Plzeň

File:Chlum (416 m) od Mikulky, 18. 8. 2007.jpg

Plzeň is located about {{convert|78|km|abbr=on}} west of Prague.{{cite web |title=Distance from Motol, Prague 5 to Plzeň|url=https://cs.distance.to/Motol,Praha-5,Praha,Hlavn%C3%AD-m%C4%9Bsto-Praha,CZE/Plze%C5%88|website=cs.distance.to|access-date=20 October 2023}} The city is situated at the confluences of four rivers: Mže, Úhlava, Úslava and Radbuza. From the confluence of the Mže and Radbuza, the river is known as the Berounka. Plzeň lies mostly in the Plasy Uplands, with small parts of the municipal territory extending into the Švihov Highlands to the east and south. The highest point is the hill Chlum at {{convert|416|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level. The lowest point is the river bed of the Berounka at {{convert|293|m|ft|abbr=on}}.{{cite web |title=Sedm plzeňských NEJ. Hledali jsme na dně i na vrcholu|url=https://www.e15.cz/magazin/sedm-plzenskych-nej-hledali-jsme-na-dne-i-na-vrcholu-849838|publisher=E15|language=cs|access-date=2023-05-23}} The largest body of water is the České údolí Reservoir, built on the Radbuza. A system of fishponds is located on the northern edge of the city.

Plzeň has a cool and temperate Oceanic climate (Cfb). The average annual precipitation is {{convert|525|mm|0|abbr=on}}. The annual average temperature is {{convert|8.4|C}}. The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from {{convert|-28.0|C}} on 12 February 1985 to {{convert|40.1|C}} on 27 July 1983.{{cite web |title=Teplota vzduchu v jednotlivé kalendářní dny|url=https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/T.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMD|publisher=Czech Hydrometeorological Institute|language=cs|access-date=2024-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908045250/https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/T.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMD|archive-date=2024-09-08}}

{{Weather box

|location = Plzeň-Bolevec, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1969–present

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 16.8

|Feb record high C = 19.4

|Mar record high C = 24.7

|Apr record high C = 31.0

|May record high C = 33.7

|Jun record high C = 38.1

|Jul record high C = 40.1

|Aug record high C = 38.5

|Sep record high C = 34.9

|Oct record high C = 28.3

|Nov record high C = 19.2

|Dec record high C = 16.9

|year record high C = 40.1

|Jan high C = 2.4

|Feb high C = 4.8

|Mar high C = 9.8

|Apr high C = 16.1

|May high C = 20.6

|Jun high C = 24.0

|Jul high C = 26.1

|Aug high C = 25.9

|Sep high C = 20.3

|Oct high C = 13.8

|Nov high C = 6.9

|Dec high C = 3.0

|year high C = 14.5

|Jan mean C = -0.8

|Feb mean C = -0.1

|Mar mean C = 3.4

|Apr mean C = 8.3

|May mean C = 13.2

|Jun mean C = 16.8

|Jul mean C = 18.4

|Aug mean C = 17.6

|Sep mean C = 12.6

|Oct mean C = 7.9

|Nov mean C = 3.4

|Dec mean C = 0.1

|year mean C = 8.4

|Jan low C = -4.1

|Feb low C = -4.2

|Mar low C = -1.4

|Apr low C = 1.4

|May low C = 6.0

|Jun low C = 9.8

|Jul low C = 11.5

|Aug low C = 11.0

|Sep low C = 7.0

|Oct low C = 3.3

|Nov low C = 0.2

|Dec low C = -2.8

|year low C = 3.1

|Jan record low C = -27.2

|Feb record low C = -28.0

|Mar record low C = -27.6

|Apr record low C = -11.1

|May record low C = -4.6

|Jun record low C = -3.0

|Jul record low C = 1.4

|Aug record low C = -0.9

|Sep record low C = -3.5

|Oct record low C = -10.8

|Nov record low C = -17.0

|Dec record low C = -27.9

|year record low C = -28.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 28.1

|Feb precipitation mm = 22.8

|Mar precipitation mm = 30.9

|Apr precipitation mm = 32.2

|May precipitation mm = 56.9

|Jun precipitation mm = 70.8

|Jul precipitation mm = 72.0

|Aug precipitation mm = 65.6

|Sep precipitation mm = 43.4

|Oct precipitation mm = 39.1

|Nov precipitation mm = 32.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 31.4

