Velhartice (german: Welhartitz) is a municipality and village in

Klatovy District Klatovy District ( cs, Okres Klatovy) is a district ('' okres'') within Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Klatovy. With its area of 1,946 km² it is the largest district in the Czech Republic. List of municipalities Běha� ...

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. It has about 800 inhabitants. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Villages of Braníčkov, Chotěšov, Drouhavec, Hory Matky Boží, Jarkovice, Konín, Nemilkov, Radvanice, Stojanovice and Tvrdoslav are administrative parts of Velhartice.

Geography

Velhartice is located about south 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 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 in the

Bohemian Forest Foothills Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, ori ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. The Ostružná River flows through the municipality.

History

The first written mention of the Velhartice settlement is from 1318. However, the Gothic Velhartice Castle was built already in 1290–1310 by Bušek the Elder and Bušek the Younger, who later became known as Lords of Velhartice and became chamberlains of Emperor Charles IV. In the 15th century, a significant owner of Velhartice was

Zdeněk Lev of Rožmitál Zdeněk Lev of Rožmitál ( cz, links=no, Zdeněk Lev z Rožmitálu, german: links=no, Zdeniek Lev von Rosental; – 14 July 1535) was a Bohemian nobleman. He belonged to the estate of the Lords ''(páni)'', the highest rank of the Bohemian ...

, who granted the estate the right to mine precious metals. The prosperity ended with the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. After the war, Velhartice was acquired by Don Martin de Hoeff Huerto who had the castle rebuilt in the late Renaissance style. Huerto tried to forcefully re-catholicize the region, but he also abolished the

corvée Corvée () is a form of unpaid, forced labour, that is intermittent in nature lasting for limited periods of time: typically for only a certain number of days' work each year. Statute labour is a corvée imposed by a state for the purposes of ...

. At the end of the 18th century, the then-owners of Velhartice, the

Desfours Desfours is the name of a noble family of French descent that originated in the Lorraine, but became prominent in Bohemia during the 16th century. History Their parent house is the Athienville from Luneville and Chateau-Salins. The family ...

family, founded a

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...

. The second paper mill was founded in 1865. A leather-tanning factory opened in 1882. The last owner of the Velhartice Castle, Prince Joseph

Windisch-Graetz The House of Windisch-Graetz, also spelled Windisch-Grätz, is an Austrian-Slovenian aristocratic family, descending from Windischgraz in Lower Styria (present-day Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia). The noble dynasty serving the House of Habsburg achieve ...

, was expelled to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in 1946.

Sights

The main landmark of Velhartice is the Velhartice Castle. Today it is owned by the state and opened to the public. In Nemilkov is the Nemilkov Castle. It is a Renaissance-Baroque residence built on the remains of a medieval Gothic fortress from the 14th century. The fortress was rebuilt in the 16th century and extended in the late 18th century. During the 20th century, it was damaged by careless use. Today it is in private ownership and is gradually being repaired. The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. It was originally a Romanesque church founded around 1240, rebuilt and extended in the Gothic style in 1325. Renaissance modifications were made after 1510, further baroque modifications date from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene is a cemetery church which is said to be one of the scariest places in the country, and is associated with several legends. It was built in 1373 and rebuilt in the 16th century.

Gallery

Velhartice (003).jpg, A street in Velhartice Hory Matky Boží, silnice.jpg, The village of Hory Matky Boží

References

External links

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Velhartice Castle
{{authority control Villages in Klatovy District Prácheňsko