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Plzeň

Plzeň (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpl̩zɛɲ] (listen); German and English: Pilsen, in German pronounced [ˈpɪlzn̩] (listen)) is a city in the Czech Republic. About 90 kilometres (56 miles) west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabitants (2022).

Plzeň
Pilsen
From top: Republic Square, Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, Renaissance City hall, Great Synagogue, Techmania Science Center, Lochotín park, New Theatre, Prazdroj brewery gate, brewery water tower.
Motto: 
Plzeň
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°44′51″N 13°22′39″E / 49.74750°N 13.37750°E / 49.74750; 13.37750Coordinates: 49°44′51″N 13°22′39″E / 49.74750°N 13.37750°E / 49.74750; 13.37750
Country Czech Republic
RegionPlzeň
DistrictPlzeň-City
First mentioned976
Government
 • MayorPavel Šindelář (ODS)
Area
 • Total137.65 km2 (53.15 sq mi)
Elevation
310 m (1,020 ft)
Population
 (2022-01-01)[1]
 • Total168,733
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes
301 00 – 326 00
Websitewww.pilsen.eu

The city is known worldwide for Pilsner beer, created by Bavarian brewer Josef Groll in the city in 1842.

Administrative division

Plzeň is divided into ten boroughs, which are further divided into 25 administrative parts (in brackets):

  • Plzeň 1-Bolevec (Bolevec and Severní Předměstí)
  • Plzeň 2-Slovany (Božkov, Černice (partly), Doudlevce (partly), Hradiště, Koterov, Lobzy (partly) and Východní Předměstí (partly))
  • Plzeň 3-Bory (Doudlevce (partly), Jižní Předměstí, Litice (partly), Nová Hospoda, Radobyčice, Skvrňany, Valcha, Vnitřní Město and Východní Předměstí (partly))
  • Plzeň 4-Doubravka (Bukovec, Červený Hrádek, Doubravka, Lobzy (partly), Újezd and Východní Předměstí (partly))
  • Plzeň 5-Křimice
  • Plzeň 6-Litice (Litice (partly))
  • Plzeň 7-Radčice
  • Plzeň 8-Černice (Černice (partly))
  • Plzeň 9-Malesice (Dolní Vlkýš and Malesice)
  • Plzeň 10-Lhota

History

Middle Ages

Plzeň was first mentioned as a castle in 976, as the scene of a battle between Duke Boleslaus II the Pious of Bohemia and Emperor Otto II. It became a town in 1295 when King Wenceslaus II granted Plzeň its civic charter as a "Royal City" and established a new town site, some 10 km (6 mi) away from the original settlement, which is the current town of Starý Plzenec. It quickly became an important town on trade routes leading to Nuremberg and Regensburg; in the 14th century, it was the third-largest town 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 1468, the town acquired a printing press; the Trojan Chronicle (Czech: Kronika trojánská), the first book published in Bohemia, was printed on it.

17th century

 
Engraving of Plzeň from 1602

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 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 the Hussite Wars.[2]

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.

19th century

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 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.

 
Plzeň in the interbellum

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 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 first Czech mayor of the city was elected.

World War II

Following Czechoslovak independence from Austria-Hungary in 1918 the German-speaking 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 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 literally a frontier town; the creation of the Sudetenland moved Nazi Germany's borders 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 the Wehrmacht, and Czech contributions, particularly in the field of tanks, were noted. The Germans operated a Gestapo prison in the city,[3] and a forced labour camp in the Karlov district.[4]

Between 17 and 26 January 1942, over 2,000 Jewish inhabitants, most of Plzeň's Jewish population, were deported by the Nazis to the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

The German-speaking population was expelled from the city after the end of the war in 1945, according to the provisions of the Potsdam Agreement. All of their property was confiscated.

 
Memorial to the 16th Armored Division of the United States Army at the top of Americká, the main commercial boulevard

On 6 May 1945, in the final days before 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 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.

Communist era

After the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état, the government launched 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 the statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. The statue has since been re-erected.

The next year, 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.[5][6][7]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
186931,436—    
188048,834+55.3%
189064,158+31.4%
190091,334+42.4%
1910112,008+22.6%
YearPop.±%
1921122,354+9.2%
1930134,288+9.8%
1950127,447−5.1%
1961140,106+9.9%
1970153,524+9.6%
YearPop.±%
1980171,599+11.8%
1991173,791+1.3%
2001166,118−4.4%
2011170,322+2.5%
2021174,007+2.2%
Source: Censuses[8][9]
Significant minority groups
Nationality Population (2013)
  Slovakia 3,284
  Ukraine 2,648
  Vietnam 2,190
  Germany 1,504
  Bulgaria 802

Geography and climate

Plzeň has a cool and temperate Oceanic climate (Cfb). Plzeň has low rainfall (604 mm (24 in) year average) evenly spread over the year. Precipitation occurs on average every second day, and the number of days with thunderstorms is 19. It receives on average 1,700 hours of sunshine though winters have longer periods without sunshine. Terrain features and a relatively low altitude (290 to 390 m (950 to 1,280 ft)) give some shelter from strong winds.