|year precipitation mm = 525.4

|Jan snow cm = 15.2

|Feb snow cm = 11.3

|Mar snow cm = 4.6

|Apr snow cm = 0.5

|May snow cm = 0.0

|Jun snow cm = 0.0

|Jul snow cm = 0.0

|Aug snow cm = 0.0

|Sep snow cm = 0.0

|Oct snow cm = 0.1

|Nov snow cm = 3.1

|Dec snow cm = 9.6

|year snow cm = 44.5

|humidity colour = green

|Jan humidity = 84.9

|Feb humidity = 80.7

|Mar humidity = 77.0

|Apr humidity = 71.8

|May humidity = 71.1

|Jun humidity = 71.6

|Jul humidity = 72.1

|Aug humidity = 74.5

|Sep humidity = 80.1

|Oct humidity = 84.2

|Nov humidity = 88.0

|Dec humidity = 87.3

|year humidity = 78.6

|Jan sun = 31.4

|Feb sun = 61.2

|Mar sun = 103.9

|Apr sun = 165.5

|May sun = 192.0

|Jun sun = 194.4

|Jul sun = 207.0

|Aug sun = 202.2

|Sep sun = 137.2

|Oct sun = 79.7

|Nov sun = 29.9

|Dec sun = 22.2

|year sun = 1426.6

|source 1 = Czech Hydrometeorological Institute{{cite web |title=Průměrná teplota vzduchu v jednotlivé měsíce v jednotlivé roky|url=https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/T.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|publisher=Czech Hydrometeorological Institute|language=cs|access-date=2024-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908050502/https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/T.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|archive-date=2024-09-08}}{{cite web |title=Srážkové úhrny v jednotlivé měsíce v jednotlivé roky|url=https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/R.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|publisher=Czech Hydrometeorological Institute|language=cs|access-date=2024-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908050728/https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/R.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|archive-date=2024-09-08}}{{cite web |title=Množství nového sněhu v jednotlivé měsíce v jednotlivé roky|url=https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/N.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|publisher=Czech Hydrometeorological Institute|language=cs|access-date=2024-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908051119/https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/N.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|archive-date=2024-09-08}}{{cite web |title=Průměrná relativní vlhkost vzduchu v jednotlivé měsíce v jednotlivé roky|url=https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/H.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|publisher=Czech Hydrometeorological Institute|language=cs|access-date=2024-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908051333/https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/H.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|archive-date=2024-09-08}}{{cite web |title=Délka slunečního svitu v jednotlivé měsíce v jednotlivé roky|url=https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/S.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|publisher=Czech Hydrometeorological Institute|language=cs|access-date=2024-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908051510/https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/S.php?ID=L1PLZB01&type=graphMY|archive-date=2024-09-08}}}}

The first written mention of Plzeň Castle is from 976. The city of New Plzeň was founded nearby in 1295 by King Wenceslaus II. The old settlement then became known as Starý Plzenec and New Plzeň became known as Plzeň. It quickly became an important city on trade routes leading from Bohemia to Nuremberg and Regensburg. The first written mention about beer brewing is from 1307. In the 14th century, the city had about 3,000 inhabitants on an area of {{cvt|20|ha}}, making it the third largest city in Bohemia after Prague and Kutná Hora.{{cite web |title=Po stopách historie města|url=https://plzen.eu/o-meste/historie/po-stopach-historie/|publisher=City of Plzeň|language=cs|access-date=2024-09-25}}

During the Hussite Wars, it was the centre of Catholic resistance to the Hussites: Prokop the Great unsuccessfully besieged it three times, and it joined the league of Catholic nobles against King George of Poděbrady. In the 1470s and 1480s, the city had the first printing press in Bohemia. The first book printed here and therefore the oldest book in Bohemia is Statuta written by Arnošt of Pardubice, which was printed in 1476.

