Plzeň founded
1295 CE.
Shown on the map at 49.741°, 13.383°.
Plzeň (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpl̩zɛɲ] ), also known in English and German as Pilsen (German: [ˈpɪlzn̩] ), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about 78 kilometres (48 miles) west of Prague, at the confluence of four rivers: Mže, Úhlava, Úslava and Radbuza, together forming the Berounka River. Founded as a royal city in the late 13th century, Plzeň became an important town for trade on routes linking Bohemia with Bavaria. By the 14th century, it had grown to be the third-largest city in Bohemia. The city was besieged three times during the 15th century Hussite Wars, when it became a centre of resistance against the Hussites. During the Thirty Years' War in the early 17th century, the city was temporarily occupied after the Siege of Plzeň. In the 19th century, the city rapidly industrialised and became home to the Škoda Works, which became one of the most important engineering companies in Austria-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia.
Text from the Wikipedia article Plzeň, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.