Chýně

Chýně is a village and municipality in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies 14 km west from the center of Prague and 2 km from its edge near the suburb of Zličín. To the northeast is the town of Hostivice and the town of Rudná is to the southwest. The Litovický stream runs east along the northern border and forms two small ponds. The upper pond is called Basta, has a dam, and a small sandy beach added in 2008. The lower pond is called Strahov. The surrounding area is undulating and mostly farm land. The village has a small industrial area to the east, a rural core, and to the west is Haje, a newly settled area, which in 2010 is still partially under construction.

History

The village has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Iron furnaces that were found here are the oldest examples known in Bohemia and Moravia. The first written evidence of Chýně dates from 1273 (villa Kayne). The village used to belong to Strahov Monastery and until recently it was a small farming community. Proximity to Prague, the airport, and the motorway to Plzen, led in the 1990s to the development of some logistics and construction industries.

Present

The village is rapidly becoming a suburb of Prague. Recently the village has grown considerably with some large housing developments to the west, and it is losing some of its rural character. Chýně has its own rather good microrewery. Basta pond provides great swimming in summer. There are no other particular tourist attractions.

Public transport consists mostly of busses to Zličín and Motol, but it is evolving, with new lines and increased frequences. A single track train line, runs west of Chýně, and a passenger train connects Kladno to the north, with Smichov station in Prague. It is said that Chýně may one day get a station on this line.

References

• This article was initially translated from the Czech Wikipedia.