in the country and a crucial supplier of arms to the Austro-Hungarian Army . By 1917 the Škoda Works employed over 30,000 workers. After 1898 the second largest employer was the National Railways train workshop, with about 2,000 employees: this was the largest rail repair shop in all Austria-Hungary . Between 1861 and 1877, the Plzeň railway junction

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2310-405: The most important engineering companies in Austria-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia . The city is known worldwide as the home of Pilsner beer, created by Bavarian brewer Josef Groll in the city in 1842; today, the Pilsner Urquell Brewery is the largest brewery in the Czech Republic. Plzeň serves as the main business centre of West Bohemia and the capital of the Plzeň Region . The city

2365-420: The perimeter of the walls, which reached a height of 11–14 m. To this day, 21 towers or their fragments have been preserved. The Tachov Castle with a cylindrical tower was built during the reign of Ottokar II. In 1802 the tower was taken down, and the Windisch-Graetz family built a Renaissance castle instead. The construction was finished in 1808 and the Windisch-Graetzs lived here until 1939. During World War II,

2420-405: The preacher of Koranda parish congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Plzeň, commonly known as Koranda congregation located in the city centre of Plzeň. The senioral churchwarden is Josef Beneš, the parish churchwarden of the same congregation. There are two other parish congregations of Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in the Plzeň-City District – The Western congregation of

2475-411: The statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk , the first president of Czechoslovakia. The statue has since been re-erected. In 1954, a West German homing pigeon was lost near the Czechoslovak border. It returned two days later, bearing a strong anticommunist message, signed "Unbowed Pilsen." The bird, named Leaping Lena , was taken to the United States, where it was celebrated as a Cold War hero. Plzeň

2530-427: The support of his army, he fled the town on 23 February 1634 to Eger/Cheb where he was assassinated two days later. The town was increasingly threatened by the Swedes in the last years of the war. The city commander Jan van der Croon strengthened the fortifications of Plzeň from 1645 to 1649. Swedish troops passed the town in 1645 and 1648 without attacking it. The town and region have been staunchly Catholic despite

2585-443: The town was several times besieged and conquered. In 1427, Prokop the Great defeated the crusaders in the Battle of Tachov . The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) damaged the town considerably. In 1664, Count Johann Anton Losy became the new proprietor. The Losy family began conversion of the medieval castle to a large baroque château. In 1784, the title passed to the Windisch-Graetz family. The Windisch-Graetzs, in their turn, rebuilt

2640-432: The walls and a small tower. The last one is a riding hall from the time of romanticism, which was built in 1830. It is the second largest riding hall in Central Europe, after the Viennese riding hall . Husmann's Mill is a Baroque mill founded by the regent Jan Filip Husmann in 1645. During reconstruction in 2006–2007, a millwheel was restored. It is used by the Town Cultural Centre and the Tachov's Children Choir. Vysoká

2695-497: The year ranged from −28.0 °C (−18.4 °F) on 12 February 1985 to 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) on 27 July 1983. The first written mention of Plzeň Castle is from 976. The city of New Plzeň was founded nearby in 1295 by King Wenceslaus II . The old settlement then became known as Starý Plzenec and New Plzeň became known as Plzeň. It quickly became an important city on trade routes leading from Bohemia to Nuremberg and Regensburg . The first written mention about beer brewing

2750-512: Was a European Capital of Culture in 2015, along with Mons in Belgium. The ice hockey club HC Škoda Plzeň plays in the Czech Extraliga . The team plays its home games at Home Monitoring Aréna . The football club FC Viktoria Plzeň plays in the Czech First League and belongs among the most successful clubs in the Czech Republic. Viktoria Plzeň has played in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League . The team plays its home games at Doosan Arena . Handball club Talent Plzeň plays in

2805-497: Was completed and in 1899 the first tram line started in the city. This burst of industry had two important effects: the growth of the local Czech population and of the urban poor. After 1868 the first Czech mayor of the city was elected. Following Czechoslovak independence from Austria-Hungary in 1918 the ethnic German minority in the countryside bordering the city of Plzeň hoped to be united with Austria and were unhappy at being included in Czechoslovakia. Many allied themselves to

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2860-405: Was founded and is headquartered in this city. There has been much discussion of redeveloping those large areas of the Škoda plant which the company no longer uses. Stock , located in the Božkov district, is the biggest distillery in the Czech Republic. The Plzeň agglomeration was defined as a tool for drawing money from the European Structural and Investment Funds . It is an area that includes

2915-418: Was liberated from German control by the Soviet Red Army . Elements of the 3rd Army, as well as units from the 1st Army, remained in Plzeň until late November 1945. After the end of the war, the city's ethnic German minority population was expelled and their property was confiscated in accordance to the provisions of the Potsdam Agreement . After the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état , the government launched

2970-405: Was only partly repopulated, mostly by Czechs and Slovaks, but also by immigrants from Romania and Ukraine . Later on uranium was mined here, attracting laborers to work in the mines. After the Velvet Revolution that ended the Communist era in 1989, the uranium mines were closed. Some German companies established factories in the area to make use of the cheap labour. However, the Tachov area

3025-493: Was widely imitated. In 1859, "Pilsner Bier" was registered as a brand name at the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Plzeň. In 1898, the Pilsner Urquell trade mark was created to put emphasis on this being the brewery where the style originated. The Plzeň metropolitan area is largely served by a network of trams, trolleybuses and buses operated by the PMDP. Like other continental European cities, tickets bought from vending machines or small shops are valid for any transport run by

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