Winters are chilly but milder than some adjacent areas. Snow cover is erratic and lasts on average for 51 days. Though an average year has 113 days with minimum temperature below zero, the temperature falls below −15 °C (5 °F) on 5 days. The record low temperatures is around −20 °C (−4 °F). Winters are often murky with frequent long-standing haze. Spring is short, and in April to June there is blooming vegetation. Summer lasts from the end of May until the first third of September. During that period Plzeň has changeable weather which can be warm to hot. Temperatures are always above 5 degrees Celsius with nights between 8 to 18 °C (46 to 64 °F) and days between 16 to 35 °C (61 to 95 °F). Days are up to 16 hours long.

Plzeň can be hot, especially during heat waves originating in the southern Mediterranean. The number of hot days above 30 °C (86 °F) is steadily growing, with 5 months (late April – early September) of possible 30+ °C days. If hot weather does occur, it is often changes after a few weeks into cold and rainy weather with incoming Atlantic-based fronts. Nights can be unpleasantly cold even in summer, with high level of humidity. Winter frosts frequently occur from the second half of November to the end of March. February is the driest month with 32 mm (1.3 in) of precipitation, and July the wettest with 80 mm (3.1 in). The only natural hazards are occasional fast changes of weather with negative consequences, e.g. floodings.

Extreme values for years 2011 and 2012: An extremely cold day of 2011 had −7.6 °C (18.3 °F) on average (23 February), −0.7 to −13.3 °C (30.7 to 8.1 °F) and extremely hot day 25.2 °C (77.4 °F) on average (24 August, 19.5 to 32.8 °C (67.1 to 91.0 °F). The year 2012 had the coldest day on 12 February with minimum plummeting to −22.1 °C (−7.8 °F) and maximum around −3.7 °C (25.3 °F) with average −14.9 °C (5.2 °F). The hottest day of 2012 occurred on 21 August with daily maximum temperature 33.9 °C (93.0 °F) and minimum staying on 19.4 °C (66.9 °F) with all day average on 25.5 °C (77.9 °F). Absolute minimum and maximum for both years were −22.1 °C (−7.8 °F) (February 2012) and 37.4 °C (99.3 °F) during August 2012.

Number of rainy/snowy days for 2011: 78; number of days with frost: 76; number of days with minimal temperatures below −10 °C (14 °F): 12; number of days with average temperature below zero: 35; number of days with daily average temperature higher than 10 °C (50 °F): 188; number of days with daily average higher than 20 °C (68 °F): 32. Total amount of precipitation for year 2011: 529.1 mm (20.83 in); average year humidity value: 80.8%. Maximal temperature: 33.3 °C (91.9 °F); minimal temperature −14.8 °C (5.4 °F). Average 2011 temperature: 9.7 °C (49 °F); average speed of wind: 4.7 km/h (2.9 mph), mainly from SSE.

Number of days with frost was 96 during year 2012; 18 days had minima below −10 °C (14 °F) and 165 days with an average temperature on or above 10.0 °C (50.0 °F). Number of days with maxima on or above 20.0 °C (68.0 °F) was 42.

Climate data for Plzeň
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16
(61)
17
(63)
22
(72)
26
(79)
30
(86)
32
(90)
37
(99)
35
(95)
32
(90)
26
(79)
16
(61)
16
(61)
40
(104)
Average high °C (°F) 0.6
(33.1)
2.1
(35.8)
7.5
(45.5)
13.1
(55.6)
18.3
(64.9)
21.5
(70.7)
23.2
(73.8)
22.6
(72.7)
18.6
(65.5)
12.8
(55.0)
5.8
(42.4)
2.3
(36.1)
12.4
(54.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −2.2
(28.0)
−1.3
(29.7)
3.2
(37.8)
7.9
(46.2)
12.7
(54.9)
16.0
(60.8)
17.7
(63.9)
17.1
(62.8)
13.4
(56.1)
8.5
(47.3)
3.0
(37.4)
−0.2
(31.6)
8.0
(46.4)
Average low °C (°F) −4.9
(23.2)
−4.6
(23.7)
−1.1
(30.0)
2.7
(36.9)
7.1
(44.8)
10.6
(51.1)
12.2
(54.0)
11.6
(52.9)
8.3
(46.9)
4.2
(39.6)
0.3
(32.5)
−2.6
(27.3)
3.7
(38.7)
Record low °C (°F) −24
(−11)
−25
(−13)
−25
(−13)
−7
(19)
−2
(28)
0
(32)
5
(41)
2
(36)
−2
(28)
−6
(21)
−12
(10)
−28
(−18)
−28
(−18)
Average precipitation days 20 15 17 15 14 14 14 12 12 12 17 19 181
Source 1: www.weatherbase.com
Source 2: http://portal.chmi.cz http://www.en.climate-data.org/location/776

