Klatovy (; ) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. Located on the Úhlava River, it is an industrial town and a railway junction.

Klatovy was established in the 13th century. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.

Administrative division

Klatovy consists of 30 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

  • Klatovy I (1,097)
  • Klatovy II (4,731)
  • Klatovy III (6,616)
  • Klatovy IV (4,668)
  • Klatovy V (981)
  • Beňovy (54)
  • Chaloupky (60)
  • Čínov (149)
  • Dehtín (53)
  • Dobrá Voda (7)
  • Drslavice (109)
  • Habartice (89)
  • Kal (85)
  • Kosmáčov (28)
  • Křištín (34)
  • Kvaslice (9)
  • Kydliny (104)
  • Lažánky (17)
  • Luby (932)
  • Otín (119)
  • Pihovice (43)
  • Sobětice (297)
  • Štěpánovice (330)
  • Střeziměř (67)
  • Tajanov (306)
  • Točník (265)
  • Tupadly (176)
  • Věckovice (35)
  • Vícenice (108)
  • Vítkovice (10)

Habartice, Kvaslice and Vítkovice, and Dobrá Voda, Křištín and Střeziměř form two exclaves of the municipal territory.

Etymology

According to one theory, the name Klatovy was derived from the personal name Klát, meaning "Klát's (court)". The name Klát has then its origin in the Old Czech word klát, which meant 'stump' or 'log'. According to the second theory, the name Klatovy was derived directly from klát.

Geography

thumb|Hůrka hill

Klatovy is located about south of Plzeň. It lies in the Švihov Highlands except for the two exclaves, which lie one in the Blatná Uplands and one in the Bohemian Forest Foothills. The highest point is the hill Boudovka at above sea level, located in the southern (Bohemian Forest Foothills) exclave. A dominant feature of the built-up area is the hill Hůrka (498 m).

The town is situated on the right bank of the Úhlava River. The stream Drnový potok, a tributary of the Úhlava, flows through the town.

History

thumb|Remains of the town fortifications

The first written mention of Klatovy is from 1253, when it was a small settlement on a trade route from Bohemia to Bavaria. Between 1260 and 1263, a royal town was made from the settlement by King Ottokar II. The town walls were built and between the 13th and 16th centuries were improved. Despite the Hussite Wars and a fire in 1464, which destroyed all the suburbs, the development of the town continued. At the beginning of the 16th century, Klatovy was one of the ten most important towns in the Czech lands.

In the 16th century, Klatovy continued to flourish and many important buildings were built. But the town was damaged several fires, and the Thirty Years' War caused decline. In the mid-17th century, Jesuits came into the town and started not only building development, but also the development of education. However, in a fire in 1689 started by arsonists, all the Gothic and Renaissance monuments burned down. In 1942, Klatovy was the centre of the resistance movement, which was harshly suppressed by the execution of 73 patriots in the Spálený Forest at the time of Reinhard Heydrich. In 1945, some parts of the town were badly damaged by bombing, and the railway station building was completely destroyed. Klatovy was liberated on 5 May 1945 by the US Army. The town's remaining German population was expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement in 1945.

Demographics

Economy

Historically, Klatovy is connected with the textile, leather, wood, engineering and food industries. Currently, the construction, woodworking and metalworking industries predominate. The largest employer in the town is a branch of the Rodenstock GmbH company, which manufactures spectacle lenses here. It has more than 1,000 employers.

Klatovy is famous for growing carnations. Since 1813, a large number of brightly colored varieties have been bred here, which successfully represented Klatovy at many world exhibitions.

Sport

The town's football club SK Klatovy 1898 is one of the oldest football clubs in the country. Nowadays it plays in the fourth tier of the Czech football system.

Klatovy is the starting point of the traditional Král Šumavy ('King of the Bohemian Forest') cycling marathon, which has been held since 1993.

Sights

thumb|The square Náměstí Míru with the Jesuit church, Black Tower and town hall

thumb|Pharmacy and gallery At the White Unicorn

The oldest part of the town surrounded by fragments of town walls is protected as an urban monument zone since 1992. The best-preserved part of the fortifications is located on the eastern side of the historic town centre, where there are two circular bastions.

After the Black Tower was finished, construction of the town hall began in 1557. Many construction modifications have completely changed its appearance. The last major reconstruction in the Neo-Renaissance style took place in 1923–1925 based on the project of the architect Josef Fanta. The building still serves its original purpose. Beneath the church are extensive catacombs where the Jesuits buried members of the order from the 1670s (before the church was finished) until 1783. About 38 mummified bodies have been preserved to this day.

The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built in the Gothic style at the end of the 13th century. Renaissance and Baroque modifications were made during the building's history, then it was re-Gothized by Josef Fanta in 1898–1908. Next to the church is a separate bell tower called "White Tower", built in 1581. After a fire in 1758, it was raised and modified to its current form.

  • Cham, Germany
  • Poligny, France

<gallery>

Klatovy Černá věž (6).jpg|Black Tower

Klatovy Bílá věž (1).jpg|White Tower

Klatovy okresnidum.JPG|Town museum

PASK-Klatovy.jpg|Pavilion of glass – PASK

</gallery>

References

  • Art gallery Klatovy / Klenová