Klatovy
Town
View to the southeast
View to the southeast
Flag of Klatovy
Flag
Coat of arms of Klatovy
Coat of arms
Klatovy is located in Czech Republic
Klatovy
Klatovy
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°23′43″N 13°17′42″E / 49.39528°N 13.29500°E / 49.39528; 13.29500
Country Czech Republic
RegionPlzeň
DistrictKlatovy
First mentioned1253
Government
 • MayorRudolf Salvetr (ODS)
Area
 • Total80.85 km2 (31.22 sq mi)
Elevation
405 m (1,329 ft)
Population
 (2023-01-01)[1]
 • Total22,496
 • Density280/km2 (720/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
339 01
Websitewww.klatovy.cz

Klatovy (Czech pronunciation: [ˈklatovɪ]; German: Klattau) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Klatovy is made up of 30 administrative parts (5 town parts and 25 villages):

  • Klatovy I
  • Klatovy II
  • Klatovy III
  • Klatovy IV
  • Klatovy V
  • Beňovy
  • Chaloupky
  • Čínov
  • Dehtín
  • Dobrá Voda
  • Drslavice
  • Habartice
  • Kal
  • Kosmáčov
  • Křištín
  • Kvaslice
  • Kydliny
  • Lažánky
  • Luby
  • Otín
  • Pihovice
  • Sobětice
  • Štěpánovice
  • Střeziměř
  • Tajanov
  • Točník
  • Tupadly
  • Věckovice
  • Vícenice
  • Vítkovice

Habartice, Kvaslice and Vítkovice, and Dobrá Voda, Křištín and Střeziměř form two exclaves of the municipal territory.

Etymology

According to one theory, the name Klatovy was derived from the personal name Klát, meaning "Klát's (court)". The name Klát has then its origin in the Old Czech word klát, which meant "stump" or "log". According to the second theory, the name Klatovy was derived directly from klát.[2]

Geography

Hůrka hill

Klatovy is located about 38 km (24 mi) south of Plzeň. It lies in the Švihov Highlands except for the two exclaves, which lie one in the Blatná Uplands and one in the Bohemian Forest Foothills. The highest point is the hill Boudovka at 729 m (2,392 ft) above sea level, located in the southern (Bohemian Forest Foothills) exclave. A dominant feature of the built-up area is the hill Hůrka (498 m).

The town is situated on the right bank of the Úhlava River. The Drnový Stream, a tributary of the Úhlava, flows through the town.

History

Remains of the town fortifications

The first written mention of Klatovy is from 1253, when it was a small settlement on a trade route from Bohemia to Bavaria. Between 1260 and 1263, a royal town was made from the settlement by Ottokar II of Bohemia. The town walls were built and between the 13th and 16th centuries were improved. Despite the Hussite Wars and a fire in 1464, which destroyed all the suburbs, the development of the town continued. At the beginning of the 16th century, Klatovy was one of the ten most important towns in the Czech lands.[3][4]

In the 16th century, Klatovy continued to flourish and many important buildings were built. But the town was damaged several fires, and the Thirty Years' War caused decline. In the mid-17th century, Jesuits came into the town and started not only building development, but also the development of education. However, in a fire in 1689 started by arsonists, all the Gothic and Renaissance monuments burned down.[3]

In the 18th century, Klatovy became the administrative centre of the region. In the early 19th century, part of the fortifications were demolished and the town changed its architectural face. In the second half of the 19th century, Klatovy became the centre of cultural and social life. The development of trade was supported by the construction of new railway and road networks.[3]

During World War II, Klatovy was occupied by Germany. The Germans operated a Gestapo prison in the town.[5] In 1942, Klatovy was the centre of the resistance movement, which was harshly suppressed by the execution of 73 patriots in the Spálený Forest at the time of Reinhard Heydrich.[6] In 1945, some parts of the town were badly damaged by bombing , and the railway station building was completely destroyed.[7] Klatovy was liberated on 5 May 1945 by the US Army. The town's remaining German population was expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement in 1945.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
186911,964—    
188014,059+17.5%
189014,754+4.9%
190016,960+15.0%
191018,620+9.8%
YearPop.±%
192118,085−2.9%
193018,221+0.8%
195017,213−5.5%
196117,294+0.5%
197019,087+10.4%
YearPop.±%
198021,744+13.9%
199123,098+6.2%
200123,033−0.3%
201122,133−3.9%
202121,579−2.5%
Source: Censuses[8][9]

Economy

Historically, Klatovy is connected with the textile, leather, wood, engineering and food industries. Currently, the construction, woodworking and metalworking industries predominate.[10] The largest employer in the town is a branch of the Rodenstock GmbH company, which manufactures spectacle lenses here. It has more than 1,000 employers.[11]

Klatovy is famous for growing carnations. Since 1813, a large number of brightly colored varieties have been bred here, which successfully represented Klatovy at many world exhibitions.[10]

Transport

Main train station

Klatovy is a railway junction. The town has a direct connection with Prague via Plzeň. There are also regional railway lines to Železná Ruda, Domažlice and Horažďovice. The territory of Klatovy is served by five train stations and stops: Klatovy, Klatovy město, Luby u Klatov, Točník and Dehtín.[12]

Sport

The town's football club SK Klatovy 1898 is one of the oldest football clubs in the country.[13] Nowadays it plays in the fourth tier of the Czech football system.

