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

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 ...

, at the confluence of four rivers: Mže,

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 ...

, Úslava and Radbuza, together forming the

Berounka The Berounka () is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Vltava River. It flows through the Plzeň Region, Plzeň and Central Bohemian Region, Central Bohemian regions to Prague. It is formed by the confluence of the Mže and Radbu ...

River. Founded as a royal city in the late 13th century, Plzeň became an important town for trade on routes linking

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

with

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. By the 14th century it had grown to be the third largest city in Bohemia. The city was besieged three times during the 15th-century

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 ...

, when it became a centre of resistance against the Hussites. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

in the early 17th century the city was temporarily occupied after the Siege of Plzeň. In the 19th century, the city rapidly industrialised and became home to the

Škoda Works The Škoda Works (, ) was one of the largest European industrial conglomerates of the 20th century. In 1859, Czech engineer Emil Škoda bought a foundry and machine factory in Plzeň, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary that had been established ten ye ...

, which became one of the most important engineering companies in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

and later in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. The city is known worldwide as the home of

Pilsner Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Brewery. History ...

beer, created by

n brewer Josef Groll in the city in 1842; today, the

Pilsner Urquell Brewery Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s. (; Pilsner Urquell Brewery) is a Czech brewery which opened in 1842 in Plzeň, Bohemia. It was the first brewery to produce a pale lager, branded as Pilsner Urquell, which became so popular and was so much copied tha ...

is the largest brewery in the Czech Republic. Plzeň serves as the main business centre of West Bohemia and the capital of 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 ...

. The city is a cultural heritage zone known for its

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

, and was

European Capital of Culture A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

in 2015. Plzeň is home to football club FC Viktoria Plzeň and ice hockey club HC Škoda Plzeň.

Administrative division

Plzeň consists of ten self-governing boroughs. In addition, Plzeň consists of 25 municipal parts, whose borders do not respect the boundaries of boroughs (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Plzeň 1 (48,572) **Bolevec (29,697) **Severní Předměstí (18,875) *Plzeň 2-Slovany (36,000) **Božkov (2,254) **''Černice (2,482)'' **''Doudlevce (537)'' **Hradiště (1,876) **Koterov (2,325) **''Lobzy (3,101)'' **''Východní Předměstí (23,425)'' *Plzeň 3 (55,363) **''Doudlevce (3,828)'' **Jižní Předměstí (30,858) **''Litice (1,109)'' **Nová Hospoda (968) **Radobyčice (1,476) **Skvrňany (12,802) **Valcha (1,459) **Vnitřní Město (1,621) **''Východní Předměstí (1,242)'' *Plzeň 4 (23,819) **Bukovec (567) **Červený Hrádek (1,228) **Doubravka (11,605) **''Lobzy (7,643)'' **Újezd (2,670) **''Východní Předměstí (106)'' *Plzeň 5-Křimice (2,429) **Křimice (2,429) *Plzeň 6-Litice (2,229) **''Litice (2,229)'' *Plzeň 7-Radčice (1,090) **Radčice (1,090) *Plzeň 8-Černice (1,868) **''Černice (1,868)'' *Plzeň 9-Malesice (945) **Dolní Vlkýš (154) **Malesice (791) *Plzeň 10-Lhota (1,692) **Lhota (1,692)

Geography

Plzeň is located about west of

. The city is situated at the confluences of four rivers: Mže,

, Úslava and Radbuza. From the confluence of the Mže and Radbuza, the river is known as the

. Plzeň lies mostly in the Plasy Uplands, with small parts of the municipal territory extending into 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 ...

to the east and south. The highest point is the hill Chlum at above sea level. The lowest point is the river bed of the Berounka at . The largest body of water is the České údolí Reservoir, built on the Radbuza. A system of fishponds is located on the northern edge of the city.

Climate

Plzeň has a cool and

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(Cfb). The average annual precipitation is . The annual average temperature is . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on 12 February 1985 to on 27 July 1983.

