Volyně is a town in

Strakonice District Strakonice District ( cs, okres Strakonice) is a district (''okres'') within South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Strakonice. List of municipalities Bavorov - Bělčice - Bezdědovice - Bílsko - Blatná - B ...

in the

South Bohemian Region The South Bohemian Region ( cs, Jihočeský kraj; , ) is an administrative unit (''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 part ...

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. The ...

. It has about 3,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts

Villages of Černětice, Račí, Starov and Zechovice are administrative parts of Volyně. Černětice and Račí form an exclave of the municipal territory.

Etymology

The origin of the name Volyně is unknown. There are hypotheses that it was derived from a Slavic tribe which came from the area of today's Ukraine.

Geography

Volyně is located about south of Strakonice and northwest of

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is t ...

. It lies in the

Bohemian Forest Foothills Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, ori ...

. The highest point is a nameless hil at above sea level. The river

Volyňka Volyňka is a river in the Czech Republic in the South Bohemian Region rising on the hill called Světlá hora and flowing northeast to the city of Strakonice, where it merges with Otava River. Volyňka flows through towns such as Vimperk Vimp ...

, named after Volyně, 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 (; german: Pisek) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Písek is colloquially called "''South ...

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

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

. 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, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary schoo ...

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

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.

Notable people

* Josef Niklas (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) ...

(1854–1901), economist and politician *

Jan Rubeš Jan Ladislav Rubeš CM (6 June 1920 – 29 June 2009) was a Czech-Canadian bass opera singer and actor. Life and career Rubeš was born in Volyně, Czechoslovakia, to Ružena (née Kellnerová) and Jan Rubeš. Not long after World War II, ...

(1920–2009), opera singer and actor

Twin towns – sister cities

Volyně is twinned with: * Aidenbach, Germany * Kováčová, Slovakia

References

External links

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