Klášter () is a municipality and village in

Plzeň-South District Plzeň-South District () is a Okres, district in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Plzeň. The most populated town of the district is Přeštice. Administrative division Plzeň-South District is divided into four ...

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 200 inhabitants. The village was founded inside the ruins of a monastery, which was destroyed in the 15th century.

Etymology

The name Klášter literally means '

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

' in Czech.

Geography

Klášter is located about southeast 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 ...

. 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 an ...

and

Blatná Uplands Blatná (; ) is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,700 inhabitants. It is known for a water castle in the centre of a fishpond, and a landscape garden around it. The historic town centr ...

. The highest point is the hill Zelená hora at above sea level. The

Úslava The Úslava is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Berounka River. It flows through the Plzeň Region. It is long. Etymology Until the early 18th century, the river was called Bradlava. The name first appeared in 1266 as ''Bra ...

River flows through the municipality. The village is situated on the shore of the fishpond Klášterský rybník.

History

History of the village is connected with the medieval

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery, which was founded here in 1144–1145 by monks from the

Ebrach Abbey Ebrach Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery in Ebrach in Oberfranken, Bavaria, Germany, and the site of a young offenders' institution. History Abbey The abbey, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Nicholas, ...

. It was destroyed by the

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

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 Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

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 King Ottokar II 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 (; ) 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 the castle became the new centre of 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 (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 176 ...

(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

Transport

The I/20 road (part of the

European route E49 European route E49 is a road that forms part of the International E-road network. It runs between Magdeburg, Germany, and Vienna, Austria. The road follows the route: * Germany ** : - Magdeburg, Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, ** : ** : - Plauen * Czec ...

) from Plzeň to

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...

passes through the municipality. The railway line Plzeň–

Horažďovice Horažďovice (; ) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Horažďo ...

runs alogn the eastern municipal border, but there is no train station. Klášter is served by the station in

Nepomuk Nepomuk (; ) is a town in Plzeň-South District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. It is known as the birthplace of Saint John of Nepomuk, who was born here around 1340. Administrative division Nepomuk ...

Sights

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

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

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 duri ...

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