Rokycany

Rokycany consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): • Nové Město (8,387) • Plzeňské předměstí (3,359) • Střed (1,565) • Borek (447) ==Etymology==

The term rokycan denoted a person who lives near willows (rokyty in old Czech). The name Rokycany denoted a village of such people. ==Geography==

Rokycany is located about east of Plzeň. It lies in the Švihov Highlands. The highest point is the Čilina hill at above sea level. Rokycany is situated at the confluence of the Klabava River and the brook Holoubkovský potok. There is another brook (Rakovský potok) which flows through the western part of the town. The largest body of water is Klabava Reservoir with an area of . Today it serves as flood protection and as a recreational area. The second notable body of water is the fishpond Borecký rybník. ==History==

The area was inhabited since the Stone Age. Celtic and early Slavic settlements were discovered. The first written mention of Rokycany is in Chronica Boemorum from 1110. At that time, the village was owned by the Bishop of Prague, and major Bohemian and German noblemen met here for diplomatic talks with Emperor Henry V. At the end of the 13th century, bishop Tobiáš of Bechyně made from the settlement a market town and the episcopal court was replaced by episcopal castle. In the 14th century, the town fortification was made, few its fragments are preserved to this day. In 1406, Rokycany obtained town privileges. The town was a property of the church until the Hussite Wars. In 1421, the town was conquered by Jan Žižka's army, but later that year it was conquered, burned and looted by Plzeň's Catholics. ==Demographics==

{{historical populations ==Economy==

The largest employer with headquarters in the town is a branch of Hutchinson SA. It is engaged in the production of rubber products. ==Transport==

The D5 motorway passes through the northern part of the municipal territory. Rokycany is located on the railway line Prague–Klatovy via Plzeň. ==Culture==

Rokycany hosts Fluff Fest, a vegan hardcore punk festival which draws several thousand visitors from across Europe every July. It is held at the Rokycany airfield, having moved there in 2006 from its original location in Plzeň. The festival has been described as a yearly "strain" on the town, which is otherwise unaccustomed to large numbers of foreign visitors and extreme music adherents, and brings a business boom especially in sales of vegetarian and vegan food. ==Sights==

The Masarykovo Square is in the historical core of Rokycany and contains most of town's cultural monuments. The town hall is a Baroque building by architect Ignác Jan Nepomuk Palliardi, built in 1804–1808. The stone Baroque fountain from 1827 stands in front of the so-called "Rokycan's House of Enlightenment". In the mid-19th century, this Neo-Renaissance building and the town hall were two only two-storey houses in the square. The Church of Our Lady of the Snows is located in the northeastern part of the square. It stands on the place of the episcopal court, mentioned already in 1110. The Dumet's House next to the church was first mentioned in 1512, however it probably exists much longer. In 1784–1787 it served as a school, but it burned down. Nowadays it has a Rococo façade with stucco decoration. ==Notable people==

• Jan Rokycana (–1471), Hussite theologian • Antonín Kraft (1749–1820), cellist and composer • Adolf Kraus (1850–1928), Chicago lawyer, B'nai B'rith officer; lived here • Paula Deppe (1886–1922), Sudeten German painter • Čestmír Řanda (1923–1986), actor • Vlastimil Válek (1938–1989), motorcycle racer • Ivan Kusnjer (born 1951), opera singer • Věra Bílá (1954–2019), singer • Jiří Pehe (born 1955), political analyst and writer • Jaroslav Špaček (born 1974), ice hockey player • Vhrsti (born 1975), illustrator • Václav Procházka (born 1984), footballer ==Twin towns – sister cities==

Rokycany is twinned with: • Greiz, Germany • Pfinztal, Germany ==Gallery==

Rokycany-town hall and main square.jpg|Town hall and main square Rokycany-Borek-chapel.jpg|Chapel in Borek Rokycany-railway station.jpg|Railway station from 1931 Rokycany-communist era buildings.jpg|1970s style houses Rokycany-barracks.jpg|1930s army barracks ==References==