Pilsner beer

 
Traditional fermenting building (centre) and modern fermenting building (left)
 
Pilsner Urquell

Plzeň is an important city in the history of beer, including the development of Pilsner.[10] In 1375 Bohemian king Charles IV endowed the Dobrow Monastery near Plzeň with the beer right, and it is one of the oldest breweries to survive to modern times.[11][12] Many breweries were located in the interconnected deep cellars of the city.[13][14]

The officials of Plzeň founded a city-owned brewery in 1839, Bürger Brauerei (Citizens' Brewery, now Plzeňský Prazdroj),[15] and recruited Bavarian brewer Josef Groll (1813–1887) who produced the first batch of modern Pilsner beer on 5 October 1842. This included mastering the art of triple decoction mashing.[10] 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 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 it being the original brewery.

Economy

Plzeň 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 m2 (220,000 sq ft) shopping mall and entertainment centre featuring a multiplex cinema from Cinema City Czech Republic.

Plzeň produces about two-thirds of the Plzeň Region GDP, even though it contains only 29.8% of its population.[16] 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 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.[17]

Many foreign companies now have manufacturing bases in Plzeň, including Daikin, Hisense and Panasonic. 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.

Religion

 
Great Synagogue in Plzeň

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 a total of 818,700 inhabitants.[citation needed] 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, 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 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 a reconstruction of episcopacy). The current bishop is Filip Štojdl.

The Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church is headquartered in Plzeň.[18] St. Paul's Lutheran Church is a church of the Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plzeň.[19]

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, the Church of Brethren, the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, the Greek Catholic Church, and others.

Education

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.[20][18]

Sport

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 the Czech Handball Extraliga.

Tourism

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 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 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 the Vienna University), who was born next door on 10 December 1805.

Plzeň is also well known for the Pilsner Urquell (since 1842) and Gambrinus (since 1869) breweries, currently owned by Asahi Group Holdings. A popular tourist attraction is the Plzeňský Prazdroj brewery tour where visitors can discover the history of beer. The pilsener style of beer was developed in Plzeň in the 19th century.

Plzeň was a European Capital Of Culture in 2015, along with Mons in Belgium.

Museums

Transport

 
EVO2 tram in Plzeň

Trams, trolleybuses and buses

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 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.[21]

Rail

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.

Road

The most important transport link in the city is the D5 highway connecting Prague and Nuremberg.

Air

A public domestic and private international airport is located 11 km south-west from Plzeň, at the nearby village of Líně.

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Plzeň is twinned with:[23]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2022". Czech Statistical Office. 29 April 2022.
  2. ^ Mikovec, Ferdinand Břetislav (1860). Malerisch-historische Skizzen aus Böhmen (in German). Vol. 3. Wien/Olmütz: Hölzel. pp. 352–355.
  3. ^ "Gestapogefängnis Pilsen". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Arbeitserziehungslager Pilsen-Karlow". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Iron Curtain Bird Here on Crusade". The New York Times. 2 August 1954. p. 10.
  6. ^ "Heroine Pigeon Now a 'Citizen'". The New York Times. 23 August 1954. p. 19.
  7. ^ Cummings, Richard H. (2010). Radio Free Europe's "Crusade for Freedom". McFarland. pp. 116–117.
  8. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Plzeň-město" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 21 December 2015. pp. 1–2.
  9. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 27 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b Hampson, Tim (2008). The Beer Book. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 9. ISBN 978-1405333016.
  11. ^ 'Beer: Its History and Its Economic Value as a National Beverage' by F.W. Salem, 1880, page 21
  12. ^ 'Medicinal and Food Plants: With 200 Illustrations for Artists and Craftspeople' by Ernst Lehner and Johanna Lehner, page 33
  13. ^ "Plzen Historical Underground". web.zcu.cz. from the original on 30 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Pilsen Historical Underground". Atlas Obscura. from the original on 8 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s." prazdroj.cz. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  16. ^ "Krajský úřad Plzeňského kraje: Základní informace o kraji". Kr-plzensky.cz. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  17. ^ Doosan, About Us, Business Highlights, Global Growth, 2009
  18. ^ a b "ČESKÁ EVANGELICKÁ LUTERÁNSKÁ CÍRKEV".
  19. ^ "Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church".
  20. ^ "Základní Škola Martina Luthera Plzeň".
  21. ^ Platby bezkontaktními kartami ve vozech MHD v Plzni (18 May 2016)
  22. ^ "Czech wartime RAF fighter pilot Standera dies aged 95". Czech News Agency. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  23. ^ "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Statutární město Plzeň. Retrieved 4 June 2020.