File:Plzen 1602 (cropped).jpg

Emperor Rudolf II made Plzeň his seat from 1599 to 1600. During the Thirty Years' War the town was taken by Mansfeld in 1618 after the Siege of Plzeň and it was not recaptured by Imperial troops until 1621. Wallenstein made it his winter quarters in 1633. Accused of treason and losing the support of his army, he fled the town on 23 February 1634 to Eger/Cheb where he was assassinated two days later. The town was increasingly threatened by the Swedes in the last years of the war. The city commander Jan van der Croon strengthened the fortifications of Plzeň from 1645 to 1649. Swedish troops passed the town in 1645 and 1648 without attacking it. The town and region have been staunchly Catholic despite the Hussite Wars.{{cite book |last=Mikovec|first=Ferdinand Břetislav|author-link=Ferdinand Břetislav Mikovec|date=1860|title=Malerisch-historische Skizzen aus Böhmen|language=de|volume=3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j_s92r60yIAC&pg=PA352|publisher=Hölzel|place=Vienna/Olomouc|pages=352–355}}

From the end of the 17th century, the architecture of Plzeň has been influenced by the Baroque style.

In the second half of the 19th century Plzeň, already an important trade centre for Bohemia, near the Bavarian/German border, began to industrialise rapidly. In 1869 Emil Škoda founded the Škoda Works, which became the most important and influential engineering company in the country and a crucial supplier of arms to the Austro-Hungarian Army. By 1917 the Škoda Works employed over 30,000 workers.

File:Wilson Bridge in Europe (4515218794).jpg

After 1898 the second largest employer was the National Railways train workshop, with about 2,000 employees: this was the largest rail repair shop in all Austria-Hungary. Between 1861 and 1877, the Plzeň railway junction was completed and in 1899 the first tram line started in the city. This burst of industry had two important effects: the growth of the local Czech population and of the urban poor. After 1868 the first Czech mayor of the city was elected.

Following Czechoslovak independence from Austria-Hungary in 1918 the ethnic German minority in the countryside bordering the city of Plzeň hoped to be united with Austria and were unhappy at being included in Czechoslovakia. Many allied themselves to the Nazis after 1933 in the hope that Adolf Hitler might be able to unite them with their German-speaking neighbours.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Following the Munich Agreement in 1938, Plzeň became a frontier town as the creation of the Sudetenland moved Nazi Germany's borders closer to the city's outer limits. During the German occupation from 1939 to 1945, the Škoda Works in Pilsen was forced to provide armaments for the Wehrmacht, and Czech contributions, particularly in the field of tanks, were noted. The Nazis operated a Gestapo prison in the city,{{cite web |title=Gestapogefängnis Pilsen|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100000353|website=bundesarchiv.de|language=de|access-date=2021-11-07}} and a forced labour camp in the Karlov district.{{cite web |title=Arbeitserziehungslager Pilsen-Karlow|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100000331|website=bundesarchiv.de|language=de|access-date=2021-11-07}}

Between 17 and 26 January 1942, the majority of the city's Jewish population, over 2,000 people, were deported by the Nazis to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Terezín.

File:Plzeň, pomník osvobození U Práce.JPG of the United States Army at the top of Americká, the main commercial boulevard]]

In April 1945, as World War II neared its end, Plzeň endured its most devastating air raids. On 17 April, British Royal Air Force bombers targeted the city's marshalling yard, aiming to disrupt German military logistics. The attack resulted in significant civilian casualties and widespread destruction of residential areas. Just days later, on 25 April, the U.S. Eighth Air Force launched a major bombing mission against the Škoda Works armament factory in Plzeň. This operation marked the last heavy bomber mission by the Eighth Air Force against an industrial target in Europe. The raids caused extensive damage to the city's infrastructure and left a lasting impact on its inhabitants. These attacks were part of the Allies' final efforts to cripple Nazi Germany's war capabilities.{{cite web |title=April 1945: The deadliest air attacks on Plzeň came at the end of WWII|url=https://english.radio.cz/april-1945-deadliest-air-attacks-plzen-came-end-wwii-8849305|publisher=Czech Radio|date=2025-04-25|access-date=2025-04-28}}

On 6 May 1945, in the final days before the end of World War II in Europe, Plzeň was liberated from Nazi Germany by the 16th Armored Division of General George Patton's Third Army. Also participating in the liberation of the city were elements of the 97th and 2nd Infantry Divisions supported by the Polish Holy Cross Mountains Brigade. Other Third Army units liberated major portions of Western Bohemia. The rest of Czechoslovakia was liberated from German control by the Soviet Red Army. Elements of the 3rd Army, as well as units from the 1st Army, remained in Plzeň until late November 1945.{{cite web |title=Plzeň osvobodil Patton, komunisté o něm ale po únoru 1948 mlčeli|url=https://www.echo24.cz/a/SQpGJ/plzen-osvobodil-patton-komuniste-o-nem-ale-po-unoru-1948-mlceli|work=Echo24.cz|language=cs|date=2020-05-06|access-date=2025-05-12}}

After the end of the war, the city's ethnic German minority population was expelled and their property was confiscated in accordance to the provisions of the Potsdam Agreement.

