Osek (german: Wosek) is a municipality and village in

Rokycany District Rokycany (; german: Rokitzan) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Rokycany is made up o ...

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 Reg ...

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 1,400 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The village of Vitinka is an administrative part of Osek.

Etymology

Osek is a common Czech toponymy. The word denotes a cut trunk, but it also could mean a cut forest.

Geography

Osek is located about north of

Rokycany Rokycany (; german: Rokitzan) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument ...

and east of

Plzeň Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...

. The western part of the municipality, formed by the built-up area and an agricultural landscape, lies in 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 a ...

. The eastern part formed by forests lies in the

Křivoklát Highlands Křivoklát (german: Pürglitz) is a market town in Rakovník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known for the Křivoklát Castle. Administrative parts Villages of Častonice and Pí ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. In the village of Osek, the hill of Kamýk at rises. The stream Osecký potok flows through the village. There are several fishponds in the municipality; the set of ponds Karásek, Labutinka, Lukotovský and Nový is supplied by the Osecký potok.

History

The first written mention of Osek is from 1240, in a deed issued by the King Wenceslaus I to the monastery of

Plasy Plasy (; german: Plass) is a town in Plzeň-North District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. It is known for its former monastery. Administrative parts Villages of Babina, Horní Hradiště, Lomnička, Neb ...

, where a man by name of Budivoj of Osek is referred to. The monastery in Plasy was founder of Osek. The village was dominated by small Gothic fort, rebuilt into a Renaissance castle in the second half of the 16th century. In following centuries Osek was owned by several aristocratic families. Beside farming, the village specialized in

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

mining and iron production. This local industry utilized energy from the system of ponds in Osek's proximity and

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

from nearby forests. Iron ore mining continued until 1850. In the 19th and 20th centuries Osek remained mostly agricultural community. The village of Vitinka was founded around 1697. It used to be traditionally a part of Osek. In 1924 an independent municipality of Vitinka was created, however in 1980 Vitinka merged with Osek again.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Osek is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Its Gothic presbytary dates from the mid-14th century. The nave was built in the Baroque style in 1707 by the architect

Jakub Auguston Jakub Auguston Jr. (born Giacomo Agustoni; c. 1668, possibly in Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropol ...

. There are the ruins of an aristocratic summer house on the top of Kamýk hill. It was built in 1750 and desolated in 1839. A Jewish cemetery is located next to the ruins.

Notable people

Rudolf Wels Rudolf Wels (28 April 1882, in Osek near Rokycany, western Bohemia – 8 March 1944, in KZ Auschwitz) was a Czech architect active in western Bohemia and in Prague. Rudolf Wels worked in the Karlovy Vary Region and also Prague. He designed gla ...

(1882–1944), architect

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Rokycany District