External links

  • Official website
  • Tourist Information Server
  • Description of Plzeň
  • PMDP – Public Transport of Plzeň
  • Description of Plzeň
  • University of West Bohemia
  • Pilsner Pubs – restaurant and gastronomy guide to the city
  • A-Plzen.com – Tourist Information
  • Plzenska.com – articles about Plzeň
  • WebCams from Plzeň

plzeň, this, article, about, czech, city, other, uses, pilsen, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news,. This article is about the Czech city For other uses see Pilsen This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Plzen news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Plzen Czech pronunciation ˈpl zɛɲ listen German and English Pilsen in German pronounced ˈpɪlzn listen is a city in the Czech Republic About 90 kilometres 56 miles west of Prague in western Bohemia it is the fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169 000 inhabitants 2022 Plzen PilsenStatutory cityFrom top Republic Square Cathedral of St Bartholomew Renaissance City hall Great Synagogue Techmania Science Center Lochotin park New Theatre Prazdroj brewery gate brewery water tower FlagCoat of armsWordmarkMotto In hoc signo vincesPlzenLocation in the Czech RepublicCoordinates 49 44 51 N 13 22 39 E 49 74750 N 13 37750 E 49 74750 13 37750 Coordinates 49 44 51 N 13 22 39 E 49 74750 N 13 37750 E 49 74750 13 37750Country Czech RepublicRegionPlzenDistrictPlzen CityFirst mentioned976Government MayorPavel Sindelar ODS Area Total137 65 km2 53 15 sq mi Elevation310 m 1 020 ft Population 2022 01 01 1 Total168 733 Density1 200 km2 3 200 sq mi Time zoneUTC 1 CET Summer DST UTC 2 CEST Postal codes301 00 326 00Websitewww pilsen euThe city is known worldwide for Pilsner beer created by Bavarian brewer Josef Groll in the city in 1842 Contents 1 Administrative division 2 History 2 1 Middle Ages 2 2 17th century 2 3 19th century 2 4 World War II 2 5 Communist era 3 Demographics 4 Geography and climate 5 Pilsner beer 6 Economy 7 Religion 8 Education 9 Sport 10 Tourism 11 Museums 12 Transport 12 1 Trams trolleybuses and buses 12 2 Rail 12 3 Road 12 4 Air 13 Notable people 14 Twin towns sister cities 15 Gallery 16 References 17 External linksAdministrative division EditPlzen is divided into ten boroughs which are further divided into 25 administrative parts in brackets Plzen 1 Bolevec Bolevec and Severni Predmesti Plzen 2 Slovany Bozkov Cernice partly Doudlevce partly Hradiste Koterov Lobzy partly and Vychodni Predmesti partly Plzen 3 Bory Doudlevce partly Jizni Predmesti Litice partly Nova Hospoda Radobycice Skvrnany Valcha Vnitrni Mesto and Vychodni Predmesti partly Plzen 4 Doubravka Bukovec Cerveny Hradek Doubravka Lobzy partly Ujezd and Vychodni Predmesti partly Plzen 5 Krimice Plzen 6 Litice Litice partly Plzen 7 Radcice Plzen 8 Cernice Cernice partly Plzen 9 Malesice Dolni Vlkys and Malesice Plzen 10 LhotaHistory EditMiddle Ages Edit Plzen was first mentioned as a castle in 976 as the scene of a battle between Duke Boleslaus II the Pious of Bohemia and Emperor Otto II It became a town in 1295 when King Wenceslaus II granted Plzen its civic charter as a Royal City and established a new town site some 10 km 6 mi away from the original settlement which is the current town of Stary Plzenec It quickly became an important town on trade routes leading to Nuremberg and Regensburg in the 14th century it was the third largest town in Bohemia after Prague and Kutna 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 Podebrady In 1468 the town acquired a printing press the Trojan Chronicle Czech Kronika trojanska the first book published in Bohemia was printed on it 17th century Edit Engraving of Plzen from 1602 Emperor Rudolf II made Plzen his seat from 1599 to 1600 During the Thirty Years War the town was taken by Mansfeld in 1618 after the Siege of Plzen and it was not recaptured by Imperial troops until 1621 Wallenstein made it his winter quarters in 1633 Accused of treason and losing 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 Plzen 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 the Hussite Wars 2 From the end of the 17th century the architecture of Plzen has been influenced by the Baroque style The city centre has been under cultural heritage preservation since 1989 19th century Edit In the second half of the 19th century Plzen already an important trade centre for Bohemia near the Bavarian German border began to industrialise rapidly In 1869 Emil Skoda founded the Skoda Works which became the most important and influential engineering company in the country and a crucial supplier of arms to the Austro Hungarian Army By 1917 the Skoda