Chodov (Sokolov District)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 50°14′29″N 12°44′38″E / 50.24139, 12.74389
Chodov
Town
Flag
Coat of arms
Country Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic
Region Karlovy Vary
District Sokolov
Commune Sokolov
Municipality Chodov
Elevation 418 m (1,371 ft)
Coordinates 50°14′29″N 12°44′38″E / 50.24139, 12.74389
Area 14.25 km² (5.5 sq mi)
Population 14,838 (2006-07-03)
Density 1,041 /km² (2,696 /sq mi)
First mentioned 1195
Mayor Josef Hora
Timezone CET (UTC+1)
 - summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 357 35
Location in the Czech Republic
Location in the Czech Republic
Location in the Czech Republic
Wikimedia Commons: Chodov
Statistics: statnisprava.cz
Website: www.mestochodov.cz

Chodov (IPA[ˈxodof]; German: Chodau) is a town in Sokolov District of the Czech Republic, on the border with the Karlovy Vary District (both districts lie within the Karlovy Vary Region). As of 2005, it has around 14,500 inhabitants.

[edit] History

St.Laurent Church in Chodov
St.Laurent Church in Chodov

Originally a slavic settelment. Its name was derived from an old Slavic term "choda", which means a road. The Slavic colonisation was not successful and in Middle Ages this part of Bohemia was colonised by Germans. In the 12.-13th century Chodau belongs to the monastery in Waldsassen and in the 14th-17th century is locally ruled from Loket (Elbogen). In 1894 Chodau is declared to a town and gets a right to use its own coat of arms. Until the end of the WWII is the town inhabited practically only by Germans, who were after the war deported from Czechoslovakia. In the 60's a big chemical factory was build 4km from Chodov in Vřesová and then there were build new didtricts for the Czech and Slovak workers, who moving to here.

[edit] Sights

Protestant Church in Chodov
Protestant Church in Chodov

The most important of them is no doubts the St. Laurent Church build by the constructor Brauenbock according to the plans of the architect Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. On the main alter there is a painting by a famous Czech-German artist Peter Johann Brandl. In front of the church we would find a 17th century statue of St. Sebastian and on the main square a statue of Virgen Mary (1675). The other church in the town belongs to the Protestants: Czech Brothers. Close to the gate of the Protestant church there is a monument to the war victims. It was re-erected in 1998 exactly 100 years after its first erection.

[edit] External links