Žinkovy (, ''Zinkau'') is a market town in

Plzeň-South District Plzeň-South District () is a Okres, district in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Plzeň. The most populated town of the district is Přeštice. Administrative division Plzeň-South District is divided into four ...

in the

Plzeň Region Plzeň Region or Plzeňský Region (also known as Pilsen Region; ) is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the western part of the historical land of Bohemia and named after the capital, Plz ...

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 900 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Žinkovy consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Žinkovy (581) *Březí (147) *Čepinec (42) *Kokořov (91)

Etymology

The oldest form of the name was ''Žizenkovy''. The name was derived from the personal name Žizenka, meaning "Žizenka's (court)".

Geography

Žinkovy is located about south of

Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...

. It lies on the border between the

Švihov Highlands Švihov may refer to places in the Czech Republic: *Švihov (Klatovy District), a town in the Plzeň Region **Švihov Castle in the town *Švihov (Rakovník District), a municipality and village in the Central Bohemian Region *Švihov, a village an ...

and

Blatná Uplands Blatná (; ) is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,700 inhabitants. It is known for a water castle in the centre of a fishpond, and a landscape garden around it. The historic town centr ...

. The highest point is the hill Buč at above sea level. The

Úslava The Úslava is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Berounka River. It flows through the Plzeň Region. It is long. Etymology Until the early 18th century, the river was called Bradlava. The name first appeared in 1266 as ''Bra ...

River flows through the town. The territory of Žinkovy is rich in fishponds; south of the market town proper are two notable ponds, Labuť and Žinkovský rybník.

History

The first written mention of Žinkovy is from 1176, when it was owned by Oldřich of Žinkovy. His descendant built the Potštejn Castle near Žinkovy in 1252–1259 and became known as Lords of Potštejn. The estates of Potštejn and Žinkovy were merged and Žinkovy was promoted to 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 ...

in the second half of the 13th century. Lords of Potštejn owned the area until the 15th century, then the castle became a ruin. At the beginning of the 16th century, when the site of the old castle was already overgrown with forest, the market town experienced its greatest period of development. Labuť pond was established. Revenues from brewing, cattle breeding, and the cultivation and sale of cereals increased. A Renaissance fortress was built in 1559. Development was slowed down by big fires in 1684 and 1743 and Žinkovy had to be rebuilt.

Demographics

Transport

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

Sights

Among the main landmarks of Žinkovy is the Church of Saint Wenceslaus. The oldest church in Žinkovy was first documented in 1352. After the fire in 1734, it was demolished and the current Baroque church was built on its site in 1735. The Žinkovy Castle was built between 1624 and 1642 on the site of the Renaissance fortress. The castle was gradually extended into a three-wing Baroque building with Neoclassical modifications. After 1897, the castle was completely rebuilt in the Romantic style and surrounded by an English park. From 1999, it is privately owned and unused.

Notable people

* Johann Baptist Bohadsch (1724–1768), German botanist and pharmacist

Twin towns – sister cities

Žinkovy is twinned with: *

Großheringen Großheringen is a municipality in the Weimarer Land district of Thuringia, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the A ...

, Germany

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zinkovy Populated places in Plzeň-South District Market towns in the Czech Republic