Poleň

Poleň
Poleň
Municipality
	General view
	Flag Coat of arms
	Poleň Location in the Czech Republic
	Coordinates: 49°25′30″N 13°10′36″E / 49.42500°N 13.17667°E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Plzeň
District	Klatovy
First mentioned	1245
Area
• Total	17.66 km2 (6.82 sq mi)
Elevation	458 m (1,503 ft)
Population (2024-01-01)
• Total	284
• Density	16/km2 (42/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	339 01
Website	www.polen.cz

Poleň is a municipality and village in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. The village of Poleň is well preserved and is protected by law as a village monument zone.

Administrative parts

The villages of Mlýnec, Poleňka, Pušperk and Zdeslav are administrative parts of Poleň.

Geography

Poleň is located about 8 kilometres (5 mi) northwest of Klatovy and 37 km (23 mi) southwest of Plzeň. It lies in the Švihov Highlands, in the valley of the Poleňka Stream. The highest point is the peak of Velký Bítov at 713 m (2,339 ft) above sea level, located on the southern municipal border.

History

The first written mention of Poleň is in a document of Queen Kunigunde of Hohenstaufen from 1245, where Blažej of Poleň is recorded as a witness.^[2]

The history of the village was then connected with the Pušperk Castle, which was first mentioned in 1266 and founded shortly before. It was conquered and destroyed before 1434. The castle was repaired between 1465 and 1473, but in 1473 it was demolished again and definitely became a ruin.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1869	1,156	—
1880	1,191	+3.0%
1890	1,096	−8.0%
1900	1,010	−7.8%
1910	1,003	−0.7%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	958	−4.5%
1930	888	−7.3%
1950	626	−29.5%
1961	531	−15.2%
1970	477	−10.2%

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	382	−19.9%
1991	329	−13.9%
2001	272	−17.3%
2011	286	+5.1%
2021	293	+2.4%

Source: Censuses^[4]^[5]

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Poleň is the Church of All the Saints. It dates from the 14th century. It has valuable oil painting of Madonna with Child from the 16th century. Behind the church is the ruin of Church of Saint Margaret, abolished in 1786. Other sacral monuments include the Chapel of Saint Salvador, and the Chapel of Saint John of Nepomuk in Zdeslav.^[6]

Notable people

Abraham Klauber (1831–1911), American entrepreneur

References

^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
^ "Ze života obce" (in Czech). Obec Poleň. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
^ "Zřícenina hradu Pušperk" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
^ "Historické zajímavosti" (in Czech). Obec Poleň. Retrieved 2022-01-28.

External links

Official website

[1] "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.

[2] "Ze života obce" (in Czech). Obec Poleň. Retrieved 2022-01-28.

[3] "Zřícenina hradu Pušperk" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2022-01-28.

[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] "Historické zajímavosti" (in Czech). Obec Poleň. Retrieved 2022-01-28.

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