Klášter (german: Kloster) is a municipality and village in

Plzeň-South District Plzeň-South District ( cs, okres Plzeň-jih)(German: Bezirk Pilsen-Süd) is a district ('' okres'') within the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its administrative centre is in Plzeň. The most populated municipality of the district is the to ...

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 200 inhabitants.

Etymology

The name Klášter means literally "

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

Geography

Klášter is located about southeast of Plzeň. It lies on the border between the

Švihov Highlands Švihov may refer to places in the Czech Republic: * Švihov (Klatovy District), a town in the Plzeň Region ** Švihov Castle in the town * Švihov (Rakovník District), a municipality and village in the Central Bohemian Region *Švihov, a village ...

and Blatná Uplands. The highest point is the hill Zelená hora at above sea level. The Úslava River flows through the municipality. The village is situated on the shores of Klášterský Pond.

History

History of the village is connected with the medieval Cistercian monastery, which was founded here in 1144–1145 by monks from the

Ebrach Abbey Ebrach Abbey (german: Kloster Ebrach) is a former Cistercian monastery in Ebrach in Oberfranken, Bavaria, Germany, now used as a young offenders' institution. History Abbey The abbey, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist ...

. It was destroyed by the

Hussites The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...

during the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

in 1420. After the monastery was destroyed, a village began to emerge in its ruins, whose new inhabitants used the remains of buildings to build their dwellings. The first written mention of the village of Klášter is from 1556. The

Zelená Hora Castle Zelená Hora (literally "Green Mountain") is a castle in Klášter in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It is located on an eponymous mountains, close to the town of Nepomuk. History The castle was first mentioned in a deed of Ottokar II o ...

was first mentioned in a deed of

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...

from 1221. Until 1420, it was property of the monastery. In 1425, after the monastery ceased to exist, all its properties were acquired by the town of

Klatovy Klatovy (; german: Klattau) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Klatovy is made up of 30 ...

and the castle became the new centre fo the estate. In 1436, it became property of the Lords of Schwamberg. The most notable owners of the estate were the Sternberg family, who acquired it around 1464 and held it until 1726. Most likely between 1670 and 1688, the medieval castle was rebuilt into an early Baroque residence. Zelená Hora was then owned by the houses of

Martinic Martinic may refer to: * Martinic family, Bohemian nobility * Martinić, Croatian surname * Martinich, surname * Martinice, places in the Czech Republic * Martinican, a demonym of the island Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label= Marti ...

(1726–1784),

Colloredo-Mansfeld The House of Colloredo-Mansfeld () is an originally Italian noble family of which a branch came to Austria in the late 16th century. There they were raised to barons in 1588, imperial counts in 1727 and imperial princes (in primogeniture) in 1763 ...

(1784–1852), and Auersperg (1852–1931). In 1817–1819, the castle became known as the site where Manuscript of Zelená Hora was founded. After the castle was shortly owned by Czech private owners, it was confiscated by the state in 1938.

Demographics

Sights

Most of the village is placed inside the ruins of the monastery. The monastery was among the most important monasteries in

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

in the 13th and 14th centuries and was formed by a monumental Romanesque-Gothic complex of buildings. Their remains are still visible. The landmark of Klášter is the Zelená Hora Castle, located on the eponymous hill. Since 2020, it has been opened to the public. The Chapel of Saint Margaret was built in the late

Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 durin ...

in 1861–1862.

In popular culture

Zelená Hora Castle became nationwide popular as the filming location of the 1992 film '' Černí baroni''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klaster Villages in Plzeň-South District Ruined abbeys and monasteries