Kladruby () is a town in

Tachov District Tachov District () is a district in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Tachov. Administrative division Tachov District is divided into two administrative districts of municipalities with extended competence: Tacho ...

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 1,700 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Kladruby consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Kladruby (1,279) *Brod u Stříbra (67) *Láz (48) *Milevo (45) *Pozorka (41) *Tuněchody (30) *Vrbice u Stříbra (47)

Etymology

The name Kladruby is a common Czech name of settlements, derived from ''kláda'' (i.e. 'log') and ''rubat'' (i.e. 'to chop'). This name was used for settlements where

lumberjack Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...

s lived.

Geography

Kladruby is located about west 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

Plasy Uplands Plasy (; ) is a town in Plzeň-North District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. It is known for its former monastery of the same name, which is protected as a national cultural monument. Administrative di ...

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

Úhlavka The Úhlavka is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Mže River. It flows through the Plzeň Region. It is long. Etymology The name is a diminutive form of Úhlava, which is a river in the same region. Characteristic The Úhl ...

River flows through the town.

History

The Kladruby village was founded together with the Kladruby Monastery in 1115. Around 1233, a new royal town was founded by King Wenceslaus I. Due to power struggles between the King

Wenceslaus IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400. As he ...

and Archbishop

Jan of Jenštejn Jan z Jenštejna (1348 – 17 June 1400) was a Bohemian archbishop, composer and poet. From 1379 to 1396 he was the Archbishop of Prague. He studied in Bologna, Padova, Montpellier and Paris. Life and career Born in 1348 in Prague, to Paul of ...

at the end of the 14th century and the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

in the first half of the 15th century, the monastery lost its influence and economic decline occurred. The monastery had to sell off its property and the German inhabitants of the town returned to Germany. At the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century, the development of crafts took place in Kladruby. In the second half of the 16th century, the town received variousprivileges from the monastery abbots and from the emperors Maximilian II and

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 ...

. Prosperity ended due to 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 ...

, during which the town and monastery were repeatedly looted. During the war, the population of Kladruby decreased significantly. The town was resettled by German immigrants, who gradually formed the majority. In 1785, the monastery was abolished by the decree of Emperor

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

. In 1825, the former monastery was acquired by the

Windisch-Graetz The House of Windisch-Graetz, also spelled Windischgrätz, is an ancient Austrian aristocratic family, descending from Windischgrätz in Lower Styria (present-day Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia). The noble dynasty serving the House of Habsburg achieve ...

family, who had converted the building into a brewery.

Demographics

Transport

The D5 motorway (part of the

European route E50 European route E50 is an A-type east–west connection across the European continent. It connects the key naval port of Brest in France with Makhachkala, on the Caspian Sea in the Russian republic Dagestan. Outlook Half the route comprises hi ...

) from Plzeň to the Czech-German border in Rozvadov passes through the municipal territory.

Culture

Since 1977, the Kladruby Summer Music Festival focused on classical music has been held in the premises of the Kladruby Monastery.

Sights

The most important monument is the Kladruby Monastery, located in the Pozorka part of Kladruby. It is a large

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery founded in 1115 by Duke Vladislaus I. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, originally built in the Romanesque style in 1233, was rebuilt in the late Baroque style in 1712–1726 by architect

Jan Santini Aichel Jan Blažej Santini Aichel, also spelled Aichl (, ; 3 February 1677 – 7 December 1723) was a Czechs, Czech architect of Italians, Italian descent, whose major works are representative of the unique Czech Baroque architecture#Baroque G ...

. Today, the premises of the monastery are used for organizing cultural and social events. Due to its architectural value, the monastery is protected as a national cultural monuments. The main landmark of the town centre is the Church of Saint James the Great. It was built in the Baroque style in 1772–1779, on the site of an older church.

Notable people

Ladislav Žemla Ladislav Žemla (6 November 1887 – 18 June 1955) was a Czech tennis player. He competed for Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemia at the 1906 Intercalated Games, 1906, 1908 Summer Olympics, 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics and for Czechoslovakia at the 192 ...

(1887–1955), tennis player

References

External links

*
Official website of the monastery
{{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Tachov District Benedictine monasteries in the Czech Republic