After the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état, the government launched a currency reform in 1953, which caused a wave of discontent, including the Plzeň uprising. On 1 June 1953, over 20,000 people, mainly workers at the Škoda Works, began protesting against the government. Protesters forced their way into the town hall and threw communist symbols, furniture and other objects out of the windows. The protest caused a retaliation from the government. As part of its retaliation, they destroyed the statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of Czechoslovakia. The statue has since been re-erected.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

{{historical populations

|align=none|cols=3

|1869|31436

|1880|48834

|1890|64158

|1900|91334

|1910|112008

|1921|122354

|1930|134288

|1950|127447

|1961|140106

|1970|153524

|1980|171599

|1991|173791

|2001|166118

|2011|170322

|2021|174007

|source=Censuses{{cite web |title=Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011|url=https://csu.gov.cz/produkty/historicky-lexikon-obci-1869-az-2015|publisher=Czech Statistical Office|language=cs|date=2015-12-21}}{{cite web |title=Population Census 2021: Population by sex|url=https://vdb.czso.cz/vdbvo2/faces/en/index.jsf?page=vystup-objekt-parametry&z=T&f=TABULKA&sp=A&skupId=4429&katalog=33515&pvo=SLD21001-OB-OK|work=Public Database|publisher=Czech Statistical Office|date=2021-03-27}}}}

Plzeň is a centre of business in the western part of the Czech Republic. Plzeň produces about two-thirds of the Plzeň Region GDP, even though it contains only 30% of its population.{{cite web |title=Základní informace o kraji|url=https://www.plzensky-kraj.cz/plzensky-kraj|publisher=Plzeň Region|language=cs|access-date=2025-03-17}} While part of this is explained by commuters to the city, it is one of the most prosperous cities in the Czech Republic.

Plzeň is the seat of many large corporations. The largest employers with its headquarters in Plzeň and at least 1,000 employees are:{{cite web |title=Registr ekonomických subjektů|url=https://csu.gov.cz/registr_ekonomickych_subjektu|work=Business Register|publisher=Czech Statistical Office|language=cs|access-date=2025-03-17}}

The Škoda company, established in Plzeň in 1859, has been an important element of Austro-Hungarian, Czechoslovak and Czech engineering, and one of the biggest European arms factories. During the Communist era of the country (1948–1989), the company's production had been directed to the needs of the Eastern Bloc. Disarray in the era after the Velvet Revolution, and unsuccessful efforts to gain new Western markets, resulted in sales problems and debts. After a huge restructuring process, the company was divided into several subsidiaries, which were later sold. The most important successors companies are Škoda Transportation and Doosan Škoda Power.

The Stock company, located in the Božkov district, is the largest producer of liquors in the Czech Republic. Fernet Stock has long been the best-selling herbal liqueur on the Czech market.{{cite web |title=Stock letos očekává, že vyrobí asi 30 mil. litrů lihovin, podobně jako loni|url=https://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/stock-letos-ocekava-ze-vyrobi-asi-30-mil-litru-lihovin-podobne-jako-loni/2289550|work=České noviny|publisher=Czech News Agency|language=cs|date=2022-11-23|access-date=2025-03-17}}

Since the late 1990s, the city has experienced high growth in foreign investment. In 2007, Israeli mall developer Plaza Centers opened the Plzeň Plaza, a {{convert|20000|m2|abbr=on|sp=us}} shopping mall and entertainment centre featuring a multiplex cinema from Cinema City Czech Republic.

The Plzeň agglomeration was defined as a tool for drawing money from the European Structural and Investment Funds. It is an area that includes the city and its surroundings, linked to the city by commuting and migration. It has about 328,000 inhabitants.

File:Pilsner Urquell Brewery.jpg

File:Pilsner.Urquell.JPG

Plzeň is well known for the Pilsner Urquell (since 1842) and Gambrinus (since 1869) breweries, currently owned by Asahi Group Holdings.