History

Middle Ages

The first written mention of Plzeň Castle is from 976. The city of New Plzeň was founded nearby in 1295 by King Wenceslaus II. The old settlement then became known as Starý Plzenec and New Plzeň became known as Plzeň. It quickly became an important city on trade routes leading from

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

and

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

. The first written mention about beer brewing is from 1307. In the 14th century, the city had about 3,000 inhabitants on an area of , making it the third largest city in Bohemia after Prague and

Kutná Hora Kutná Hora (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The history of Kutná Hora is linked to silver mining, which made it a rich and rapidly developing town. The centre of Kutná Hora, i ...

. During the

, it was the centre of Catholic resistance to 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 ...

Prokop the Great Prokop the Great (, ) or Prokop the Bald or the Shaven (, ) (c. 1380 – 30 May 1434) was a Czech Hussite general and a prominent Taborite military leader during the Hussite Wars. On his mother's side, he came from a German patrician family l ...

unsuccessfully besieged it three times, and it joined the league of Catholic nobles against King

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad (; ), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the Hussites, but moderate and tolerant toward the ...

. In the 1470s and 1480s, the city had the first

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in whi ...

in Bohemia. The first book printed here and therefore the oldest book in Bohemia is ''Statuta'' written by Arnošt of Pardubice, which was printed in 1476.

17th century

Emperor

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...

made Plzeň his seat from 1599 to 1600. During the

the town was taken by

Mansfeld Mansfeld (), sometimes also unofficially Mansfeld-Lutherstadt, is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Protestant reformator Martin Luther grew up in Mansfeld, and in 1993 the town became one of sixteen places ...

in 1618 after the Siege of Plzeň and it was not recaptured by Imperial troops until 1621. Wallenstein made it his winter quarters in 1633. Accused of treason and losing the support of his army, he fled the town on 23 February 1634 to Eger/Cheb where he was assassinated two days later. The town was increasingly threatened by the

Swedes Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...

in the last years of the war. The city commander

Jan van der Croon Jan van der Croon ( 1600 – 6 November 1665), also called ''Jan della Croon'', ''Johann de la Corona'', or ''von der Cron'', was a Dutch professional soldier and military commander in Spanish and Imperial service who reached the rank of lieutenant ...

strengthened the fortifications of Plzeň from 1645 to 1649. Swedish troops passed the town in 1645 and 1648 without attacking it. The town and region have been staunchly Catholic despite the Hussite Wars. From the end of the 17th century, the architecture of Plzeň has been influenced by the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style.

19th century

In the second half of the 19th century Plzeň, already an important trade centre for

, near the Bavarian/German border, began to industrialise rapidly. In 1869 Emil Škoda founded the

, which became the most important and influential engineering company in the country and a crucial supplier of arms to the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

. By 1917 the

employed over 30,000 workers. After 1898 the second largest employer was the National Railways train workshop, with about 2,000 employees: this was the largest rail repair shop in all

. Between 1861 and 1877, the Plzeň railway junction was completed and in 1899 the first tram line started in the city. This burst of industry had two important effects: the growth of the local

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

population and of the urban poor. After 1868 the first Czech mayor of the city was elected.

World War II

Following Czechoslovak independence from

in 1918 the ethnic German minority in the countryside bordering the city of Plzeň hoped to be united with Austria and were unhappy at being included in Czechoslovakia. Many allied themselves to the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

after 1933 in the hope that

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

might be able to unite them with their German-speaking neighbours. Following the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...

in 1938, Plzeň became a frontier town as the creation of the

Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and ) is a German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the border districts of Bohe ...

moved

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

's borders closer to the city's outer limits. During the German occupation from 1939 to 1945, the

in Pilsen was forced to provide armaments for the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'', and Czech contributions, particularly in the field of tanks, were noted. The Nazis operated a

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

prison in the city, and a

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

camp in the Karlov district. Between 17 and 26 January 1942, the majority of the city's Jewish population, over 2,000 people, were deported by the Nazis to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Terezín. In April 1945, as World War II neared its end, Plzeň endured its most devastating air raids. On 17 April, British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

bombers targeted the city's marshalling yard, aiming to disrupt German military logistics. The attack resulted in significant civilian casualties and widespread destruction of residential areas. Just days later, on 25 April, the U.S.

