Halže

Halže
Municipality
Svobodka, a part of Halže
Flag Coat of arms
Halže Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°50′4″N 12°34′36″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Plzeň
District	Tachov
First mentioned	1479
Area
• Total	35.55 km^2 (13.73 sq mi)
Elevation	596 m (1,955 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,078
• Density	30/km^2 (79/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	347 01
Website	halze.cz

Halže (German: Hals) is a municipality and village in Tachov District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The villages of Branka, Horní Výšina and Svobodka are administrative parts of Halže.

Etymology

The original German name Hals means 'neck' or 'throat'. The name referred to the location of the village on a long, narrow elevated place between the mountains. The Czech name was derived from the German one.[2]

Geography

Halže is located about 5 kilometres (3 mi) northwest of Tachov and 56 km (35 mi) northwest of Plzeň. The municipality lies on the border with Germany and is adjacent to German municipalities of Bärnau and Mähring. It lies in the Upper Palatine Forest mountain range. The highest point is at 766 m (2,513 ft) above sea level. The Mže River flows through the municipality. On the southern municipal border there is the Lučina Reservoir.

History

The first written mention of Halže is from 1479. It was a part of the Tachov estate until 1644, when the village was donated to the newly established monastery in Světce. Halže was owned by the monastery until 1787, when the monastery was abolished, then it became a separate estate. It the 1880s, it was acquired by the Landwehr of Wehrheim family, who owned it until 1945.[3]

In 1945, most German-speaking inhabitants, which made majority of the population in Halže, were expelled. After the war, the municipality was only partly repopulated.[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,863 —     1880 2,394 −16.4% 1890 2,427 +1.4% 1900 2,479 +2.1% 1910 2,530 +2.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 2,404 −5.0% 1930 2,344 −2.5% 1950 636 −72.9% 1961 543 −14.6% 1970 621 +14.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 674 +8.5% 1991 779 +15.6% 2001 899 +15.4% 2011 916 +1.9% 2021 932 +1.7%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

Church of Saints John and Paul

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Halže is the Church of Saints John and Paul. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1799–1801 and the Empire tower was added in 1855.[6]

Notable people

• David Kratochvíl (born 2007), paralympic swimmer

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. Profous, Antonín (1947). Místní jména v Čechách I: A–H (in Czech). pp. 580–581.
3. "O obci" (in Czech). Obec Halže. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
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. Jana a Pavla" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2022-09-21.

External links

• Official website