Železná Ruda
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Železná Ruda (, german: Markt Eisenstein) is a town in
Klatovy District Klatovy District ( cs, Okres Klatovy) is a district (''okres'') within Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Klatovy. With its area of 1,946 km² it is the largest district in the Czech Republic. List of municipalities Běha ...
in the
Plzeň Region Plzeň Region ( cs, Plzeňský kraj; german: Pilsner Region) is an administrative unit (''kraj'') in the western part of Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is named after its capital Plzeň ( English, german: Pilsen). In terms of area, Plzeň ...
of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...
. It has about 1,600 inhabitants. It is located in the
Bohemian Forest The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava () and in German as Böhmerwald, is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria ...
, close to the border with
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
and the German town Bayerisch Eisenstein. It is one of the important sports and tourism centres of the Bohemian Forest.


Administrative parts

Villages of Alžbětín, Debrník, Hojsova Stráž, Pancíř and Špičák are administrative parts of Železná Ruda.


Etymology

The town's name literally means "
iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the ...
". It refers to rich deposits of iron ore that were found and mined here. The German name of the town comes from the Middle Ages, when it was a
market town A market town is a Human settlement, 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 marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...
.


Geography

Železná Ruda lies in a wild mountainous terrain. The town is surrounded with thick coniferous woods. The highest peak in the municipal territory is Jezerní hora with an elevation of .
Černé jezero Černé jezero (german: Schwarzer See, meaning "Black Lake") in the Bohemian Forest is the largest and deepest natural lake in the Czech Republic. This triangular lake surrounded with spruce forest is located about 6 km northwest of Železn ...
, the largest natural lake in the country and Čertovo jezero, the third largest lake, are located in the area of Železný Brod.


Climate

The climate is cool and wet humid continental hemiboreal (Dfb) with moderately cold, long winters and cool summers. Average July temperature is and average January temperature is . Yearly average is and there is some 967 mm of precipitation.


History

Železná Ruda was founded at the beginning of the 16th century as a mining town. After around 150 years, the iron ore stocks were extracted and iron production ended. Because
quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...
and
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
deposits were also located here, the town's industry reoriented to the glass industry. The first factory was built in 1624. The Alžbětín Glassworks was later one of the largest glassworks in Bohemian Forest. In the second half of the 19th century it was known mainly for
plate glass Plate glass, flat glass or sheet glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windscreens. For modern architectural and automotive applications, the flat glass is s ...
. Between 1847 and 1877, the railroad was built. Its German population was expelled after 1945.


Economy

The local economy is very dependent on
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...
because Železná Ruda is one of the most popular skiing centres of Šumava, as well as a starting point for many hiking trips on both sides of the border. The town has also gained a reputation as a hotspot for prostitution shortly after the
Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
.


Transport

The town is located on a train line leading from Plzeň and
Klatovy Klatovy (; german: Klattau) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Klatovy is made up of 30 ...
to the border station at Železná Ruda-Alžbětín/ Bayerisch Eisenstein. This station building is divided by the national border between the Czech Republic and Germany.


Sights

There are many nature sights, such as lakes Černé jezero and Čertovo jezero, and the Špičák mountain with above sea level. A railway tunnel goes under Špičák. The tunnel is long and it was the longest railway tunnel in the Czech Republic until 2007. The most valuable historical monument is the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help of the Star. It was built in the Baroque style in 1729–1732. Its peculiarity is the floor plan of the six-pointed star and two
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fr ...
s with a star. Other historical sights include the Chapel of Saints Anthony of Padua and Barbara, and the
Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imita ...
. The local museum and information centre are located in a house from 1877, which was the home to a well-known family of glassmakers in the past. There is an exhibition of traditional glass, documents and photographs concerning history available all year round.


Twin towns – sister cities

Železná Ruda is
twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...
with: * Aldeno, Italy * Bayerisch Eisenstein, Germany *
Zernez Zernez is a village and a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Lavin and Susch merged into the municipality of Zernez. Zernez is a major node ...
, Switzerland


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zelezna Ruda Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Ski areas and resorts in the Czech Republic Populated places in Klatovy District Czech Republic–Germany border crossings Bohemian Forest