Works employed over 30 000 workers Plzen in the interbellum 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 Plzen railway junction 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 first Czech mayor of the city was elected World War II Edit Following Czechoslovak independence from Austria Hungary in 1918 the German speaking minority in the countryside bordering the city of Plzen hoped to be united with Austria and were unhappy at being included in Czechoslovakia Many allied themselves to 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 Plzen became literally a frontier town the creation of the Sudetenland moved Nazi Germany s borders to the city s outer limits During the German occupation from 1939 to 1945 the Skoda Works in Pilsen was forced to provide armaments for the Wehrmacht and Czech contributions particularly in the field of tanks were noted The Germans operated a Gestapo prison in the city 3 and a forced labour camp in the Karlov district 4 Between 17 and 26 January 1942 over 2 000 Jewish inhabitants most of Plzen s Jewish population were deported by the Nazis to the Theresienstadt concentration camp The German speaking population was expelled from the city after the end of the war in 1945 according to the provisions of the Potsdam Agreement All of their property was confiscated Memorial to the 16th Armored Division of the United States Army at the top of Americka the main commercial boulevard On 6 May 1945 in the final days before the end of World War II in Europe Plzen 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 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 Plzen until late November 1945 Communist era Edit After the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d etat the government launched a currency reform in 1953 which caused a wave of discontent including the Plzen uprising On 1 June 1953 over 20 000 people mainly workers at the Skoda 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 the statue of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk The statue has since been re erected The next year 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 5 6 7 Demographics EditHistorical populationYearPop 186931 436 188048 834 55 3 189064 158 31 4 190091 334 42 4 1910112 008 22 6 YearPop 1921122 354 9 2 1930134 288 9 8 1950127 447 5 1 1961140 106 9 9 1970153 524 9 6 YearPop 1980171 599 11 8 1991173 791 1 3 2001166 118 4 4 2011170 322 2 5 2021174 007 2 2 Source Censuses 8 9 Significant minority groupsNationality Population 2013 Slovakia 3 284 Ukraine 2 648 Vietnam 2 190 Germany 1 504 Bulgaria 802Geography and climate EditPlzen has a cool and temperate Oceanic climate Cfb Plzen has low rainfall 604 mm 24 in year average evenly spread over the year Precipitation occurs on average every second day and the number of days with thunderstorms is 19 It receives on average 1 700 hours of sunshine though winters have longer periods without sunshine Terrain features and a relatively low altitude 290 to 390 m 950 to 1 280 ft give some shelter from strong winds Winters are chilly but milder than some adjacent areas Snow cover is erratic and lasts on average for 51 days Though an average year has 113 days with minimum temperature below zero the temperature falls below 15 C 5 F on 5 days The record low temperatures is around 20 C 4 F Winters are often murky with frequent long standing haze Spring is short and in April to June there is blooming vegetation Summer lasts from the end of May until the first third of September During that period Plzen has changeable weather which can be warm to hot Temperatures are always above 5 degrees Celsius with nights between 8 to 18 C 46 to 64 F and days between 16 to 35 C 61 to 95 F Days are up to 16 hours long Plzen can be hot especially during heat waves originating in the southern Mediterranean The number of hot days above 30 C 86 F is steadily growing with 5 months late April early September of possible 30 C days If hot weather does occur it is often changes after a few weeks into cold and rainy weather with incoming Atlantic based fronts Nights can be unpleasantly cold even in summer with high level of humidity Winter frosts frequently occur from the second half of November to the end of March February is the driest month with 32 mm 1 3 in of precipitation and July the wettest with 80 mm 3 1 in The only natural hazards are occasional fast changes of weather with negative consequences e g floodings Extreme values for years 2011 and 2012 An extremely cold day of 2011 had 7 6 C 18 3 F on average 23 February 0 7 to 13 3 C 30 7 to 8 1 F and extremely hot day 25 2 C 77 4 F on average 24 August 19 5 to 32 8 C 67 1 