Prachatice ( ; ) is a
town in the South Bohemian Region
, Czech
Republic
.
History
The town
of Prachatice has its origins in the 11th century, following the
beginning of trade on the "Golden Path"
(an important salt trade route beginning in Passau
, Bavaria
).
The
property on which the town now stands was initially part of the
domain of Vyšehrad
and first
came to prominence when the domain's provost purchased the right to
impose a toll on traffic on the Golden Path. The settlement
later grew in importance when, in the 13th century, when it was
granted the right to store the salt that was traded on the Golden
Path. This privilege made Prachatice the only town in Southern
Bohemia that could buy the salt that was sent out of Passau.
During the
Hussite Wars of the 15th
century, Prachatice was attacked twice and eventually conquered by
the Hussites who massacred most of the population of the town.
After the end of the brutal conflict, in 1436, Prachatice was
granted the status of royal town. Only one year later the town
would be offered as collateral to
Jan Smil
by
King Zikmund, but would fall under
the control of the
House of
Rožmberk for a short period following Smil's execution in 1439.
Oldřich of Rožmberk would sell the town almost immediately after
the execution but it would again become property of the family in
1501.
The Rožmberks would control Prachatice through its most prosperous
period until 1601 when Petr Vok, the last member of the family,
sold the town to
Emperor Rudolf II
who would again make it a royal town. It would remain firmly under
Imperial control until the
Rebellion of the Estates during
which it would side with the rebels. However, in 1620 the town was
reconquered by the Imperial commander
Karel
Buquoy who ordered many of its citizens to be slaughtered and a
large ransom to be paid to the emperor.
After the
Battle of White
Mountain
the town would lose its status and privileges and
become property of the Eggenberg family,
though the emperor's troops would remain in the city throughout the
remainder of the Thirty Years'
War. Later on in the war the city would be conquered by
the Swedish army and another large ransom would be demanded.
The town would change hands again in 1719, following the death of
Princess
Marie Arnoštka
of Eggenberg, this time coming under the control of the
affluent
Schwarzenberg family.
Historical population
1869: 4,911 inhabitants
1900: 5,573
1930: 5,926
1950: 5,130
1961: 5,381
1970: 7,100
1980: 10,354
1991: 11,805
2001: 11,977
Prachatice today
The historical character of the city center is protected since
1981.
The dominating industries are machine engineering, electrotechnical
industry and timber processing. A new industrial zone has been
built.
Notable residents
See
detailed list.
Main sights
- Town hall (Stará radnice)
- Church of St. James (Kostel svatého Jakuba)
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Prachatice is
twinned with:
References
External links
Wikis
Map
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