Plzeň is an important city in the history of beer, including the development of Pilsner.{{cite book |last=Hampson|first=Tim|url=https://archive.org/details/beerbook0000unse_y0h6/page/9/mode/2up|title=The Beer Book|date=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|isbn=978-1405333016|location=London|page=9|url-access=registration}} In 1375, Bohemian King Charles IV endowed the Dobrow Monastery near Plzeň with the beer right, and it is one of the oldest breweries to survive to modern times.{{cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/beeritshistoryit00sale|title=Beer : its history and its economic value as a national beverage|first=F. W. (Frederick William)|last=Salem|year=1880|publisher=Hartford, Conn. : F. W. Salem & Co.|access-date=2023-10-11|via=Internet Archive}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aT-lIt3VBe0C&pg=PA33|title=Medicinal and Food Plants: With 200 Illustrations for Artists and Craftspeople|first1=Ernst|last1=Lehner|first2=Johanna|last2=Lehner|year=2006|publisher=Courier Corporation|isbn=9780486447513|access-date=2023-10-11|via=Google Books}} Many breweries were located in the interconnected deep cellars of the city.{{cite web |title=Plzen Historical Underground|url=https://web.zcu.cz/plzen/underground/|website=zcu.cz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230132008/https://web.zcu.cz/plzen/underground/|archive-date=2019-12-30|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Pilsen Historical Underground|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pilsen-historical-underground|work=Atlas Obscura|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208061341/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pilsen-historical-underground|archive-date=2017-12-08|url-status=live}}

The officials of Plzeň founded a city-owned brewery in 1839, {{lang|de|Bürger Brauerei}} (Citizens' Brewery, now Plzeňský Prazdroj),{{cite web |url=http://www.prazdroj.cz/en/about-the-company/history|title=Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s.|publisher=prazdroj.cz|access-date=2009-10-17}} and recruited Bavarian brewer Josef Groll (1813–1887) who produced the first batch of modern Pilsner beer on 5 October 1842. This included mastering the art of triple decoction mashing. The combination of pale colour from the new malts, Plzeň's remarkably soft water, Saaz noble hops from nearby Žatec (Saaz in German) and Bavarian-style lagering produced a clear, golden beer which was regarded as a sensation. Improving transport meant that this new beer was soon available throughout Central Europe and {{lang|de|Pilsner Brauart}}-style brewing was widely imitated.

In 1859, "Pilsner Bier" was registered as a brand name at the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Plzeň. In 1898, the Pilsner Urquell trade mark was created to put emphasis on this being the brewery where the style originated.

File:EVO2 v Plzni 20190910.jpg

File:Plzen main station 2019-09-12 01.jpg

{{main|Trams in Plzeň}}

The Plzeň metropolitan area is largely served by a network of trams, trolleybuses and buses operated by the PMDP. Like other continental European cities, tickets bought from vending machines or small shops are valid for any transport run by the city of Plzeň. For residents of the city, a Plzeň Card can be purchased and through a system of "topping up" be used on any public transport with no limitations, as long as it is paid up and valid. Tickets can be purchased in vehicles with a contactless smart card.{{cite web |title=Platby bezkontaktními kartami ve vozech MHD v Plzni|url=https://www.pmdp.cz/pro-media/tiskove-zpravy/doc/platby-bezkontaktnimi-kartami-ve-vozech-mhd-v-plzni-1824/newsitem.htm|publisher=Plzeňské městské dopravní podniky|language=cs|date=2016-05-18|access-date=2025-04-15}}

Plzeň is an important centre of Czech railway transport, with the crossing of five main railway lines:

• line Nr. 170: Prague – Beroun – Plzeň – Cheb
• line Nr. 180: Plzeň – Domažlice – Furth im Wald (Germany)
• line Nr. 183: Plzeň – Klatovy – Železná Ruda
• line Nr. 160: Plzeň – Žatec
• line Nr. 190: Plzeň – České Budějovice

Plzeň main railway station (Plzeň hlavní nádraží) serves all five of these lines.

The most important transport link in the city is the D5 highway connecting Prague and Nuremberg.

A public domestic and private international airport is located 11 km south-west from Plzeň, at the nearby village of Líně.

File:Great Synagogue in Pilsen-2010.jpg in Plzeň]]

Since 31 May 1993 Plzeň has been the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plzeň. The first bishop (current bishop emeritus) was František Radkovský. The current bishop is Tomáš Holub. The diocese covers an area with a total of 818,700 inhabitants.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} The diocesan see is in St. Bartholomew's Cathedral on Republiky Square in Plzeň. The diocese is divided into 10 vicariates with a total of 72 parishes.

