Slaný

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Statistics
Area:	35.1 km²
Population:	15,156 (2003)
Map

The Royal town¹ Slaný (in German Schlan) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, located about 25 km northwest of Prague.

The town is situated in the Slaný Plain (northwestern part of a geomorphologic whole called the Prague Plain). A creek called Červený potok (Red creek) flows through it from the southwest to the northeast. Its dominant feature is the Slaný Hill.

¹ Having label Royal town (Královské město) signified important privileges during medieval times.

1 History
2 Slaný today
3 Important buildings and tourist sights
4 Famous persons
5 External links

[edit] History

The Chronicle of Václav Hájek records Slaný as having been founded in 750, at the site of a salt spring below Slaný Hill. (Slaný is Czech for "salty".) The Benedictines established a hospital and church in 1136. Wenceslas II chartered the settlement as a town either 1295 or 1305. The town was captured by the Taborites in 1425, during the Hussite Wars, and remained in their hands until 1434. It also participated in the Bohemia revolt that opened the Thirty Years' War, and suffered greatly after the nearby battle of White Mountain.

Since middle of 19th century Czech becomes dominating language here. Industrial development was delayed until around 1860. Important engineering factory was built in 1872 and more followed. Factory producing batteries was founded in 1918. Infrastructure and amenities of modern city has been gradually added since second half on 19th century.

[edit] Slaný today

Villages Dolín, Želevčice, Lotouš, Blahotice, Netovice, Kvíc, Kvíček, Trpoměchy and Otruby are administrative parts of Slaný.

The town of Slaný is situated at the crossing of the roads Prague - Louny, Prague - Karlovy Vary. Railway in direction Prague - Most goes through Slaný as well.

[edit] Important buildings and tourist sights

town hall, symbol of the town (house from 1378, rebuilt after 1896 and in 1840) [1], [2]
The Trinity church, built 1581 - 1602, monastery added 1655 - 1662 [3], [4]
former college of Piarists (built 1658, rebuilt 1877), today museum [5], [6]
St. Gothard's Gothic church (originally from 13th century) [7], [8]
preserved Renaissance house [9], [10]
nearby ruins of Gothic Okoř Castle [11]
open-air museum of army in village Smečno (shows pre-World War II fortifications)[12]
museum of historical cars in village Hobšovice [13]
open-air museum about mining in village Vinařice [14]

[edit] Famous persons

Václav Beneš Třebízský (1849 - 1884), priest and novelist, born in Třebíz near Slaný
Karl Josef Biener from Bienenberg (1731- 1798), archeologist and coin collector
František Bílek (1885 - 1972), founder of the Czech modern livestock breeding
Ladislav Čepelák (1924 - 2001), painter and graphic artist
František Duras (1851 - 1931, photographer, director of the museum of Slaný
Jaroslav Fencl (1913 - ?), graphic artist, lived and worked here
Josef František Frič (1804 - 1876) - lawyer, promoted Czech language in legal area
Josef Holub (1870 - 1957), painter, born here
Eduard Hradec (1918), co-founder of Czech modern urology
Jindřich Hulinský, historian, archivist, wrote about the city and area history
Dominik Kynský (1777 - 1848), writer and translator
Josef Lacina (1850 - 1907), historian, historical writer (pen-name Kolda Malínský), maintained town archive
Jan Malypetr (1873 - 1947), politician, prime minister of Czechoslovakia, died here
František Karel Miltner (1797 - 1874), archeologist, coin collector, active in politics around 1848
Václav Moucha (1933), archeologist, born here
Josef Matěj Navrátil (1787 - 1869), painter, born here
Václav Nejtek (1899 - 1958), akademic sculptor, several his statues can be found in the town
Josef Pacák, professor of organic chemistry at the Charles University [15]
Martin Přibyl, priest, national revivalist, royal archivist in exile in Berlin
Karel Scheinpflug (1869 - 1948), writer, entrepreneur
Olga Scheinpflugová (1902 - 1968), actress and authores, born here
Václav Smetáček (1906 - 1986), componist, conductor
Miloslav Stiebr, professor at the Charles University, lawyer and juridical historian
Jaroslav Suchý (1926 - 1975), anthropologist
Rudolf Štech (1858 - 1908), architect, reconstructed town hall
Václav Štech (1859 - 1947) writer, dramatist, co-founder of the Museum of Slaný
Václav Vilém Štech (1885 –1974), historian of arts, journalist
Jan Šultys from Felsdorf (Johann Schulz von Felsdorf), later on mayor of the town of Kutná Hora
Rudolf Urbánek (1877 - 1962), historian, professor at the University of Brno
Ferdinand Velc (? - 1920), painter, art historian, journalist
Daniel Vepřek (1600 - 1657), chronicler of the town, born here
Karel Alois Vinařický (1803–1869), writer and translator