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...

launched a major bombing mission against the

armament factory in Plzeň. This operation marked the last heavy bomber mission by the Eighth Air Force against an industrial target in Europe. The raids caused extensive damage to the city's infrastructure and left a lasting impact on its inhabitants. These attacks were part of the Allies' final efforts to cripple Nazi Germany's war capabilities. On 6 May 1945, in the final days before the

end of World War II in Europe The end of World War II in Europe occurred in May 1945. Following the Death of Adolf Hitler, suicide of Adolf Hitler on 30 April, leadership of Nazi Germany passed to Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz and the Flensburg Government. Soviet Union, Soviet t ...

, Plzeň was liberated from Nazi Germany by the 16th Armored Division of General George Patton's Third Army. Also participating in the liberation of the city were elements of the 97th and 2nd Infantry Divisions supported by the Polish Holy Cross Mountains Brigade. Other Third Army units liberated major portions of Western Bohemia. The rest of

was liberated from German control by the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. Elements of the 3rd Army, as well as units from the 1st Army, remained in Plzeň until late November 1945. After the end of the war, the city's ethnic German minority population was expelled and their property was confiscated in accordance to the provisions of the

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement () was the agreement among three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union after the war ended in Europe that was signed on 1 August 1945 and published the following day. A ...

Communist era

After the

1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état In late February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia through a coup d'état. It marked the beginning of four decades of the party's rule in t ...

, the government launched a currency reform in 1953, which caused a wave of discontent, including the Plzeň uprising. On 1 June 1953, over 20,000 people, mainly workers at the Škoda Works, began protesting against the government. Protesters forced their way into the town hall and threw communist symbols, furniture and other objects out of the windows. The protest caused a retaliation from the government. As part of its retaliation, they destroyed the statue of

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech name, Czech and Slovak name, Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas (name), Thomas. Tomáš is also a surname (feminine: Tomášová). Notable people with the name include: Given name Sport *Tomáš Berdych (born 198 ...

, the first president of Czechoslovakia. The statue has since been re-erected.

Demographics

Economy

Plzeň is a centre of business in the western part of the Czech Republic. Plzeň produces about two-thirds of the Plzeň Region GDP, even though it contains only 30% of its population. While part of this is explained by commuters to the city, it is one of the most prosperous cities in the Czech Republic. Plzeň is the seat of many large corporations. The largest employers with its headquarters in Plzeň and at least 1,000 employees are: The Škoda company, established in Plzeň in 1859, has been an important element of Austro-Hungarian, Czechoslovak and Czech engineering, and one of the biggest European arms factories. During the Communist era of the country (1948–1989), the company's production had been directed to the needs of the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

. Disarray in the era 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 ...

, and unsuccessful efforts to gain new Western markets, resulted in sales problems and debts. After a huge restructuring process, the company was divided into several subsidiaries, which were later sold. The most important successors companies are

Škoda Transportation Škoda Transportation Akciová společnost, a.s. is a Czech Republic, Czech manufacturer of vehicles for public transport, including Tram, trams, Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units, and Bus, buses. The company was formerly a divisio ...

and

Doosan Škoda Power Doosan Škoda Power Akciová společnost, a.s. is a manufacturer and supplier of equipment for power stations, machine rooms especially equipped for steam turbines. Its headquarters are in Plzeň, Czech Republic. The portfolio includes steam tur ...

