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 Jana Vildumetzová
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.

Administrative divisions

The Karlovy Vary Region is divided into 3 districts:[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]

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]

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. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-04-16. 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.
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