The seat of the West Bohemian seniorate (literary presbytery; Central European protestant equivalent of a diocese) of Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren is currently set in Plzeň. The current senior is Miroslav Hamari, the preacher of Koranda parish congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Plzeň, commonly known as Koranda congregation located in the city centre of Plzeň. The senioral churchwarden is Josef Beneš, the parish churchwarden of the same congregation. There are two other parish congregations of Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in the Plzeň-City District – The Western congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Plzeň, known as The Western congregation located in the Western part of the city in the borough of Jižní předměstí and The Congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Chrást located in Chrást in the very east of Plzeň-City District.

The seat of Plzeň diocese of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church is located in Plzeň (although the bishop has resided in Mirovice for several years due to a reconstruction of episcopacy). The current bishop is Filip Štojdl.

The Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church is headquartered in Plzeň.{{Cite web|url=https://www.luterani.cz/|title=Luterani CZ|website=Luterani CZ|accessdate=11 October 2023}} St. Paul's Lutheran Church is a church of the Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plzeň.{{Cite web|url=https://celc.info/membership/member-churches/czech-evangelical-lutheran-church/|title=Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church|website=celc.info|accessdate=11 October 2023}}

The other churches also present in Plzeň are the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Czech Republic, the United Methodist Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Church of Brethren, the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, the Greek Catholic Church, and others.

The University of West Bohemia in Plzeň is well known for its Faculty of Law, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Applied Science in particular.

The Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University (Czech: Lékařská fakulta v Plzni Univerzity Karlovy) is one of the five medical faculties of Charles University.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Domů {{!}} Lékařská fakulta v Plzni |url=https://lfp.cuni.cz |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=lfp.cuni.cz |language=cs}}

Martin Luther Elementary School (Základní škola Martina Luthera) is a private Christian school of the Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plzeň.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sml.cz/|title=Základní Škola Martina Luthera Plzeň|website=www.sml.cz|accessdate=11 October 2023}}

Plzeň was a European Capital of Culture in 2015, along with Mons in Belgium.

File:Czech Republic 2 1 Iceland.jpg

The ice hockey club HC Škoda Plzeň plays in the Czech Extraliga. The team plays its home games at Home Monitoring Aréna. The football club FC Viktoria Plzeň plays in the Czech First League and belongs among the most successful clubs in the Czech Republic. Viktoria Plzeň has played in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The team plays its home games at Doosan Arena. Handball club Talent Plzeň plays in the Czech Handball Extraliga.

The motorcycle speedway team PK Plzeň race at the Plzeň speedway track. The track has hosted significant speedway events including qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Team Cup.{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/wtc60.htm |title=1960 World Team Cup, Central European round |website=International Speedway |access-date=2024-01-24}}{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/wtc61.htm |title=1961 World Team Cup, Central European round|website=International Speedway|access-date=2024-01-24}}

File:Plzeň 12.3.2012.jpg

The most prominent sights of Plzeň are the Gothic St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, founded in the late 13th century, whose tower, at {{convert|102|m|abbr=on|sp=us}}, is the highest in the Czech Republic, the Renaissance Town Hall, and the Moorish Revival Great Synagogue, the second largest synagogue in Europe, after the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest. There is also a {{convert|20|km|abbr=on}} historic tunnel and cellar network, among the longest in Central Europe. Part of this network is open to the public for tours of about {{convert|750|m|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} in length and down to a depth of {{convert|12|m|abbr=on}}.

Built in 1532, the former water tower was integrated into the city's fortification system at Prague Gate. Another storey was added in 1822 in French Imperial style. The Gothic portal dating from the 1500s and coming from another house, which had been demolished, was added in 1912. Above the portal there is a commemorative plaque dedicated to Dr Josef Škoda (a professor at the Vienna University), who was born next door on 10 December 1805.

A popular tourist attraction is the Plzeňský Prazdroj brewery tour where visitors can discover the history of beer.

