Cham, Germany
Encyclopedia
Cham (ˈkaːm) is the capital of the district of Cham
in the Upper Palatinate
in Bavaria
in Germany
.
and on the north by the Oberpfälzer Wald. The city lies on the Regen River
, which joins the Danube
at Regensburg
.
The name "Cham" is of Celtic
origin and probably means "bend" or "curvature". In fact, a few kilometers from the city, a winding brook
called the Chamb
flows into the Regen; it probably gave its name to Cham, first settlement at the bend of the larger river. Or, the name may have derived from "Kamm" (comb). The city's coat of arms contains a comb. A partner city, also called "Cham
" in Switzerland
, is actually pronounced with a first "ch" sound, whereas Bavarian Cham is pronounced with a "k".
castle
stood on the Galgenberg (German: "gallows hill"), providing protection for the trade route into Bohemia
. Cham was granted its own currency
around 1000, the so-called Cham Denar. The 12th century saw the town's location shifted to its current place. The Hussite Wars
of the 15th century inflicted great hardships on the townspeople. In 1742, the Pandur
troops of Franz Freiherr von der Trenck
overran and destroyed the city.
Cham's first railway connection came in 1861. On April 18, 1945, a British air raid on the western part of Cham caused 63 deaths. The arrival of numerous German war refugees from Silesia
and the Sudetenland
swelled Cham's population from 5,860 to over 10,000.
with:
Cham (district)
Cham is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Regen, Straubing-Bogen, Regensburg and Schwandorf and by the Czech Plzeň Region.- History :...
in the Upper Palatinate
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of Bavaria.- History :The region took its name first in the early 16th century, because it was by the Treaty of Pavia one of the main portions of the territory of the Wittelsbach Elector...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Location
Cham lies within the Cham-Further lowland, which is bordered on the south by the Bavarian ForestBavarian Forest
thumb|The village of Zell in the Bavarian ForestThe Bavarian Forest is a wooded low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany. It extends along the Czech border and is continued on the Czech side by the Šumava . Geographically the Bavarian Forest and Bohemian Forest are sections of the same mountain range...
and on the north by the Oberpfälzer Wald. The city lies on the Regen River
Regen River
The Regen is a river in Bavaria, Germany, and a left tributary of the Danube, at Regensburg, Germany. The source of its main headstream, the Großer Regen , is located in the Bohemian Forest on the territory of the Czech Republic, near Železná Ruda. The river crosses the border after a few...
, which joins the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
at Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
.
The name "Cham" is of Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
origin and probably means "bend" or "curvature". In fact, a few kilometers from the city, a winding brook
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
called the Chamb
Chamb
The Chamb is a river in the Czech Republic and in Germany. It is a right tributary of the Regen River.The Chamb begins south of the Czech village of Kdyně, and flows some westward, crossing into Germany at an elevation of...
flows into the Regen; it probably gave its name to Cham, first settlement at the bend of the larger river. Or, the name may have derived from "Kamm" (comb). The city's coat of arms contains a comb. A partner city, also called "Cham
Cham, Switzerland
Cham is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland.-Location:Cham has an area, , of . Of this area, 63.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.2% is forested...
" in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, is actually pronounced with a first "ch" sound, whereas Bavarian Cham is pronounced with a "k".
History
Monks from Regensburg founded the Marienmünster, the first and oldest church in the Bavarian forest, at Chammünster in the 8th century. The first reference to Cham as a city appears in 976. An imperialHoly Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
stood on the Galgenberg (German: "gallows hill"), providing protection for the trade route into Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. Cham was granted its own currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
around 1000, the so-called Cham Denar. The 12th century saw the town's location shifted to its current place. The Hussite Wars
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1419 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were notable for the extensive use of early hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons...
of the 15th century inflicted great hardships on the townspeople. In 1742, the Pandur
Pandurs
The Pandurs were Croatian Austrian frontier soldiers, who inhabited the areas of the Kingdom of Croatia and Military Frontier, and fought not only in the East-Turkish front, but also in the West-European front. They were a non-linear army, made out mainly of Croats...
troops of Franz Freiherr von der Trenck
Franz Freiherr von der Trenck
Baron Franz von der Trenck was an Austrian soldier...
overran and destroyed the city.
Cham's first railway connection came in 1861. On April 18, 1945, a British air raid on the western part of Cham caused 63 deaths. The arrival of numerous German war refugees from Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
and the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
swelled Cham's population from 5,860 to over 10,000.
International relations
Cham, Germany is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
- ChamCham, SwitzerlandCham is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland.-Location:Cham has an area, , of . Of this area, 63.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.2% is forested...
,
Switzerland - KlatovyKlatovyKlatovy is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.Klatovy is also the seat of the Municipality with Extended Competence and Municipality with Commissioned Local Authority.- History :Klatovy was founded during 1260–1263 by Přemysl Otakar II....
, Czech Republic - GainsboroughGainsborough, LincolnshireGainsborough is a town 15 miles north-west of Lincoln on the River Trent within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. At one time it served as an important port with trade downstream to Hull, and was the most inland in England, being more than 55 miles from the North...
, Great BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
Notable people
- Anne of Bohemia (1323–1338)Anne of Bohemia (1323–1338)Anne of Bohemia , also known as Anna of Luxembourg, was a daughter of John of Bohemia and his first wife, Elizabeth of Bohemia. Anne was a member of the House of Luxemburg.- Early Life and Family :...
, a sister of Emperor Charles IVCharles IV, Holy Roman EmperorCharles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
, later Duchess consort of AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Styria and CarinthiaDuchy of CarinthiaThe Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies.... - Fritz ZänglFritz ZänglFritz Zängl was a German skier and soldier, at last in the rank of a Feldwebel.Zängl was born in Katzbach, today a borough of Cham. He was a member of the skiing club ASV Cham and served in the Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 100 in Bad Reichenhall...
(1914–1942), a German skier, was born in Katzbach.