Bezdružice (; german: Weseritz) is a town in

Tachov District Tachov District ( cs, okres Tachov)( German: Bezirk Tachau) is a district ('' okres'') within Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Tachov. List of municipalities Benešovice - Bezdružice - Bor - Brod nad Tichou - Broumov - � ...

in the

Plzeň Region Plzeň Region ( cs, Plzeňský kraj; german: Pilsner Region) is an administrative unit (''kraj'') in the western part of Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is named after its capital Plzeň (English, german: Pilsen). In terms of area, Plzeň R ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It has about 900 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Dolní Polžice, Horní Polžice, Kamýk, Kohoutov, Křivce, Pačín, Řešín and Zhořec are administrative parts of Bezdružice.

Geography

Bezdružice is located about northeast of

Tachov Tachov (; german: Tachau) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Mže River. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts ...

and northwest of Plzeň. It lies in the

Teplá Highlands Teplá (german: Tepl) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as urban monument zone. Administrative parts Villages of ...

. The territory is rich in small streams.

History

The first written mention of Bezdružice is from 1227. In 1360–1379, Bezdružice was owned by knight Bušek and it was in these times, when a small stone castle was built. In 1459, the village became a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

. From 1520 to 1614, a deadly plague infected the town. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, around 1646, the town and the castle were burnt down by the invading Swedish army. In 1712, Bezdružice was acquired by the Löwenstein princely family. At that time, the old and new castles were already standing on the site of the original castle. In 1808, another plague hit the town, in 1809, a fire burnt down many parts of the town, and in 1815, a windstorm ravaged Bezdružice. The town became more popular when a railway was introduced to the town. The railway quickly

gentrified Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

the town. However, the population declined during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, mainly following the

expulsion Expulsion or expelled may refer to: General * Deportation * Ejection (sports) * Eviction * Exile * Expeller pressing * Expulsion (education) * Expulsion from the United States Congress * Extradition * Forced migration * Ostracism * Persona non ...

of local German inhabitants. In 1949, Bezdružice lost the town status and was incorporated into the Tachov District. In 2006, the municipality regained its town status.

Demographics

Sights

Bezdružice Castle is a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

castle built by the

Kolowrat family The House of Kolowrat is a Czech noble familyHouse of Kolowrat history
kolowrat.cz/en. Citation: " < ...

before 1330. The castle was partly demolished in the 18th century, but it was remodeled in the Baroque style. The first mention of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is from 1515, however the current church was built in 1710–1711, after the old one was demolished.

Notable people

Kryštof Harant Kryštof Harant of Polžice and Bezdružice ( cs, Kryštof Harant z Polžic a Bezdružic, 1564 – 21 June 1621) was a Czech nobleman, traveler, humanist, soldier, writer and composer. He joined the Protestant Bohemian Revolt in the Lands of the B ...

(1564–1621), nobleman * Louis Weinert-Wilton (1875–1945), German writer

Gallery

Bezdružice (2).jpg, Former town hall Bezdružice (3).jpg, Kryštof Harant Square with the Statue of Saint Florian Bezdružice (4).jpg, Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Zamek Bezdruzice.JPG, Bezdružice Castle

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bezdruzice Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Tachov District