Krásné Údolí

Krásné Údolí (German: Schönthal) is a town in Karlovy Vary District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants.

Krásné Údolí
Town
Town square
Flag Coat of arms
Krásné Údolí Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°4′21″N 12°55′17″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Karlovy Vary
District	Karlovy Vary
Founded	1488
Government
• Mayor	Martin Frank
Area
• Total	9.16 km2 (3.54 sq mi)
Elevation	638 m (2,093 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	390
• Density	43/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	364 01
Website	www.krasneudoli.cz

Administrative division

Krásné Údolí consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Krásné Údolí (324)
• Odolenovice (55)

Etymology

The name literally means 'beautiful valley' in both Czech and German and refers to its location. According to legend, this is how King Vladislaus II described the place when he was here hunting.^[3]

Geography

Krásné Údolí is located about 18 kilometres (11 mi) south of Karlovy Vary. The southeastern part of the municipal territory with the town proper lies in the Teplá Highlands. The northwestern part lies in the Slavkov Forest. The highest point is the hill U Odolenovických hranic at 739 m (2,425 ft) above sea level. Most of the municipal territory lies within the Slavkov Forest Protected Landscape Area.

History

Krásné Údolí was founded in 1488 on the site of an abolished village called Schickenplatz. It was founded by Henry III of Plauen on his Toužim estate. Soon Toužim became the economic centre of the estate and the development of Krásné Údolí stopped.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 770 —     1880 820 +6.5% 1890 774 −5.6% 1900 760 −1.8% 1910 716 −5.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 653 −8.8% 1930 607 −7.0% 1950 268 −55.8% 1961 306 +14.2% 1970 422 +37.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 532 +26.1% 1991 451 −15.2% 2001 442 −2.0% 2011 434 −1.8% 2021 379 −12.7%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Economy

Krásné Údolí is home of notable dairy company Hollandia.^[6]

Transport

The I/20 road (part of the European route E49) from Plzeň to Karlovy Vary passes through Krásné Údolí.

Sights

Church of Saint Lawrence

The main landmark of Krásné Údolí is the Church of Saint Lawrence. It was built in the late Gothic style probably in the second half of the 15th century. Its current appearance is the result of a Baroque reconstruction.^[7]

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. "Public Census 2021 – basic data". Public Database (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2022.
3. "Historie" (PDF) (in Czech). Město Krásné Údolí. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
4. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
5. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
6. "Contact". Hollandia Karlovy Vary, s.r.o. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
7. "Kostel sv. Vavřince" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-12-19.

External links

• Official website