Blšany

For the similarly named municipality in the same district, see Blšany u Loun.

Blšany
Town
Church of Saint Michael
Coat of arms
Blšany Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°13′20″N 13°28′35″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Ústí nad Labem
District	Louny
First mentioned	1238
Area
• Total	36.34 km^2 (14.03 sq mi)
Elevation	199 m (653 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,035
• Density	28/km^2 (74/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	438 01, 439 88
Website	www.blsany.cz

Blšany (German: Flöhau) is a town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Blšany consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2]

• Blšany (407)
• Liběšovice (149)
• Malá Černoc (119)
• Siřem (68)
• Soběchleby (151)
• Stachov (35)

Geography

Blšany is located about 28 kilometres (17 mi) southwest of Louny, 63 km (39 mi) southwest of Ústí nad Labem, and 62 km (39 mi) west of Prague. The northern part of the municipal territory lies in the Most Basin. The southern part lies in the Rakovník Uplands and includes the highest point of Blšany, the hill Hůrka at 437 metres (1,434 ft) above sea level. The Blšanka River flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Blšany is from 1238, when the village was a property of the Waldsassen Abbey. Between 1238 and 1252, a small town was founded on the site of the village.[3]

From 1938 to 1945, Blšany was annexed by Nazi Germany and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 3,021 —     1880 3,251 +7.6% 1890 3,214 −1.1% 1900 3,472 +8.0% 1910 3,457 −0.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 3,288 −4.9% 1930 3,434 +4.4% 1950 1,410 −58.9% 1961 1,559 +10.6% 1970 1,488 −4.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,207 −18.9% 1991 969 −19.7% 2001 926 −4.4% 2011 935 +1.0% 2021 929 −0.6%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Economy

Blšany is located in an area known for growing hops.

Transport

The I/27 road, which connects Plzeň with Most, runs through the town.

Sport

Blšany was known nationwide for its football club FK Chmel Blšany, which played in the Czech First League between 1998 and 2006. Blšany is the smallest town where the Czech First League was played.

Sights

The main landmark of Blšany is the Church of Saint Michael. It was built in the Baroque style in 1716–1717 and rebuilt in 1825.[6]

Notable people

Franz Kafka spent several months in convalescence in the village of Siřem after tuberculosis was diagnosed.[7]

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 města" (in Czech). Město Blšany. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
4. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
5. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
6. "Kostel sv. Michaela" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
7. "Siřem: vesnice, kterou proslavil Franz Kafka" (in Czech). Novinky.cz. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2020-08-17.

External links

• Official website