Plzeň

Plzeň (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpl̩.zɛɲ]), also called Pilsen in English and German, is a city in western Bohemia in the Czech Republic. About 90 kilometres (56 miles) west of Prague, it is the fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic.

The city is known worldwide for Pilsner beer, created by Bavarian brewer Josef Groll here in 1842.

History

Plzeň was first mentioned as a castle in 976, as the scene of a battle between Duke Boleslaus II the Pious of Bohemia and Emperor Otto II. It became a town in 1295 when King Wenceslaus II granted Plzeň its civic charter as a "Royal City" and established a new town site, some 10 km (6 mi) away from the original settlement, which is the current town of Starý Plzenec. It quickly became an important town on trade routes leading to Nuremberg and Regensburg; in the 14th century, it was the third-largest town in Bohemia after Prague and Kutná Hora. During the Hussite Wars, it was the centre of Catholic resistance to the Hussites: Prokop the Great unsuccessfully besieged it three times, and it joined the league of Catholic nobles against King George of Podebrady. In 1468, the town acquired a printing press; the Trojan Chronicle (Kronika trojánská in Czech), the first book published in Bohemia, was printed on it.

Plzeň Region

Plzeň Region (Czech: Plzeňský kraj) is an administrative unit (kraj) in the western part of Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is named after its capital Plzeň (English Pilsen, German: Pilsen). In terms of area, Plzeň region is with 7,561 km² the third largest region in the Czech Republic. However, with the population of 572,459 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2012) it was the ninth most populous region. After the South Bohemian Region it is the second least densely populated region. The region can be roughly divided into two parts: a highly industrialized north-eastern part with a strong engineering tradition around Pilsen (Czech: Plzeň) and a more hilly and rural south-western part with smaller-sized manufacturing companies processing natural resources.

The region borders with Karlovy Vary Region (in the north-west), Ústí nad Labem Region (in the north), Central Bohemian Region (north-east), South Bohemian Region (in the east) and with Bavaria (part of Germany) in the south-west and west. It can be further divided into seven districts (Czech: okresy): Domažlice District, Klatovy District, Plzeň-City District, Plzeň-South District, Plzeň-North District, Rokycany District and Tachov District. The districts still exist as regional units though most administration has been shifted to the Municipalities with Extended Competence and the Municipalities with Commissioned Local Authority.