Klatovy is the starting point of the traditional Král Šumavy ("King of the Bohemian Forest") cycling marathon, which has been held since 1993.[14]

Sights

Míru Square with the Jesuit church, Black Tower and town hall
Pharmacy and gallery At the White Unicorn

The oldest part of the town surrounded by fragments of town walls is protected as an urban monument zone since 1992. The best-preserved part of the fortifications is located on the eastern side of the historic town centre, where there are two circular bastions.[3]

One of the main landmarks of Klatovy is the Black Tower, built in 1547–1557 as a watchtower. It turned black after many fires in the history of the town. It is a five-story tower with a height of 81.6 m (268 ft) and 226 steps. Nowadays it is open to the public and serves as a lookout tower.[15]

After the Black Tower was finished, construction of the town hall began in 1557. Many construction modifications have completely changed its appearance. The last major reconstruction in the Neo-Renaissance style took place in 1923–1925 based on the project of the architect Josef Fanta. The building still serves its original purpose.[3]

The town museum, officially named Dr. Hostaš Museum of National History in Klatovy, in located in an Art Nouveau house built in 1905–1907.[3]

Baroque Jesuit pharmacy called "At the White Unicorn" on the town square is now a pharmacy museum. The museum maps the history of pharmacy from 1776 until 1966, when the Jesuit pharmacy was abolished. It contains valuable equipment, mostly from the 18th century. Next to the museum is the Gallery At the White Unicorn.[3]

Religious monuments

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

The Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and of Saint Ignatiusis was built in the early Baroque style in 1655–1679. It was designed by Carlo Lurago and finished by Domenico Orsi. After it was damaged by a fire, it was reconstructed in 1826 to its current appearance.[16] Beneath the church are extensive catacombs where the Jesuits buried members of the order from the 1670s (before the church was finished) until 1783. About 38 mummified bodies have been preserved to this day.[3]

The Dominican monastery with the Church of Saint Lawrence were founded in the 14th century, but they were burned down during the Hussite Wars in 1419. They were renewed after the Thirty Years' War, but were again destroyed by a fire in 1689. The monastery complex was then finally rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1694–1709, but the monastery was abolished in 1786. Today the premises of the former monastery serves social and educational purposes. The church building, owned by the town, was reconstructed in 2000 and is used as an exhibition space.[17]

The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built in the Gothic style at the end of the 13th century. Renaissance and baroque modifications were made during the building's history, then it was regotized by Josef Fanta in 1898–1908.[18] Next to the church is a separate bell tower called "White Tower", built in 1581. After a fire in 1758, it was raised and modified to its current form.[3]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Klatovy is twinned with:[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
  2. ↑ "Etymologický základ názvu města Klatovy". Ptejte se knihovny (in Czech). National Library of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Historie a památky Klatov – stručný přehled" (in Czech). Město Klatovy. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  4. ↑ "Klatovy" (in Czech). Turistika.cz. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  5. ↑ "Gestapogefängnis Klattau". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Klatovy si připomínají 75. výročí atentátu na Heydricha" (in Czech). Czech Radio. 2017-05-09. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  7. ↑ Loudová, Daniela (2021-04-20). "Podívejte se: Před 76 lety bylo rozbombardováno klatovské vlakové nádraží". Klatovský Deník (in Czech). Deník.cz. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  8. ↑ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Klatovy" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 13–14.
  9. ↑ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  10. 1 2 "Historie Klatov" (in Czech). Město Klatovy. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  11. ↑ Kojan, David (2017-12-13). "Rodenstock vítal tisícího pracovníka". Klatovský Deník (in Czech). Deník.cz. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  12. ↑ "Detail stanice Klatovy" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  13. ↑ "10 nejstarších fotbalových klubů v České republice" (in Czech). Město Klatovy. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  14. ↑ Sopr, Karel (2016-07-16). "Silniční Král Šumavy se po pauze vrací na scénu". Plzeňský Deník (in Czech). Deník.cz. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  15. ↑ "Černá věž" (in Czech). Město Klatovy. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  16. ↑ "Kostel Neposkvrněného Početí Panny Marie a sv. Ignáce" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  17. ↑ "Kostel svatého Vavřince a dominikánský klášter" (in Czech). Město Klatovy. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  18. ↑ "Kostel Narození Panny Marie" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  19. ↑ "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Klatovy. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
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