. The Stock company, located in the Božkov district, is the largest producer of

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

s in the Czech Republic. Fernet Stock has long been the best-selling herbal liqueur on the Czech market. Since the late 1990s, the city has experienced high growth in foreign investment. In 2007, Israeli mall developer Plaza Centers opened the Plzeň Plaza, a shopping mall and entertainment centre featuring a multiplex cinema from Cinema City Czech Republic. The Plzeň agglomeration was defined as a tool for drawing money from the

European Structural and Investment Funds The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds, ESIFs) are financial tools governed by a common rulebook, set up to implement the regional policy of the European Union, as well as the structural policy pillars of the Common Agricultu ...

. It is an area that includes the city and its surroundings, linked to the city by commuting and migration. It has about 328,000 inhabitants.

Pilsner beer

Plzeň is well known for the Pilsner Urquell (since 1842) and Gambrinus (since 1869)

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

, currently owned by Asahi Group Holdings. Plzeň is an important city in the history of beer, including the development of

. In 1375, Bohemian King Charles IV endowed the Dobrow Monastery near Plzeň with the beer right, and it is one of the oldest breweries to survive to modern times. Many breweries were located in the interconnected deep cellars of the city. The officials of Plzeň founded a city-owned brewery in 1839, (Citizens' Brewery, now Plzeňský Prazdroj), and recruited Bavarian brewer Josef Groll (1813–1887) who produced the first batch of modern Pilsner beer on 5 October 1842. This included mastering the art of triple

decoction mashing In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining ground grain – malted barley and sometimes supplementary grains such as corn, sorghum, rye, or wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae ...

. The combination of pale colour from the new malts, Plzeň's remarkably soft water, Saaz

noble hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whic ...

from nearby

Žatec Žatec (; ) is a town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. Žatec is famous for an over-700-year-long tradition of growing Saaz hops, Saaz noble hops u ...

(''Saaz'' in German) and Bavarian-style

lager Lager (; ) is a Type of beer, style of beer brewed and Brewing#Conditioning, conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be Pale lager, pale, Amber lager, amber, or Dark lager, dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially availab ...

ing produced a clear, golden beer which was regarded as a sensation. Improving transport meant that this new beer was soon available throughout Central Europe and -style brewing was widely imitated. In 1859, "Pilsner Bier" was registered as a brand name at the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Plzeň. In 1898, the Pilsner Urquell trade mark was created to put emphasis on this being the brewery where the style originated.

Transport

Trams, trolleybuses and buses

The Plzeň metropolitan area is largely served by a network of trams,

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

es and buses operated by the PMDP. Like other continental European cities, tickets bought from vending machines or small shops are valid for any transport run by the city of Plzeň. For residents of the city, a Plzeň Card can be purchased and through a system of "topping up" be used on any public transport with no limitations, as long as it is paid up and valid. Tickets can be purchased in vehicles with a contactless smart card.

Rail

Plzeň is an important centre of Czech railway transport, with the crossing of five main railway lines: * line Nr. 170:

–

Beroun Beroun (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers. Beroun creates a conurbation with Králův Dvůr, former part of Beroun. ...

– Plzeň –

Cheb Cheb (; ) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. Before the Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of Germans in 1945, the town was the centre of the G ...

* line Nr. 180: Plzeň – Domažlice – Furth im Wald (Germany) * line Nr. 183: Plzeň –

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 ...

– Železná Ruda * line Nr. 160: Plzeň –

* line Nr. 190: Plzeň –

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 ...

Plzeň main railway station (''Plzeň hlavní nádraží'') serves all five of these lines.

Road

The most important transport link in the city is the D5 highway connecting

and

Air

A public domestic and private international airport is located 11 km south-west from Plzeň, at the nearby village of Líně.

Religion

Since 31 May 1993 Plzeň has been the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plzeň. The first bishop (current bishop emeritus) was František Radkovský. The current bishop is Tomáš Holub. The diocese covers an area with a total of 818,700 inhabitants. The diocesan see is in St. Bartholomew's Cathedral on Republiky Square in Plzeň. The diocese is divided into 10 vicariates with a total of 72 parishes. The seat of the West Bohemian seniorate (literary presbytery; Central European protestant equivalent of a diocese) of Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren is currently set in Plzeň. The current senior is Miroslav Hamari, the preacher of Koranda parish congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Plzeň, commonly known as Koranda congregation located in the city centre of Plzeň. The senioral churchwarden is Josef Beneš, the parish churchwarden of the same congregation. There are two other parish congregations of Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in the

Plzeň-City District Plzeň-City District () is a district in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Plzeň. Administrative division Plzeň-City District is formed by only one administrative district of municipality with extended competen ...

