Slaný
Encyclopedia
The Royal town1 of Slaný (ˈslaniː; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region
Central Bohemian Region
Central Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative center is placed in the Czech capital Prague , which lies in the center of the region...

 of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

, located about 25 km northwest of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

. The town is part of the Prague metropolitan area.

The town is situated in the Slaný Plain (the northwestern part of a geomorphologic
Geomorphology
Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...

 whole called the Prague Plain). A creek called Červený potok (Red creek) flows through it from the southwest to the northeast. Its dominant feature is Slaný Hill.

1 The granting of Royal town (Královské město) status signified important privileges during medieval times.

History

The Bohemian Chronicle of Václav Hájek records Slaný as having been founded in 750
750
Year 750 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 750 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Gopala is proclaimed as the first ruler of...

, at the site of a salt spring below Slaný Hill. (slaný is Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...

 for "salty".) The Benedictines established a hospital and church in 1136. Wenceslas II chartered the settlement as a town either in 1295 or 1305. The town was captured by the Taborites in 1425, during 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...

, and remained in their hands until 1434. It also participated in the Bohemia revolt that opened the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....

, and suffered greatly after the nearby battle of White Mountain
Battle of White Mountain
The Battle of White Mountain, 8 November 1620 was an early battle in the Thirty Years' War in which an army of 30,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of Anhalt were routed by 27,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor under Charles Bonaventure de Longueval,...

.

Since the middle of the 19th century, Czech has been the dominant language there. Industrial development was delayed until around 1860. An important engineering factory was built in 1872 and more followed. A factory producing batteries
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...

 was founded in 1918. The infrastructure and amenities of a modern city have been gradually added since the second half of the 19th century.

Slaný Today

The villages of Dolín, Želevčice, Lotouš, Blahotice, Netovice, Kvíc, Kvíček, Trpoměchy and Otruby are all administrative parts of Slaný.

The town of Slaný is situated at the crossing of the Prague - Louny
Louny
Louny is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated on the River Ohře.-History:The city was founded in the 12th century . The Church of St Peter stands on the site of the original fort...

, Prague - Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...

 roads. The Prague - Most
Most
Most is the capital city of the Most District, situated between the Czech Central Mountains and the Ore Mountains, approximately northwest of Prague along the Bílina River and southwest of Ústí nad Labem.-Etymology:...

 railway also goes through the town.

Important buildings and tourist sights


Famous people

  • Václav Beneš Třebízský
    Václav Beneš Trebízský
    Václav Beneš Třebízský was a popular Czech novelist. He is the author of numerous historical novels and children's stories. His most novel novel is arguably In the Early Evening of the Five-petaled Roses ....

     (1849–1884), priest and novelist, born in Třebíz
    Třebíz
    Třebíz is a village and municipality in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. -References:*This article was initially translated from the Czech Wikipedia....

     near Slaný
  • Karl Josef Biener from Bienenberg (1731–1798), archeologist and coin collector
  • František Bílek (1885–1972), founder of Czech modern livestock breeding
  • Ladislav Čepelák (1924–2001), painter and graphic artist
  • František Duras (1851–1931, photographer, director of the museum of Slaný
  • Jaroslav Fencl (1913 - ?), graphic artist, lived and worked in Slaný
  • Josef František Frič (1804–1876) - lawyer, promoted Czech language
    Czech language
    Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...

     in the legal area
  • Josef Holub (1870–1957), painter, born in Slaný
  • Eduard Hradec (1918), co-founder of Czech modern urology
    Urology
    Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...

  • Jindřich Hulinský, historian, archivist, wrote about the city and area history
  • Dominik Kynský (1777–1848), writer and translator
  • Josef Lacina (1850–1907), historian, historical writer (pen-name Kolda Malínský), maintained town archive
  • Jan Malypetr
    Jan Malypetr
    Jan Malypetr was a Czechoslovakian politician.A member of the Agrarian Party, he was Minister of Interior, and Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies from 17 December 1925 to 29 October 1932 and from 5 November 1935 to 1939.Additionally, he served three terms as prime minister of Czechoslovakia:* 29...

     (1873–1947), politician, prime minister of Czechoslovakia, died there
  • František Karel Miltner (1797–1874), archeologist, coin collector, active in politics around 1848
  • Václav Moucha (1933), archeologist, born there
  • Josef Matěj Navrátil (1787–1869), painter, born there
  • Václav Nejtek (1899–1958), academic sculptor, several of his statues can be found in the town
  • Josef Pacák, professor of organic chemistry at Charles University http://www.natur.cuni.cz/~kudch/namecard.php?id=6
  • Martin Přibyl, priest, national revivalist, royal archivist in exile in Berlin
  • Karel Scheinpflug (1869–1948), writer, entrepreneur
  • Olga Scheinpflugová
    Olga Scheinpflugová
    Olga Scheinpflugová was a Czech actress and writer. She was a daughter of writer, journalist and playwright Karel Scheinpflug. In 1935, she married the writer Karel Čapek.-Biography:...

     (1902–1968), actress and author, born there
  • Václav Smetáček (1906–1986), composer, conductor
  • Miloslav Stiebr, professor at Charles University, lawyer and juridical historian
  • Jaroslav Suchý (1926–1975), anthropologist
  • Rudolf Štech (1858–1908), architect, reconstructed town hall
  • Václav Štech (1859–1947) writer, dramatist, co-founder of the Museum of Slaný
  • Václav Vilém Štech (1885–1974), historian of arts, journalist
  • Jan Šultys from Felsdorf (Johann Schulz von Felsdorf), later on mayor of the town of Kutná Hora
    Kutná Hora
    Kutná Hora is a city in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic in the Central Bohemian Region.-History:The town began in 1142 with the settlement of the first Cistercian Monastery in Bohemia, Kloster Sedlitz, brought from the Imperial immediate Cistercian Waldsassen Abbey...

  • Jiří Tlustý
    Jiri Tlusty
    Jiří Tlustý is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is a member of the Carolina Hurricanes organization of the National Hockey League...

    , hockey player, a forward with the Carolina Hurricanes
    Carolina Hurricanes
    The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...

     of the NHL
  • Rudolf Urbánek (1877–1962), historian, professor at the University of Brno
  • Ferdinand Velc (? - 1920), painter, art historian, journalist
  • Daniel Vepřek (1600–1657), chronicler of the town, born there
  • Karel Alois Vinařický (1803–1869), writer and translator
  • Jakub Voráček
    Jakub Vorácek
    Jakub Voráček is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League...

    , hockey player, a forward with the Columbus Bluejackets of the NHL

External links

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