• Franciscan Monastery – Museum of Christian Art
• Techmania Science Center - Interactive museum/playground for kids
• Západočeské muzeum v Plzni

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• Emil von Škoda (1839–1900), engineer and industrialist
• Josef Finger (1841–1925), physicist and mathematician
• Emma B. Mandl (1842–1928), Chicago charities founder
• Friedrich Goldscheider (1845–1897), ceramist and industrialist
• František Křižík (1847–1941), inventor
• Augustin Němejc (1861–1938), painter
• Rudolf Karel (1880–1945), composer
• Emil Lederer (1882–1939), economist and sociologist
• Růžena Šlemrová (1886–1962), actress
• Josef Beran (1888–1969), cardinal, Czech primate, archbishop of Prague
• Josef Skupa (1892–1957), puppeteer
• Jaroslav Vogel (1894–1970), conductor and composer
• Ladislav Sutnar (1897–1976), graphic designer, pioneer of information design and information architecture
• Jaroslav Černý (1898–1970), Oxford professor and Egyptologist
• Siegfried Lederer (1904–1972), Auschwitz escapee
• Jiří Trnka (1912–1969), artist
• Miroslav Štandera (1918–2014), World War II fighter pilot
• Ota Šik (1919–2004), economist
• Karel Černý (1922–2014), art director
• Miroslav Holub (1923–1998), poet
• Josef Rösch (1925–2016), interventional radiologist
• Kurt Dietmar Richter (1931−2019), German composer and conductor
• Karla Erbová (1933–2024), poet, prose writer and journalist
• Gabriela Basařová (1934–2019), chemist
• Peter Grünberg (1939–2018), German physicist, 2007 Nobel prize winner
• Karel Gott (1939–2019), singer
• Vaclav Smil (born 1943), Czech-Canadian scientist
• Jaroslav Beneš (born 1946), fine art photographer
• Tomáš Šmíd (born 1956), tennis player
• Vítězslav Lavička (born 1963), football manager
• Tomáš Cihlář (born 1967), chemist and virologist
• David Kotyza (born 1967), tennis coach
• Martin Straka (born 1972), ice hockey player
• Luboš Motl (born 1973), physicist
• Jiří Mužík (born 1976), track and field athlete
• Petr Sýkora (born 1976), ice hockey player
• Milan Kraft (born 1980), ice hockey player
• Petr Čech (born 1982), football player
• Kateřina Emmons (born 1983), sport shooter, Olympic medalist
• David Limberský (born 1983), footballer
• Pavel Samiec (born 1984), composer and accordionist
• Andrea Hlaváčková (born 1986), tennis player
• Barbora Strýcová (born 1986), tennis player
• Vladimír Darida (born 1990), footballer
• Andrej Šustr (born 1990), ice hockey player
• Pavel Francouz (born 1990), ice hockey player
• Dominik Kubalík (born 1995), ice hockey player
• Lukáš Provod (born 1996), footballer

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{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic}}

Plzeň is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Partnerská města|url=https://plzen.eu/o-meste/partnerska-mesta/|publisher=City of Plzeň|language=cs|access-date=2025-05-12}}

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• {{flagicon|USA}} Birmingham, United States
• {{flagicon|BEL}} Liège, Belgium
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Limoges, France
• {{flagicon|GER}} Regensburg, Germany
• {{flagicon|JPN}} Takasaki, Japan
• {{flagicon|SUI}} Winterthur, Switzerland
• {{flagicon|SVK}} Žilina, Slovakia

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CZ-Plz-nam-republ-01 crop.jpg|Náměstí Republiky, the city's main square

West Bohemia University.jpg|Research Library

Plzeň_radnice.JPG|Town hall

Pilseno, Teatro Josef Kajetán Tyl, 13.jpg|Josef Kajetán Tyl Theatre

Západočeské muzeum v Plzni - panoramio.jpg|Museum of Western Bohemia

Plzeň, sokolovna.jpg|Sokol Hall

Fakulta právnická ZČU.jpg|Faculty of Law of the University of West Bohemia

Okresni soud Plzen mesto.JPG|District Court

Knihovna města Plzně - sídlo 05.JPG|Municipal Library

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Plzeň}}

{{wikivoyage|Pilsen}}

• {{official|https://www.pilsen.eu/citizen/}}
• [https://www.visitpilsen.eu/ Official tourist portal]
• [https://www.pmdp.cz/ PMDP – Public transport of Plzeň]
• [https://www.zcu.cz/en/ University of West Bohemia]

{{Plzeň-City District}}

{{Czech Seats}}

{{European Capital of Culture}}

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Category:Cities and towns in the Czech Republic

Category:Populated places in Plzeň-City District