– The Western congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Plzeň, known as The Western congregation located in the Western part of the city in the borough of Jižní předměstí and The Congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Chrást located in Chrást in the very east of Plzeň-City District. The seat of Plzeň diocese of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church is located in Plzeň (although the bishop has resided in Mirovice for several years due to a reconstruction of episcopacy). The current bishop is Filip Štojdl. The Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church is headquartered in Plzeň. St. Paul's Lutheran Church is a church of the Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plzeň. The other churches also present in Plzeň are the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Czech Republic, the United Methodist Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Church of Brethren, the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, the Greek Catholic Church, and others.

Education

The

University of West Bohemia The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (, ZČU) is a university in Plzeň, Czech Republic. It was founded in 1991 and consists of nine faculties. History The university was formed by the merger of the ''College of Mechanical and Electrical E ...

in Plzeň is well known for its Faculty of Law, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Applied Science in particular. The Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University (

: ''Lékařská fakulta v Plzni Univerzity Karlovy'') is one of the five medical faculties of

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

. Martin Luther Elementary School (Základní škola Martina Luthera) is a private Christian school of the Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plzeň.

Culture

Plzeň was a

in 2015, along with

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

in Belgium.

Sport

The ice hockey club HC Škoda Plzeň plays in the Czech Extraliga. The team plays its home games at Home Monitoring Aréna. The football club FC Viktoria Plzeň plays in the

Czech First League The Czech First League () also known as the Chance Liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Czech Republic and the highest level of the Czech Republic football league system. Seasons typically run from A ...

and belongs among the most successful clubs in the Czech Republic. Viktoria Plzeň has played in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

and

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

. The team plays its home games at Doosan Arena. Handball club Talent Plzeň plays in the Czech Handball Extraliga. The

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

team PK Plzeň race at the Plzeň speedway track. The track has hosted significant speedway events including qualifying rounds of the

Speedway World Team Cup The Speedway World Team Cup was an annual motorcycle speedway, speedway event held each year in different countries. The competition started in 1960 and was replaced with the Speedway World Cup in 2001. Format From 1960 until 1985, each team c ...

Sights

The most prominent sights of Plzeň are the Gothic St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, founded in the late 13th century, whose tower, at , is the highest in the Czech Republic, the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

Town Hall, and the

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

Great Synagogue, the second largest synagogue in Europe, after the

Dohány Street Synagogue The Dohány Street Synagogue ( ; ; ), also known as the Great Synagogue () or Tabakgasse Synagogue (), is a Neolog Judaism, Neolog Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Dohány utca, Dohány Street in Erzsébetváros (VIIth dis ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. There is also a historic tunnel and cellar network, among the longest in Central Europe. Part of this network is open to the public for tours of about in length and down to a depth of . Built in 1532, the former water tower was integrated into the city's fortification system at Prague Gate. Another storey was added in 1822 in French Imperial style. The Gothic portal dating from the 1500s and coming from another house, which had been demolished, was added in 1912. Above the portal there is a commemorative plaque dedicated to Dr Josef Škoda (a professor at the

Vienna University The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

), who was born next door on 10 December 1805. A popular tourist attraction is the Plzeňský Prazdroj brewery tour where visitors can discover the history of beer.