to 91 0 F The year 2012 had the coldest day on 12 February with minimum plummeting to 22 1 C 7 8 F and maximum around 3 7 C 25 3 F with average 14 9 C 5 2 F The hottest day of 2012 occurred on 21 August with daily maximum temperature 33 9 C 93 0 F and minimum staying on 19 4 C 66 9 F with all day average on 25 5 C 77 9 F Absolute minimum and maximum for both years were 22 1 C 7 8 F February 2012 and 37 4 C 99 3 F during August 2012 Number of rainy snowy days for 2011 78 number of days with frost 76 number of days with minimal temperatures below 10 C 14 F 12 number of days with average temperature below zero 35 number of days with daily average temperature higher than 10 C 50 F 188 number of days with daily average higher than 20 C 68 F 32 Total amount of precipitation for year 2011 529 1 mm 20 83 in average year humidity value 80 8 Maximal temperature 33 3 C 91 9 F minimal temperature 14 8 C 5 4 F Average 2011 temperature 9 7 C 49 F average speed of wind 4 7 km h 2 9 mph mainly from SSE Number of days with frost was 96 during year 2012 18 days had minima below 10 C 14 F and 165 days with an average temperature on or above 10 0 C 50 0 F Number of days with maxima on or above 20 0 C 68 0 F was 42 Climate data for PlzenMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high C F 16 61 17 63 22 72 26 79 30 86 32 90 37 99 35 95 32 90 26 79 16 61 16 61 40 104 Average high C F 0 6 33 1 2 1 35 8 7 5 45 5 13 1 55 6 18 3 64 9 21 5 70 7 23 2 73 8 22 6 72 7 18 6 65 5 12 8 55 0 5 8 42 4 2 3 36 1 12 4 54 3 Daily mean C F 2 2 28 0 1 3 29 7 3 2 37 8 7 9 46 2 12 7 54 9 16 0 60 8 17 7 63 9 17 1 62 8 13 4 56 1 8 5 47 3 3 0 37 4 0 2 31 6 8 0 46 4 Average low C F 4 9 23 2 4 6 23 7 1 1 30 0 2 7 36 9 7 1 44 8 10 6 51 1 12 2 54 0 11 6 52 9 8 3 46 9 4 2 39 6 0 3 32 5 2 6 27 3 3 7 38 7 Record low C F 24 11 25 13 25 13 7 19 2 28 0 32 5 41 2 36 2 28 6 21 12 10 28 18 28 18 Average precipitation days 20 15 17 15 14 14 14 12 12 12 17 19 181Source 1 www weatherbase comSource 2 http portal chmi cz http www en climate data org location 776Pilsner beer Edit Traditional fermenting building centre and modern fermenting building left Pilsner Urquell Plzen is an important city in the history of beer including the development of Pilsner 10 In 1375 Bohemian king Charles IV endowed the Dobrow Monastery near Plzen with the beer right and it is one of the oldest breweries to survive to modern times 11 12 Many breweries were located in the interconnected deep cellars of the city 13 14 The officials of Plzen founded a city owned brewery in 1839 Burger Brauerei Citizens Brewery now Plzensky Prazdroj 15 and recruited Bavarian brewer Josef Groll 1813 1887 who produced the first batch of modern Pilsner beer on 5 October 1842 This included mastering the art of triple decoction mashing 10 The combination of pale colour from the new malts Plzen s remarkably soft water Saaz noble hops from nearby Zatec 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 was widely imitated In 1859 Pilsner Bier was registered as a brand name at the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Plzen In 1898 the Pilsner Urquell trade mark was created to put emphasis on it being the original brewery Economy EditPlzen 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 m2 220 000 sq ft shopping mall and entertainment centre featuring a multiplex cinema from Cinema City Czech Republic Plzen produces about two thirds of the Plzen Region GDP even though it contains only 29 8 of its population 16 Based on these figures the city of Plzen 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 Skoda company established in Plzen in 1859 has been an important element of Austro Hungarian Czechoslovak and Czech engineering and one of 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 Skoda Transportation and Doosan Skoda Power 17 Many foreign companies now have manufacturing bases in Plzen including Daikin Hisense and Panasonic There has been much discussion of redeveloping those large areas of the Skoda plant which the company no longer uses Stock located in the Bozkov district is the biggest distillery in the Czech Republic Religion Edit Great Synagogue in Plzen Since 31 May 1993 Plzen has been the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plzen The first bishop current bishop emeritus was Frantisek Radkovsky The current bishop is Tomas Holub The diocese covers an area with a total of 818 700 inhabitants citation needed The diocesan see is in St Bartholomew s Cathedral on Republiky Square in Plzen 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 Plzen The current senior is Miroslav Hamari the preacher of Koranda parish congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Plzen commonly known as Koranda congregation located in the city centre of Plzen The senioral churchwarden is Josef Benes the parish churchwarden of the same congregation There are two other parish congregations of Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in the Plzen City District The Western congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Plzen known as The Western congregation located in the Western part of the city in the borough of Jizni predmesti and The Congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Chrast located in Chrast in the very east of Plzen City District The seat of Plzen diocese of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church is located in Plzen although the bishop has resided in Mirovice for several years due to a reconstruction of episcopacy The current bishop is Filip Stojdl The Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church is headquartered in Plzen 18 St Paul s Lutheran Church is a church of the Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plzen 19 The other churches also present in Plzen are the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Czech Republic the United Methodist Church the Seventh day Adventist Church the Church of Brethren the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia the Greek Catholic Church and others Education EditThe University of West Bohemia in Plzen is well known for its Faculty of Law Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Applied Science in particular Martin Luther Elementary School Zakladni skola Martina Luthera is a private Christian school of the Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plzen 20 18 Sport Edit Doosan Arena The ice hockey club HC Skoda Plzen plays in the Czech Extraliga The team plays its home games at Home Monitoring Arena The football club FC Viktoria Plzen plays in the Czech First League and belongs among the most successful clubs in the Czech Republic Viktoria Plzen has played in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League The team plays its home games at Doosan Arena Handball club Talent Plzen plays in the Czech Handball Extraliga Tourism Edit St Bartholomew s Cathedral The most prominent sights of Plzen are the Gothic St Bartholomew s Cathedral founded in the late 13th century whose tower at 102 m 335 ft is the highest in the Czech Republic the Renaissance Town Hall and the Moorish Revival Great Synagogue the second largest synagogue in Europe after the Dohany 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 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 Skoda a professor at the Vienna University who was born next door on 10 December 1805 Plzen is also well known for the Pilsner Urquell since 1842 and Gambrinus since 1869 breweries currently owned by Asahi Group Holdings A popular tourist attraction is the Plzensky Prazdroj brewery tour where visitors can discover the history of beer The pilsener style of beer was developed in Plzen in the 19th century Plzen was a European Capital Of Culture in 2015 along with Mons in Belgium Museums EditFranciscan Monastery Museum of Christian Art Zapadoceske muzeum v PlzniTransport Edit EVO2 tram in Plzen Plzen main railway station Trams trolleybuses and buses Edit Main article Trams in Plzen The Plzen 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 the city of Plzen For residents of the city a Plzen 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 21 Rail Edit Plzen is an important centre of Czech railway transport with the crossing of five main railway lines line Nr 170 Prague Beroun Plzen Cheb line Nr 180 Plzen Domazlice Furth im Wald Germany line Nr 183 Plzen Klatovy Zelezna Ruda line Nr 160 Plzen Zatec line Nr 190 Plzen Ceske BudejovicePlzen main railway station Plzen hlavni nadrazi serves all five of these lines Road Edit The most important transport link in the city is the D5 highway connecting Prague and Nuremberg Air Edit A public domestic and private international airport is located 11 km south west from Plzen at the nearby village of Line Notable people EditEmil Skoda 1839 1900 engineer and industrialist Josef Finger 1841 1925 physicist and mathematician Emma B Mandl 1842 1928 Chicago charities founder Friedrich Goldscheider 1845 1897 ceramist and industrialist Frantisek Krizik 1847 1941 inventor Augustin Nemejc 1861 1938 painter Rudolf Karel 1880 1945 composer Emil Lederer 1882 1939 economist and sociologist Ruzena Slemrova 1886 1962 actress Josef Beran 1888 1969 cardinal Czech primate archbishop of Prague Josef Skupa 1892 1957 puppeteer Jaroslav Vogel 1894 1970 conductor composer Ladislav Sutnar 