Sušice

Sušice
Town
General view
Coat of arms
Sušice Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°13′52″N 13°31′13″E / 49.23111°N 13.52028°E / 49.23111; 13.52028Coordinates: 49°13′52″N 13°31′13″E / 49.23111°N 13.52028°E / 49.23111; 13.52028
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Plzeň
District	Klatovy
First mentioned	1233
Government
• Mayor	Petr Mottl (ODS)
Area
• Total	45.65 km2 (17.63 sq mi)
Elevation	472 m (1,549 ft)
Population  (2021-01-01)[1]
• Total	10,957
• Density	240/km2 (620/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	342 01
Website	www.mestosusice.cz

Sušice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈsuʃɪtsɛ]; German: Schüttenhofen) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Otava River, some 60 km (37 mi) to the south of the regional capital of Plzeň. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts[]

Sušice is made up of 17 town parts and villages: Sušice I–III, Albrechtice, Červené Dvorce, Chmelná, Divišov, Dolní Staňkov, Humpolec, Milčice, Nuzerov, Páteček, Rok, Stráž, Volšovy, Vrabcov and Záluží.

History[]

Sušice originated as a settlement near the Otava River, a gold-mining area. The settlement was probably founded around 790, however the first written mention is from 1233.^[2] In the 12th century was Sušice owned by the Bavarian Counts of Bogen. It was re-connected to Bohemia by King Ottokar II in the 13th century and after 1260 it became a royal fortified town.^[2]

During the Hussite Wars in the first half of the 15th century Sušice was a Hussite town. After the Battle of White Mountain most of the properties were confiscated. The destruction of the town was finished by fire in 1707, when most of the sites burned down.

In 1683, a baroque chapel was built on what is now the edge of the town. This chapel still stands and is somewhat fortress-like in its appearance with its outer walls set in a square formation and the chapel located in the centre.

Until 1918, Sušice – Schüttenhoffen was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austrian side after the compromise of 1867). The town was an administrative seat of the district of the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.^[3]

Jewish population[]

The earliest known Jewish community settled in Sušice during the first half of the 17th century. The Jewish cemetery originated about 1626, with the last known Conservative or Progressive/Reform Jewish burial in 1874. A pogrom occurred in 1866. Jews moved to big towns in second half of 19th century. The 1930 Jewish population was 112.^[4] Present town has no Jewish population.

Here is how a regional newspaper from the neighboring town of Písek reported on a consecration of a new Jewish synagogue in 1859:

In the year 1659, there were just four Jewish families in Sušice, who built for themselves a small wooden synagogue. Fifty years later, that is to say two years after the great fire of Sušice, they built on the same site a new and larger synagogue more suited to their growing numbers. This synagogue was used for 150 years. During this period and particularly over the past decade, the number of Jews in Sušice increased greatly and the synagogue was no longer large enough. So the Jewish community bought three houses in Vodičkova Street (formerly known as Jewish Street) and decided to build a new synagogue there. The first stone was laid on 14 July 1857 in the presence of the Imperial and Royal Chief of the Region, Mr. František Bastař, and the Mayor, František Firbas. It was decided to consecrate the synagogue in this year on the birthday of His Imperial Majesty. The new synagogue is of sound construction and one of the largest buildings in Sušice. We are able to say that it is one of the most beautiful Jewish synagogues in all of Bohemia. The synagogue is 12 fathoms (22 m; 72 ft) in length, 6 fathoms (11 m; 36 ft) wide and 7+1⁄2 fathoms (13.7 m; 45 ft) high. It has a large entrance hall, a fine gallery for the choir and an elegant altar.

— "Pilgrim from Otava" (Poutník od Otavy) Issue number 5, Year Two, dated 31 August 1859^[5]

Demography[]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 6,796 —     1880 7,671 +12.9% 1890 8,117 +5.8% 1900 8,566 +5.5% 1910 8,866 +3.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 8,707 −1.8% 1930 8,715 +0.1% 1950 8,229 −5.6% 1961 8,937 +8.6% 1970 9,498 +6.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 11,047 +16.3% 1991 11,308 +2.4% 2001 11,462 +1.4% 2011 11,037 −3.7% 2021 10,957 −0.7%
Source: Historical lexicon of municipalities of the Czech Republic[6]

Economy[]

Sušice is known for the production of matches under the SOLO brand. The factory was founded by Vojtěch Scheinost in 1839 and the production was financed by entrepreneur Bernard Fürth.^[7]

The production has continued until 2008, when it ended due to financial problems. The production was moved to India and the company was transformed into a trading company in related goods (matches, lighters, etc.).^[7][8]

Climate[]

Sušice enjoys a wet humid continental climate (Dfb). Precipitations are predominantly in the form of rain, totalling 776 mm (30.6 in). There are four distinct seasons, with notably cold and murky winter season contrasting with much sunnier warm seasons. Average daily temperature in July is about 17.1 °C (62.8 °F), while January mean temperatures are typically −2.9 °C (26.8 °F). The annual average is 7.5 °C (45.5 °F).

Notable people[]

• Karl Koller (1857–1944), Austrian ophthalmologist
• František Salzer (1902–1974), theatre director and actor
• Břetislav Pojar (1923–2012), puppeteer, animator and film director
• Petr Vaníček (born 1935), Czech-Canadian geodesist
• Marie Fikáčková (1936–1961), serial killer
• Jiří Maštálka (born 1956), politician
• Tomáš Pekhart (born 1989), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities[]

Sušice is a member of the Douzelage, a town twinning association of towns across the European Union. This active town twinning began in 1991, and there are now regular events resulting from this membership, such as festivals, or a produce market presenting goods from the countries of the twin towns. Its members are:^[9]

Sušice also has two other twin towns:^[10]

• Uetendorf, Switzerland
• Wenzenbach, Germany

Gallery[]

• 

  Southern part of the Svobody Square

• 

  The town hall on the Svobody Square

• 

  The Bohemian Forest Museum

• 

  Dlouhoveská street

• 

  Gymnasium

• 

  Elementary school

References[]

External links[]

• Official website