Museums

* Franciscan Monastery – Museum of Christian Art * Techmania Science Center - Interactive museum/playground for kids * Západočeské muzeum v Plzni

Notable people

* Emil von Škoda (1839–1900), engineer and industrialist * Josef Finger (1841–1925), physicist and mathematician * Emma B. Mandl (1842–1928), Chicago charities founder * Friedrich Goldscheider (1845–1897), ceramist and industrialist * František Křižík (1847–1941), inventor * Augustin Němejc (1861–1938), painter * Rudolf Karel (1880–1945), composer * Emil Lederer (1882–1939), economist and sociologist * Růžena Šlemrová (1886–1962), actress * Josef Beran (1888–1969), cardinal, Czech primate, archbishop of Prague * Josef Skupa (1892–1957), puppeteer * Jaroslav Vogel (1894–1970), conductor and composer * Ladislav Sutnar (1897–1976), graphic designer, pioneer of information design and information architecture * Jaroslav Černý (1898–1970), Oxford professor and Egyptologist * Siegfried Lederer (1904–1972),

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

escapee * Jiří Trnka (1912–1969), artist * Miroslav Štandera (1918–2014), World War II fighter pilot * Ota Šik (1919–2004), economist * Karel Černý (1922–2014), art director * Miroslav Holub (1923–1998), poet * Josef Rösch (1925–2016), interventional radiologist * Kurt Dietmar Richter (1931−2019), German composer and conductor * Karla Erbová (1933–2024), poet, prose writer and journalist * Gabriela Basařová (1934–2019), chemist * Peter Grünberg (1939–2018), German physicist, 2007 Nobel prize winner * Karel Gott (1939–2019), singer * Vaclav Smil (born 1943), Czech-Canadian scientist * Jaroslav Beneš (born 1946), fine art photographer *

Tomáš Šmíd Tomáš Šmíd (born 20 May 1956) is a former tennis player from Czechoslovakia, who won nine singles titles during his career. In doubles, he won 54 titles and was world No. 1 in doubles from December 17, 1984, to August 11, 1985. The right-hand ...

(born 1956), tennis player * Vítězslav Lavička (born 1963), football manager * Tomáš Cihlář (born 1967), chemist and virologist * David Kotyza (born 1967), tennis coach * Martin Straka (born 1972), ice hockey player * Luboš Motl (born 1973), physicist * Jiří Mužík (born 1976), track and field athlete * Petr Sýkora (born 1976), ice hockey player * Milan Kraft (born 1980), ice hockey player * Petr Čech (born 1982), football player * Kateřina Emmons (born 1983), sport shooter, Olympic medalist * David Limberský (born 1983), footballer * Pavel Samiec (born 1984), composer and accordionist *

Andrea Hlaváčková Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ...

(born 1986), tennis player *

Barbora Strýcová Barbora Strýcová (; born 28 March 1986), formerly known as Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, is a Czech former professional tennis player who was ranked List of WTA number 1 ranked doubles tennis players, world No. 1 in doubles. She won two Gra ...

(born 1986), tennis player * Vladimír Darida (born 1990), footballer * Andrej Šustr (born 1990), ice hockey player * Pavel Francouz (born 1990), ice hockey player * Dominik Kubalík (born 1995), ice hockey player * Lukáš Provod (born 1996), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Plzeň is twinned with: *

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, United States *

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, Belgium *

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

, France *

, Germany *

Takasaki is a Cities of Japan, city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as th ...

, Japan *

Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...

, Switzerland *

Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...

, Slovakia

Gallery

CZ-Plz-nam-republ-01 crop.jpg, '' Náměstí Republiky'', the city's main square West Bohemia University.jpg, Research Library Plzeň_radnice.JPG, Town hall Pilseno, Teatro Josef Kajetán Tyl, 13.jpg, Josef Kajetán Tyl Theatre Západočeské muzeum v Plzni - panoramio.jpg, Museum of Western Bohemia Plzeň, sokolovna.jpg, Sokol Hall Fakulta právnická ZČU.jpg, Faculty of Law of the

Okresni soud Plzen mesto.JPG, District Court Knihovna města Plzně - sídlo 05.JPG, Municipal Library

References

External links

*
Official tourist portalPMDP – Public transport of PlzeňUniversity of West Bohemia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plzen Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Plzeň-City District