1897 1976 graphic designer pioneer of information design and information architecture Jaroslav Cerny 1898 1970 Oxford professor and Egyptologist Siegfried Lederer 1904 1972 Auschwitz escapee Jiri Trnka 1912 1969 artist Miroslav Standera 1918 2014 fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force during World War II 22 Ota Sik 1919 2004 economist Karel Cerny 1922 2014 art director Miroslav Holub 1923 1998 poet Josef Rosch 1925 2016 interventional radiologist Kurt Dietmar Richter 1931 2019 German composer conductor Karla Erbova born 1933 poet prose writer and journalist Gabriela Basarova 1934 2019 professor of chemistry researched fermentation chemistry brewing and malting Peter Grunberg 1939 2018 German physicist 2007 Nobel prize winner Karel Gott 1939 2019 singer Jaroslav Benes born 1946 fine art photographer Tomas Smid born 1956 tennis player Vitezslav Lavicka born 1963 football manager Tomas Cihlar born 1967 chemist and virologist David Kotyza born 1967 tennis coach Martin Straka born 1972 ice hockey player Lubos Motl born 1973 physicist Jiri Muzik born 1976 track and field athlete Petr Sykora born 1976 ice hockey player Milan Kraft born 1980 ice hockey player Petr Cech born 1982 football player Katerina Emmons born 1983 sport shooter Olympic medalist Andrea Hlavackova born 1986 tennis player Barbora Strycova born 1986 tennis player Andrej Sustr born 1990 ice hockey player Pavel Francouz born 1990 ice hockey player Dominik Kubalik born 1995 ice hockey playerTwin towns sister cities EditSee also List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic Plzen is twinned with 23 Birmingham United States Liege Belgium Limoges France Regensburg Germany Takasaki Japan Winterthur Switzerland Zilina SlovakiaGallery Edit Namesti Republiky the city s main square Research Library Town hall Josef Kajetan Tyl Theatre Museum of Western Bohemia Sokolovna seat of the Sokol organization Faculty of Law of the University of West Bohemia District Court Municipal Library Logo of the 2015 European Capital Of CultureReferences Edit Population of Municipalities 1 January 2022 Czech Statistical Office 29 April 2022 Mikovec Ferdinand Bretislav 1860 Malerisch historische Skizzen aus Bohmen in German Vol 3 Wien Olmutz Holzel pp 352 355 Gestapogefangnis Pilsen Bundesarchiv de in German Retrieved 7 November 2021 Arbeitserziehungslager Pilsen Karlow Bundesarchiv de in German Retrieved 7 November 2021 Iron Curtain Bird Here on Crusade The New York Times 2 August 1954 p 10 Heroine Pigeon Now a Citizen The New York Times 23 August 1954 p 19 Cummings Richard H 2010 Radio Free Europe s Crusade for Freedom McFarland pp 116 117 Historicky lexikon obci Ceske republiky 1869 2011 Okres Plzen mesto in Czech Czech Statistical Office 21 December 2015 pp 1 2 Population Census 2021 Population by sex Public Database Czech Statistical Office 27 March 2021 a b Hampson Tim 2008 The Beer Book London Dorling Kindersley p 9 ISBN 978 1405333016 Beer Its History and Its Economic Value as a National Beverage by F W Salem 1880 page 21 Medicinal and Food Plants With 200 Illustrations for Artists and Craftspeople by Ernst Lehner and Johanna Lehner page 33 Plzen Historical Underground web zcu cz Archived from the original on 30 December 2019 Pilsen Historical Underground Atlas Obscura Archived from the original on 8 December 2017 Plzensky Prazdroj a s prazdroj cz Retrieved 17 October 2009 Krajsky urad Plzenskeho kraje Zakladni informace o kraji Kr plzensky cz Retrieved 14 April 2011 Doosan About Us Business Highlights Global Growth 2009 a b CESKA EVANGELICKA LUTERANSKA CIRKEV Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church Zakladni Skola Martina Luthera Plzen Platby bezkontaktnimi kartami ve vozech MHD v Plzni 18 May 2016 Czech wartime RAF fighter pilot Standera dies aged 95 Czech News Agency 20 February 2014 Retrieved 2 March 2014 Partnerska mesta in Czech Statutarni mesto Plzen Retrieved 4 June 2020 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plzen Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Pilsen Official website Tourist Information Server Official website of the candidature of Pilsen candidature 2015 Cultural Capital of Europe Description of Plzen PMDP Public Transport of Plzen Plzen at the official website of the Czech Republic Description of Plzen University of West Bohemia Pilsner Pubs restaurant and gastronomy guide to the city A Plzen com Tourist Information Plzenska com articles about Plzen WebCams from Plzen Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Plzen amp oldid 1144749177, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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