Karlovy Vary Region

Karlovy Vary Region
Karlovarský kraj
Carlsbad Region
Region

Flag
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 50°13′42″N 12°58′00″E / 50.22833°N 12.96667°E / 50.22833; 12.96667Coordinates: 50°13′42″N 12°58′00″E / 50.22833°N 12.96667°E / 50.22833; 12.96667
Country Czech Republic
Capital Karlovy Vary
Districts Karlovy Vary District, Sokolov District, Cheb District
Government
 • Governor Martin Havel
Area
 • Total 3,314.46 km2 (1,279.72 sq mi)
Highest elevation 1,244 m (4,081 ft)
Population (01/2012)
 • Total 303,165
 • Density 91/km2 (240/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code CZ-KA
Vehicle registration K
Website http://www.kr-karlovarsky.cz/
Districts of Karlovy Vary Region

The Karlovy Vary Region or Carlsbad Region (Czech: Karlovarský kraj) is an administrative unit (Czech: kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the westernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Karlovy Vary. The region is world famous for its spas, including Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně.

Cities and towns

Demography

As of 1 January 2012 the population of the Karlovy Vary Region was 303,165[1] with 149,432 males and 153,733 females, accounting for 49.3% and 50.7% of the population respectively.[1]

Local government

The Karlovy Vary Region has three districts, namely: Cheb District, Karlovy Vary District and Sokolov District.[1] At a lower level, the region has 132 municipalities, comprising 54 in the Karlovy Vary District, 40 in the Cheb District and 38 in the Sokolov District.[2]

Economy

Spas

The region is well known for its spas and is responsible over half of the county's spa industry.[3] Twelve spas can be found in the city of Karlovy Vary alone.[4] Other famous spa towns in the region include Františkovy Lázně, Mariánské Lázně, Lázně Kynžvart and Jáchymov.[5] The spas are visited not only by Czechs but by people from the rest of Europe, Russia, Israel and North America as well.[6] Karlovy Vary spa wafers, a food item from the region, was awarded protected designation of origin (PDO) status by the European Commission in 2011.[7]

The water from the region is used in locally-produced beverages including Mattoni from Karlovy Vary and Aquila from the village of Kyselka.[8]

Black Triangle

The region is the home of two power stations, Vřesová and Tisová, both in the Sokolov District. The region is also part of the so-called Black Triangle, an area of heavy industrialization and environmental damage on the three-way border of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.[9]

Transport

The Karlovy Region is served by Karlovy Vary Airport, which handled more than 100,000 passengers in 2012.[10] The region is also home to two other airports, neither of which are used for passenger flights. These are Cheb Airport, the oldest airport in the country,[11] and Mariánské Lázně Airport.

The region lacks any motorways.[12] The unfinished R6 expressway passes through the region, linking Cheb and Karlovy Vary to Prague. The length of operated railway lines in the region is 493 km (306 mi).[12]

Education

The Czech University of Life Sciences Prague opened a centre in the village of Dalovice in the Karlovy Vary District in 2007.[13] The private College of Karlovy Vary is also located in the region, in addition to regional centres of the Banking Institute / College of Banking in Karlovy Vary and the University of West Bohemia in Cheb and Sokolov.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Počet obyvatel v oblastech, krajích a okresech České republiky k 1. 1. 2012" [Population of territorial units of the Czech Republic, 1 January 2012] (XLS). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Tab. C.1 Vybrané ukazatele v Karlovarském kraji podle okresů v 1. - 3. čtvrtletí 2013" (PDF). Czech Statistical Office (in Czech). Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  3. ↑ "Tourism drops but not for everyone". The Prague Post. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Spas". Radio Prague. 5 December 2004. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "Karlovy Vary Region - Basic Information". Tourist portal of Karlovy Vary Region. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "Spa treatment becoming less affordable for Czechs". Radio Prague. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Czechs win protection for Karlovy Vary spa wafers". Radio Prague. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Balené vody na tuzemském trhu". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). 27 June 2001. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  9. ↑ http://www.umwelt.sachsen.de/umwelt/download/luft/Bericht_Luftqualitaet_Schwarzes_Dreieck_2002.pdf page 9
  10. ↑ "Letiště Karlovy Vary loni mělo zisk na 8,7 milionu korun". Czech News Agency (in Czech). 23 June 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Mailbox". Radio Prague. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Doprava" [Transport] (XLS). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  13. 1 2 "V Karlovarském kraji otevře studium zemědělská univerzita". Czech News Agency (in Czech). Retrieved 18 April 2014.

External links

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