Volyně () is a town in

Strakonice District Strakonice District () is a district in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Strakonice. Administrative division Strakonice District is divided into three administrative districts of municipalities with ext ...

in the

South Bohemian Region The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''Regions of the Czech Republic, kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western ...

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 3,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.

Administrative division

Volyně consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Volyně (2,789) *Černětice (67) *Račí (19) *Starov (46) *Zechovice (85) Černětice and Račí form an

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of the municipal territory.

Etymology

The origin of the name Volyně is unknown. There are hypotheses that it was derived from a

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

tribe which came from the area of today's Ukraine.

Geography

Volyně is located about south of

Strakonice Strakonice (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Strakonice consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Strakonice ...

and northwest of

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 ...

. It lies in the

Bohemian Forest Foothills Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a fa ...

. The highest point is a nameless hill at above sea level. The

Volyňka The Volyňka is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Otava River. It flows through the South Bohemian Region. It is long. Etymology The river is named after the town of Volyně. Characteristic The Volyňka originates in the ...

River flows through the town.

History

According to archaeological findings, a Slavic settlement was built on the site of today's town in the 7th century. The first written mention of Volyně is from 1271, when a gord was documented here. In 1299, the settlement was promoted to a town. In 1327, the parish church and town fortifications were completed. In the 15th century, the Volyně waged a long-standing and ultimately victorious dispute with the royal town of

Písek Písek (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 31,000 inhabitants. The town is known for the oldest bridge in the country. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument z ...

over the import of salt and the payment of tolls. The town's prosperity peaked before 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 ...

. During the war, Volyně suffered from looting, fires and passage of troops. After the war, despite several fires and plague epidemics, the town continued to grow and spread beyond the town walls. The face of the town changed significantly in the 19th century, when the square was paved and new multi-story buildings began to be built.

Demographics

Education

The town is known as a local centre of education. Apart from

preschool education A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

and a primary/secondary school, there is ''Higher Vocational School and Secondary Industrial School''. It was founded in 1864.

Transport

The I/4 road (the section from

to the Czech-German border in

Strážný Strážný (until 1955 Kunžvart; ) is a market town in Prachatice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants. Administrative division Strážný consists of four municipal parts (in brackets populati ...

) passes through the town. Volyně is located on the railway line Strakonice–

Volary Volary (; ) is a town in Prachatice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,700 inhabitants. It is located in the Bohemian Forest, close to the border with Germany. An area in the northern part of the town with t ...

Sights

The historic town centre is formed by Svobody Square and adjacent streets. The main landmark of the square is the Renaissance town hall, built between 1521 and 1529. Other historical buildings include Gothic fortress from the 14th century, Church of All Saints from same period, Church of the Transfiguration, which was built between 1580 and 1618, and Jewish synagogue that dates from 1939. A Marian column located in the middle of the town square dates from 1760. A landmark is the Chapel of the Holy Guardian Angel, located on a hill above the town. It was built in 1858 on the site of an older chapel from the 17th century. It was designed by

Josef Niklas Josef Niklas (11 March 1817 – 10 October 1877) was a Czechs, Czech architect, builder and pedagogue. In 1873–1874, he was the rector of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Biography Josef Niklas was born on 11 March 1817 in Volyně. He ...

, a native of Volyně.

Notable people

(1817–1877), architect *

Josef Kaizl Josef Kaizl (10 June 1854, Volyně – 19 August 1901, Myslkovice) was a Czech professor, economist, and politician in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was a member of the Imperial Council, and also Cisleithanian finance minister (1898–1899). K ...

(1854–1901), economist and politician *

Jan Rubeš Jan Ladislav Rubeš Order of Canada, CM (6 June 1920 – 29 June 2009) was a Czechs, Czech-Canadians, Canadian bass (voice type), bass opera singer and actor. Life and career Rubeš was born in Volyně, Czechoslovakia, to Ružena (née Kel ...

(1920–2009), opera singer and actor

Twin towns – sister cities

Volyně is twinned with: *

Aidenbach Aidenbach () is a municipality in the district of Passau in Bavaria in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps ...

, Germany * Kováčová, Slovakia

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Volyne Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Strakonice District Prácheňsko