Chudenice () is a market town in

Klatovy District Klatovy District () is a Okres, district in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Klatovy. With an area of , it is the largest district in the country. Administrative division Klatovy District is divided into three Di ...

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 800 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Chudenice consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Chudenice (646) *Bezpravovice (17) *Býšov (4) *Lučice (36) *Slatina (30)

Etymology

During the history of the settlement, the names Chudenice and Chuděnice appeared alternately, before the name became stable in the 20th century. The name is derived from the personal name Chuděna, meaning "the village of Chuděna's people".

Geography

Chudenice is located about northwest of

Klatovy Klatovy (; ) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument zone. Administr ...

and southwest 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 in 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 ...

. The highest point is a hill at above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Chudenice is from 1200. From the first half of the 13th century until 1945, Chudenice was continuously owned by the

Czernin family The Czernin family (; ) is a European noble family that was one of the oldest and most prominent noble families in the Kingdom of Bohemia. The family can claim descent from many important European noble families, including the distant one fro ...

. In 1592, the village 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 ...

by Emperor

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipal territory.

Sights

The Old Chudenice Castle was originally a medieval fortress, rebuilt into a Renaissance residence at the end of the 16th century. Its present appearance is a result of Baroque and Neoclassical modifications. A part of the valuable castle complex is a former brewery from the 16th century. Today the castle is owned by Chudenice. It is open to the public and offers guided tours. The northern wing houses the Museum of

Josef Dobrovský Josef Dobrovský (17 August 1753 – 6 January 1829) was a Czech philologist and historian, one of the most important figures of the Czech National Revival along with Josef Jungmann. Life and work Dobrovský was born at Balassagyarmat, N� ...

. The Lázeň Castle is a former summer house of the Czernin family. It was originally a Baroque spa building, rebuilt in the Empire style in 1849–1859. Around the castle is a landscape park with dendrologically valuable trees. The Church of Saint John the Baptist was built in the Gothic style in the mid-14th century. Later it was modified in the Baroque style. The tower was added in 1660. The interior is decorated with valuable Gothic paintings from the 15th century. The remains of the former pilgrimage Church of St. Wolfgang is a tower. The church was built in the Baroque style in 1722–1729 by

František Maxmilián Kaňka František Maxmilián Kaňka (19 August 1674 – 14 July 1766) was a Czech architect. He was among the most important and most prolific Baroque architects in the Czech lands. Life František Maxmilián Kaňka was born in Prague on 19 August 16 ...

. It was abolished in 1785. A Neoclassical chapel was added to the tower in 1772. The church tower was changed to an observation tower in 1845. Today the tower is called Bolfánek.

Notable people

Josef Reicha Josef Reicha (12 February 1752 – 5 March 1795), also spelt Rejcha, was a Czech cellist, composer and conductor. He was the uncle of composer and music theorist Anton Reicha. Josef Reicha was born in Chudenice. In 1761 he moved to Prague, w ...

(1752–1795), cellist *

Jaroslav Kvapil Jaroslav Kvapil (25 September 1868 – 10 January 1950) was a Czech poet, theatre director, translator, playwright and librettist. Early life, education and family Jaroslav Josef Kvapil was born on 25 September 1868 in Chudenice, into the fami ...

(1868–1950), writer *

Jan Roubal Jan Roubal (16 August 1880 in Chudenice – 23 October 1971 in Prague) was a pioneer Czech entomologist who specialized in the systematics of beetles, especially the Staphylinidae, and is best known for his three-volume Catalogue of Coleoptera in Sl ...

(1880–1971), entomologist

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places in Klatovy District Market towns in the Czech Republic