Vlašim (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvlaʃɪm]; German: Wlaschim) is a town in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. Vlašim is known for its castle and English park.

Vlašim
Žižkovo Square
Žižkovo Square
Flag of Vlašim
Coat of arms of Vlašim
Vlašim is located in Czech Republic
Vlašim
Vlašim
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°42′23″N 14°53′56″E / 49.70639°N 14.89889°E / 49.70639; 14.89889
Country Czech Republic
RegionCentral Bohemian
DistrictBenešov
First mentioned1318
Government
 • MayorLuděk Jeništa
Area
 • Total41.42 km2 (15.99 sq mi)
Elevation
365 m (1,198 ft)
Population
 (2023-01-01)[1]
 • Total11,438
 • Density280/km2 (720/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
258 01
Websitewww.mesto-vlasim.cz

Administrative parts edit

 
Vlašim Castle

Villages of Bolina, Domašín, Hrazená Lhota, Nesperská Lhota, Polánka and Znosim are administrative parts of Vlašim.

Geography edit

Vlašim is located about 17 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Benešov and 45 km (28 mi) southeast of Prague. It lies in the Vlašim Uplands. The Blanice river flows through the town. The highest point is at 528 m (1,732 ft) above sea level.

History edit

The castle is Vlašim was probably built in 1303 by Hynek of Vlašim. The first written mention of the castle and therefore of Vlašim is from 1318.[2]

Demographics edit

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18694,040—    
18804,547+12.5%
18904,791+5.4%
19004,936+3.0%
19105,115+3.6%
YearPop.±%
19215,075−0.8%
19305,464+7.7%
19507,444+36.2%
19618,747+17.5%
197010,515+20.2%
YearPop.±%
198012,613+20.0%
199112,809+1.6%
200112,270−4.2%
201111,723−4.5%
202111,284−3.7%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Economy edit

Commuting to Prague is very common in Vlašim. The most significant engineering factory in Vlašim is Sellier & Bellot, manufacturing ammunition. Packaging machinery companies are also successful worldwide and employ local people.

Transport edit

Vlašim is situated on the BenešovTrhový Štěpánov railway line.

Vlašim aerodrome, LKVL, has been re-opened in 2019 for national public traffic.

Culture edit

 
Vlašim castle gate
 
Church of Saint Giles

The castle park hosts an annual festival on 1 May, which is a public holiday in the Czech Republic.[5]

Sport edit

The town is home to an association football team, FC Sellier & Bellot Vlašim, which plays in the Czech National Football League, the second tier of Czech football.

Sights edit

The Vlašim Castle is the main landmark of the town. The original Gothic castle was rebuilt in the 16th century.[2] It is surrounded with an English landscape garden with many pieces of romantic architecture such as the Chinese pavilion, Old Castle and its three gates.[5]

The Church of Saint Giles is a late Gothic building, built in 1522–1523.[6]

Notable people edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
  2. ^ a b "Zámek Vlašim" (in Czech). Hrady.cz. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  3. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Benešov" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 31–32.
  4. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  5. ^ a b "O Vlašimi" (in Czech). Město Vlašim. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  6. ^ "Kostel sv. Jiljí" (in Czech). Hrady.cz. Retrieved 2021-06-30.

External links edit