Plasy (; german: Plass) is a town in Plzeň-North District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. It is known for its former monastery.

Administrative parts

Villages of Babina, Horní Hradiště, Lomnička, Nebřeziny and Žebnice are administrative parts of Plasy.

Geography

Plasy is located about north of

Plzeň Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...

. It lies in the Plasy Uplands. The highest point is the hill Spálená hora at above sea level. The Střela River flows through the town.

History

The foundation of the town is connected with the foundation of the Cistercian monastery. The Plasy Monastery was founded in 1144 by then Prince Vladislaus II. The monastery experienced the greatest development during the reign of King Wenceslaus I, and its property gradually grew to cover 50 surrounding villages. The development of the monastery ended during 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 Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

, when it was burned down in 1421. The entire 15th and 16th centuries mean a period of deep decline. After the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, the monastery's financial situation improved, most of it former properties were returned to it, and the construction of new buildings on the monastery grounds began. The monastery was abolished in 1785 by decree of Emperor Joseph II. In 1826, the monastery building with the whole estate was purchased by

Klemens von Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...

, who is buried here in the family tomb.

Sights

The monastery complex is the most significant landmark of Plasy. It contains the former monastery, Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Baroque granary with the Royal Chapel of Saints Wenceslaus and Mary Magdalene, and abbot's residence. In 1661–1666 the church was rebuilt in the early Baroque style, and the new convent building was built in 1711–1740 by Jan Santini Aichel and after his death by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. Today the complex is open to the public and offers sightseeing tours. The former cemetery Church of Saint Wenceslaus was built in the Gothic style and baroque rebuilt in 1690. After the abolition of the monastery, it was modified into the family tomb of the Metternich family.

Notable people

* Mauritius Vogt (1669–1730), German geographer, historian, cartographer and musician; lived here *

(1773–1859), Austrian diplomat and politician * Václav Levý (1820–1870), sculptor * Viktor Stretti (1878–1957), painter * Rudolf Jung (1882–1945), German Nazi ideologue * Jiří Kornatovský (born 1952), painter

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Plzeň-North District