Kdyně (; german: Neugedein) is a town in

Domažlice District Domažlice District ( cs, okres Domažlice) is a district (''okres'') within Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Domažlice. Complete list of municipalities Babylon - Bělá nad Radbuzou - Blížejov - Brnířov - Čermná - ...

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 5,100 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Branišov, Dobříkov, Hluboká, Modlín, Nové Chalupy, Podzámčí, Prapořiště, Smržovice and Starec are administrative parts of Kdyně.

Geography

Kdyně is located about southeast of

Domažlice Domažlice (; german: Taus) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. Administrative parts The tow ...

and southwest of Plzeň. It lies mostly in the Cham-Furth Depression. The northeastern part of the municipality extends in to the Švihov Highlands and contains the highest point of Kdyně, the hill Koráb at above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Kdyně is from 1396, but the settlement was founded at the latest in the 13th century. In 1508, for the first time Kdyně is referred as a town. The oldest textile manufactory in Bohemia was founded here in 1696. Kdyně has been involved in textile production for hundreds of years.

Demographics

Transport

The town features a train station on the railroad line

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 ...

–

Sights

Church of Saint Nicholas is a landmark of the town and one of its most significant buildings. It was founded in the 2nd half of the 14th century and enlarged in 1763–1768. The Borderland Museum has exhibitions dedicated to the history of the sub-region, the specifics of the border (trade, smuggling, etc.) and crafts, especially the tradition of the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry. Industry process Cotton manufac ...

in the town. ''Dům v kožichu'' (lit. "House in a fur coat") from around 1780 is one of the oldest preserved houses in Kdyně. It is a cultural monument and part of the Borderland Museum, which illustrates the living of previous generations in this house and the way of life. The Jewish synagogue was opened in 1863 and it served religious life until 1936. Today it serves cultural purposes and contains an exhibition on the history of the town's Jewish population. The Neoromanesque synagogue contains a unique

mikveh Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or ( Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...

. After the mikveh was abolished in 1940, it was rebuilt in 2008 and it is the only mikveh in Central Europe from the 21st century. Rýzmberk Castle is a ruin of a castle on the Rýzmberk hill from the 2nd half of the 13th century. It contains a high stone lookout tower built in 1848. On the top of the Koráb hill, there is the high Koráb observation tower.

Gallery

Kdyně, náměstí.jpg, Town square Synagoga ve Kdyni.JPG, The synagogue Kdyně, železniční stanice.jpg, The train station Koráb.JPG, Koráb hill with the observation tower Výhled z rozhledny Koráb.jpg, Kdyně as viewed from the observation tower

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kdyne Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Domažlice District