Strakonice
Strakonice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈstrakoɲɪtsɛ]; German: Strakonitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants.
Strakonice | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Strakonice Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Coordinates: 49°15′41″N 13°54′9″E | |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Region | South Bohemian |
| District | Strakonice |
| First mentioned | 1243 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Břetislav Hrdlička |
| Area | |
| • Total | 34.68 km2 (13.39 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 393 m (1,289 ft) |
| Population (2021-01-01)[1] | |
| • Total | 22,428 |
| • Density | 650/km2 (1,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 386 01 |
| Website | www |
Administrative parts
Strakonice is made up of town parts of Strakonice I and Strakonice II, and villages of Dražejov, Hajská, Modlešovice, Přední Ptákovice, Střela and Virt.
Geography
The town is located at the confluence of the Volyňka and Otava rivers. There are several ponds in the municipal territory, the largest of them are Velkoholský and Blatský.
The highest point is the peak of the hill Velká Kakada with an altitude of 564 metres (1,850 ft). Close to the town is the nature reserve Bažantnice u Pracejovic.
History
A moated castle on the Otava River was built by the noble family Bavors of Strakonice at the beginning of the 13th century, the first written mention of the castle is from 1235. The first written mention of the village of Strakonice is from 1243, when the Church of Saint Wenceslaus already existed and when Bavors donated a part of the castle and several villages in the vicinity to the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of Saint John. In 1318, Strakonice already was a town.[2][3]
From 1402, the Knights Hospitaller owned the whole castle as well as the surrounding manor.[3] In 1420 the Hussite commander Jan Žižka occupied Strakonice, but failed to capture the fortress. Strakonice Castle experienced an extensive reconstruction to a representation residence of the Grand Priors of the Order in the 16th century, the later modifications were minor only. After the Thirty Years' War, the castle has lost its significance.[2][3]
During the 19th century, the town was industrialized. In the 1860s, the town was connected with České Budějovice and Plzeň by railroad, which helped its further development.[2]
Demography
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| Source: Historical lexicon of municipalities of the Czech Republic[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Climate
Strakonice has a cool, wet, and temperate inland version of a humid continental climate (Dfb).
| Climate data for Strakonice | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 0.8 (33.4) |
2.5 (36.5) |
8.3 (46.9) |
13.5 (56.3) |
18.7 (65.7) |
21.8 (71.2) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
19.2 (66.6) |
13.0 (55.4) |
6.0 (42.8) |
2.4 (36.3) |
12.7 (54.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
3.5 (38.3) |
7.9 (46.2) |
12.8 (55.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.8 (64.0) |
17.2 (63.0) |
13.7 (56.7) |
8.3 (46.9) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
8.0 (46.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −5.4 (22.3) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
2.4 (36.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
10.3 (50.5) |
12.0 (53.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
8.2 (46.8) |
3.7 (38.7) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
3.4 (38.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 48 (1.9) |
40 (1.6) |
45 (1.8) |
46 (1.8) |
75 (3.0) |
83 (3.3) |
92 (3.6) |
81 (3.2) |
58 (2.3) |
45 (1.8) |
45 (1.8) |
54 (2.1) |
712 (28.0) |
| Source: Climate-Data.ORG | |||||||||||||
Economy
Since the 19th century Strakonice was a main production site for fez hats and it also became an industrial centre known for its motorbikes and hand guns production.
Strakonice is also known for its brewery called "Dudák – Burghers' Brewery Strakonice", located nearby the castle. It produces the bber under the brand Strakonický Dudák. The Strakonice Burghers' Brewery is the last brewery in the Czech Republic to still be owned by a town.[5] The tradition of beer brewing in the town started in 1367 and the Burghers' Brewery was founded in 1649.[6]
Transport
Strakonice lies the railway line of national importance Brno–Jihlava–České Budějovice–Strakonice–Plzeň, and on the regional railway line Strakonice–Volary.
Culture
Every year, the town hosts the International Bagpipe Festival. The town's bagpipe tradition refers to the famous work of Josef Kajetán Tyl Strakonický dudák ("The Bagpiper of Strakonice").[7]
Sights
Most of the historic buildings were demolished during the 20th century. The Strakonice Castle serves nowadays as a regional museum and gallery. Its exhibitions focus on motorcycles, weapons, bagpipers and the traditional fez production. The Rumpál Tower serves as a lookout tower.[8]
Notable people
- Jan Antonín Losy (c. 1650–1721), lute player and composer
- František Čelakovský (1799–1852), writer and translator
- Martin Mathias Secor (1841–1911), American businessman
- Leopold Ehrmann (1886–1951), architect
- Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli (1882–1949), Italian composer
- Xena Longenová (1891–1928), actress
- Josef Skupa (1892–1957), puppeteer
- Věra Machoninová (born 1928), architect
- Marie Poledňáková (born 1941), film director
- Zdeněk Troška (born 1953), film director
- Pavel Pavel (born 1957) engineer and experimental archaeologist
- Roman Turek (born 1970), ice hockey player
- Alexander Salák (born 1987), ice hockey player
- Zdeněk Ondrášek (born 1988), footballer
- Jindřich Staněk (born 1996), footballer
- Vít Krejčí (born 2000), basketball player
Twin towns – sister cities
Strakonice is twinned with:[9]
Bad Salzungen, Germany
Calderdale, England, United Kingdom
Lengnau, Switzerland
Strakonice also has friendly relations with Rawicz in Poland.[9]
References
- "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2021". Czech Statistical Office. 2021-04-30.
- "Historie města" (in Czech). Město Strakonice. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
- "Střípky z historie" (in Czech). Strakonice Castle. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
- "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Strakonice" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 15–16.
- "Strakonický pivovar Dudák chystá prodej plechovkového piva" (in Czech). Jižní Čechy TEĎ. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
- "Historie" (in Czech). DUDÁK – Měšťanský pivovar Strakonice, a. s. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
- "International Bagpipe Festival STRAKONICE" (in Czech). Městské kulturní středisko Strakonice. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
- "Strakonice" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Strakonice. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
