Štěchovice is a market town in

Prague-West District Prague-West District () is a district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Prague. The most populated town of the district is Jesenice. Administrative division Prague-West District is formed by only one administ ...

in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

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 2,200 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Štěchovice consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Štěchovice (1,221) *Masečín (733) *Třebenice (221)

Etymology

The name was derived from the personal name Štěch, meaning "the village of Štěch's people". Štěch used to be a shortened form of the name

Štěpán Štěpán () is both a masculine Czech given name, equivalent of the English Stephen, and a Czech surname. Notable people with the name include: Given names * Štěpán Hřebejk (b. 1982), Czech ice hockey player * Štěpán Janáček (b. 1977), C ...

Geography

Štěchovice is located about south of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. It lies in the

Benešov Uplands The Benešov Uplands or Benešov Hills () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Central Bohemian Region. It belongs to the largest mesoregions in the country. It is named after Benešov ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. The market town is situated on the left bank of the

Vltava The Vltava ( , ; ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It runs southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague. It is com ...

River, at its confluence with the

Kocába The Kocába is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Vltava River. It flows through the Central Bohemian Region. It is long. Etymology The initial name of the river was Chocava, however, the origin of the name is unsure. Accordin ...

River. The Vltava and the

Štěchovice Reservoir Štěchovice Reservoir () is a reservoir on the Vltava River in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It was built from 1937 to 1945 as the second stage of the Vltava Cascade. The reservoir is named after the market town of Štěchov ...

, built on the river in 1937–1945, form the eastern municipal border.

History

The first written mention of Štěchovice is in a deed of King

Ottokar I of Bohemia Ottokar I (; 1155 – 1230) was Duke of Bohemia periodically beginning in 1192, then acquired the title of King of Bohemia, first in 1198 from Philip of Swabia, later in 1203 from Otto IV of Brunswick and in 1212 (as hereditary) from ...

from 1205. Třebenice was first mentioned in 1055 and Masečín in 1310. For centuries, Štěchovice was divided into several parts, which belonged to different estates with different owners. In the 14th century, there were gold mines in the area, thanks to which the growth of the village accelerated. In 1437, Štěchovice was first referred to as a

market town A market town is a 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 market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

. Gold mining ended during 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 ...

, and the livelihood of the inhabitants shifted to the use of the Vltava River for transport.

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Štěchovice is the Church of Saint John the Baptist. It was built mainly in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style in 1911–1913 and belongs to the most important Czech sacral buildings of the 20th century. Prominent artists, such as

Vojtěch Sucharda Vojtěch Sucharda (6 January 1884, in Nová Paka – 31 October 1968, in Prague) was a Czech sculptor, woodcarver and puppeteer. Life Sucharda was born into an artistic family as the son of sculptor Antonín Sucharda, Jr. (1843–1911). He was ...

or Čeněk Vosmík, participated in the sculptural decoration of the church.

Notable people

Zorka Janů Zorka Janů (born Zora Babková; 9 July 1921 – 24 March 1946) was a Czech film actress. She was the younger sister of actress Lída Baarová. Career Early years (1921–1938) When she was 12 years old, she appeared in the movie (''Brickmake ...

(1921–1946), actress

Twin towns – sister cities

Štěchovice is twinned with: *

Kalmthout Kalmthout () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Kalmthout, Achterbroek, Heide, Kalmthout, Heide, and Nieuwmoer. In 2021, Kalmthou ...

, Belgium * San Juan Nepomuceno, Paraguay

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stechovice Market towns in the Czech Republic