Měčín () 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 1,100 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Měčín consists of nine municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Měčín (587) *Bíluky (80) *Hráz (21) *

Nedanice Nedanice is a village and administrative part of Měčín in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Euro ...

(61) *Nedaničky (25) *Osobovy (40) *Petrovice (155) *Radkovice (104) *Třebýcina (39)

Etymology

The name Měčín was derived from the female personal name Mečě, which arose from the Germanic name Metze (an abbreviation of Mechthild). The settlement was probably once owned by someone with that name.

Geography

Měčín is located about northeast 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 ...

. The municipal territory lies mostly 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 an ...

, but it also extends into the

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 ...

in the southeast. The highest point is the hill Chlumec at above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Měčín is from 1352. From 1413, it was a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

. In the 14th century, it was part of the Švihov estate. In the 15th century, Měčín formed a separate estate, but in the 16th century it again belonged to Švihov. In 1610–1653, it was part of the Žinkovy estate, then it belonged to the estates of Roupov and Červené Poříčí. From 1746 until the estanblishment of a sovereign municipality in 1848, it belonged to Žinkovy.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipal territory.

Sights

The main landmark of Měčín is the Church of Saint Nicholas. It is originally a late Gothic church from the third quarter of the 14th century, which was gradually rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1726 and 1776–1777.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mecin Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Klatovy District