Bělá nad Radbuzou

Bělá nad Radbuzou
Town
Bridge over the Bezděkovský potok and the town square
Flag Coat of arms
Bělá nad Radbuzou Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°35′36″N 12°42′48″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Plzeň
District	Domažlice
First mentioned	1121
Government
• Mayor	Libor Picka
Area
• Total	83.32 km^2 (32.17 sq mi)
Elevation	442 m (1,450 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,729
• Density	21/km^2 (54/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	345 25, 345 26
Website	www.belanr.cz

Bělá nad Radbuzou (German: Weißensulz) is a town in Domažlice District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Bělá nad Radbuzou consists of 12 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2]

• Bělá nad Radbuzou (1,361)
• Bystřice (17)
• Čečín (12)
• Černá Hora (7)
• Doubravka (15)
• Hleďsebe (0)
• Karlova Huť (2)
• Nový Dvůr (2)
• Pleš (2)
• Smolov (103)
• Újezd Svatého Kříže (161)
• Železná (37)

Etymology

Bělá nad Radbuzou probably got its name from the Radbuza River, which was called here Bílý potok ('white stream').[3]

Geography

Bridge over the Bezděkovský potok and the burnt castle

Bělá nad Radbuzou is located about 9 kilometres (6 mi) north of Domažlice and 37 km (23 mi) southwest of Plzeň. The town is situated at the confluence of the Radbuza River and the stream Bezděkovský potok. The built-up area lies in the Upper Palatine Forest Foothills, but most of the municipal territory lies in the Upper Palatine Forest and borders Germany in the west.

History

The first written mention of Bělá nad Radbuzou is from 1121, when the near Přimda Castle was built. Until 1600, Bělá nad Radbuzou was a part of the Přimda estate.[3] In the 16th century, it became a property of Lamminger of Albenreuth, a Bavarian noble family. In 1614 the Lamminger family built a small Renaissance castle and a brewery. After the Battle of White Mountain, in 1623, the estate was merged with Újezd Svatého Kříže and the castle ceased to serve as the seat of the estate. In 2014, the castle burned down.[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 6,029 —     1880 6,608 +9.6% 1890 6,614 +0.1% 1900 6,634 +0.3% 1910 6,966 +5.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 6,885 −1.2% 1930 6,786 −1.4% 1950 2,020 −70.2% 1961 1,765 −12.6% 1970 1,712 −3.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,573 −8.1% 1991 1,707 +8.5% 2001 1,727 +1.2% 2011 1,735 +0.5% 2021 1,719 −0.9%
Source: Censuses[5][6]

Transport

Bělá nad Radbuzou is located on the railway line Domažlice–Planá.[7]

Sights

Church of Our Lady of Sorrows

The main landmark of the town centre is the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows. It was built in 1721 on the site of a chapel from the late 17th century. The church was completely rebuilt into its current Neoclassical form in 1826–1846.[8]

A cultural monument is the stone bridge over the Bezděkovský potok from 1820.[9]

Notable people

• Jan Smudek (1915–1999), resistance fighter
• Hans Drachsler (1916–1996), German politician

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Bělá nad Radbuzou is twinned with:[10]

• Eslarn, Germany
• Hindelbank, Switzerland

Gallery

• 
  Stone bridge over the Radbuza
• 
  Town hall

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. "Public Census 2021 – basic data". Public Database (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2022.
3. "Historie" (in Czech). Město Bělá nad Radbuzou. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
4. "Zámek Bělá nad Radbuzou" (in Czech). Hrady.cz. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
5. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
6. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
7. "Detail stanice Bělá nad Radbuzou" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
8. "Kostel Panny Marie Bolestné" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
9. "Silniční most" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
10. "Základní údaje" (in Czech). Město Bělá nad Radbuzou. Retrieved 2020-08-05.

External links

• Official website