Přeštice (; german: Prestitz) is a town 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 6,600 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Skočice, Zastávka and Žerovice are administrative parts of Přeštice.
Geography
Přeštice is located about south 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 ...
. 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
Plasy Uplands
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 ...
. The highest point is the hill Střížov with an altitude of . The
Úhlava
The Úhlava () is a long river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Radbuza. Its source is situated on a slope of Pancíř mountain in the Šumava mountains, Klatovy District at an elevation of . It passes the villages and towns Nýrs ...
River flows through the town.
History
The first written mention of Přeštice is 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 deat ...
from 1226, when it was referred to as a market village. In 1239, the village was bought by the monastery in
Kladruby. 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 ...
(1419–1434), Přeštice was acquired by the Švihovský z Rýzmberk family, who owned it for two centuries.
In the early 19th century, Přeštice was badly damaged by a large fire, but the town recovered. The construction of the road from Plzeň to
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 ...
, which began to be built in 1809, contributed to the development of the town. The new town hall was built in 1832. In 1874, the Plzeň–Klatovy railway was put into operation.
[
Until 1918, ''Prestitz – Přeštice'' was part of the ]Austrian monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
(Austria side after the compromise of 1867
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...
), in the district of the same name, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
.
Demographics
Sights
The main landmark of Přeštice is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was built in the Baroque style in 1770–1775 and was designed by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer
Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer ( cs, Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer) (1 September 1689, Prague – 18 December 1751) was a Bohemian architect of the Baroque era. He was the fifth son of the German architect Christoph Dientzenhofer and the Bohemian-Ge ...
.[
]
Notable people
*Jakub Jan Ryba
Jakub Šimon Jan Ryba (surname also Poisson, Peace, Ryballandini, Rybaville; 26 October 1765 – 8 April 1815) was a Czech teacher and composer of classical music. His most famous work is '' Czech Christmas Mass "Hey, Master!"'' (''Česká mše ...
(1765–1815), composer
*Josef Hlávka
Josef Hlávka (15 February 183111 March 1908) was a Czech architect, builder, philanthropist and founder of the oldest Czech foundation for sciences and arts.
Biography
He was the second-born son of Mayor Antonín Hlávka and his wife, Anna née ...
(1831–1908), architect and philanthropist
*Milena Jelinek
Milena Jelinek (Czech language, Czech: Milena Jelínková, née Tobolová; August 19, 1935 – April 15, 2020) was a Czech American screenwriter, playwright and teacher. She wrote the screenplay for the film ''Forgotten Light'', which was awarded ...
(1935–2020), Czech-American screenwriter and playwright
Twin towns – sister cities
Přeštice is twinned with:Krško
Krško (; german: Gurkfeld) is a town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the City municipality of Krško. The town lies on the Sava River and on the northwest edge of the Krško Plain ( sl, Krško polje), which is part of the larger Krka Flat ...
, Slovenia
* Nittenau
Nittenau () is a municipality in the district of Schwandorf, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Regen, 18 km southeast of Schwandorf, and 24 km northeast of Regensburg.
It is the "sister city" of Lake Zurich, Illinois.
...
, Germany
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prestice
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Plzeň-South District