Železná Ruda (; ) is a town in

Klatovy District Klatovy District () is a Okres, district in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Klatovy. With an area of , it is the largest district in the country. Administrative division Klatovy District is divided into three Di ...

in the

Plzeň Region Plzeň Region or Plzeňský Region (also known as Pilsen Region; ) is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the western part of the historical land of Bohemia and named after the capital, Plz ...

of the

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

. It has about 1,600 inhabitants. It is one of the important sports and tourist centres of the

Bohemian Forest The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as () and in German as , is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and the South Bohemian Region in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in Germ ...

Administrative division

Železná Ruda consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Železná Ruda (1,133) *Alžbětín (76) *Debrník (17) *Hojsova Stráž (137) *Pancíř (8) *Špičák (261)

Etymology

The Czech name Železná Ruda and the historic German name Eisenstein means '

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 f ...

'. It refers to rich deposits of iron ore that were found and mined here.

Geography

Železná Ruda is located about south of

Klatovy Klatovy (; ) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument zone. Administr ...

and south of

Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...

, on the border with Germany. It lies in a wild mountainous terrain of the

. The town is surrounded with thick coniferous woods. The highest mountain in the municipal territory is Jezerní hora with an elevation of . The southeastern part of the territory lies in the

Šumava National Park The Šumava National Park (, usually shortened as NP Šumava), or Bohemian Forest National Park, is a national park in the South Bohemian regions of the Czech Republic along the border with Germany (where the smaller adjacent Bavarian Forest Na ...

, rest of the territory belongs to the Šumava Protected Landscape Area. The

Regen Regen (; Northern Bavarian: ''Reng'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the district town of the district of Regen. Geography Regen is situated on the great Regen River, located in the Bavarian Forest. Divisions Originally the town consiste ...

River springs on the southern slopes of Pancíř mountain and flows through the town proper to the German border. The

Úhlava The Úhlava () is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Radbuza River. It flows through the Plzeň Region to the city of Plzeň. It is long, making it the 19th longest river in the Czech Republic. Etymology The name is probabl ...

River springs on the western slopes of the same mountain and flows across the northern half of the municipal territory. Černé jezero, the largest natural lake in the country and Čertovo jezero, the third largest lake, are located in the territory of Železná Ruda.

Climate

History

Železná Ruda was founded at the beginning of the 16th century as a mining town. After around 150 years, the iron ore stocks were extracted and iron production ended. Because

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

deposits were also located here, the town's industry reoriented to the glass industry. The first factory was built in 1624. The Alžbětín Glassworks was later one of the largest glassworks in the Bohemian Forest. In the second half of the 19th century, it was known mainly for

plate glass Plate glass, flat glass or sheet glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windscreens. For modern architectural and automotive applications, the flat glass is ...

. In 1874–1877, the railway was built. Its German population was expelled after 1945.

Demographics

Economy

The local economy is very dependent on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

because Železná Ruda is one of the most popular skiing centres of the Bohemian Forest, as well as a starting point for many hiking trips. The town has also gained a reputation as a hotspot for

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

shortly after the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

Transport

Bahnhof Bayerisch Eisenstein CZ 2012 06 18

Železná Ruda is located on the railway line from

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

via Plzeň and

, which ends here. The territory is served by five train stations and stops: ''Železná Ruda centrum'', ''Železná Ruda město'', ''Železná Ruda-Alžbětín'', ''Špičák'' and ''Hojsova Stráž-Brčálník''. The station building of Železná Ruda-Alžbětín/Bayerisch Eisenstein is divided by the national border between the Czech Republic and Germany. A railway tunnel goes under the Špičák mountain. The tunnel was built in 1874–1877 and is long. It was the longest railway tunnel in the Czech Republic until 2007 and since 2018 it has been the third longest railway tunnel in the country.

Sights

There are many nature sights, such as lakes Černé jezero and Čertovo jezero, and the Špičák mountain at above sea level. The most valuable historical monument is the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help of the Star. It was built in the Baroque style in 1729–1732. Its peculiarity is the floor plan of the six-pointed star and two

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

s with a star. Other historical sights include the Chapel of Saints Anthony of Padua and Barbara, and the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

. The local museum and information centre are located in a house from 1877, which was once the home of a well-known family of glassmakers. There is an exhibition of traditional glass, documents and photographs concerning history available all year round.

Notable people

* Kristina Taberyová (1951–2023), theatre director and screenwriter

Twin towns – sister cities

Železná Ruda is twinned with: * Aldeno, Italy * Bayerisch Eisenstein, Germany *

Zernez Zernez is a village and a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Lavin and Susch ...

, Switzerland

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zelezna Ruda Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Ski areas and resorts in the Czech Republic Populated places in Klatovy District Czech Republic–Germany border crossings Bohemian Forest