Chodov (Sokolov District)

town in the Sokolov District

Chodov (Czech pronunciation: [ˈxodof]; German: Chodau) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of about 13,000 people.

Chodov
Saint Lawrence Church
Saint Lawrence Church
Flag of Chodov
Coat of arms of Chodov
Chodov is located in Czech Republic
Chodov
Chodov
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°14′29″N 12°44′38″E / 50.24139°N 12.74389°E / 50.24139; 12.74389
Country Czech Republic
RegionKarlovy Vary
DistrictSokolov
First mentioned1195
Government
 • MayorPatrik Pizinger
Area
 • Total14.26 km2 (5.51 sq mi)
Elevation
418 m (1,371 ft)
Population
 (2021-01-01)[1]
 • Total13,089
 • Density920/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
357 35
Websitewww.mestochodov.cz

History change

Chodov was originally a Slavic settlement. Its name comes from an old Slavic term "choda", which means a road. The Slavic colonisation was not successful and in the Middle Ages this part of Bohemia was colonised by Germans. In the 12th–13th century Chodov belongs to the monastery in Waldsassen and in the 14th–17th century is ruled locally from Loket. In 1894 Chodov is declared a town and gets the right to use its own coat of arms.[2]

From 1938 to 1945 it was one of the municipalities in Sudetenland. Until the end of World War II the town was inhabited practically only by Germans, who were exiled from Czechoslovakia after the war. In the '60s a big chemical factory was built 4 km from Chodov in Vřesová and then new districts were built for the Czech and Slovak workers who moved here.

Demography change

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18692,472—    
18803,389+37.1%
18905,204+53.6%
19007,104+36.5%
19107,470+5.2%
19217,035−5.8%
19307,849+11.6%
19503,786−51.8%
YearPop.±%
19614,551+20.2%
197011,798+159.2%
198014,704+24.6%
199114,929+1.5%
200114,687−1.6%
201113,748−6.4%
202113,089−4.8%
Source: Historical lexicon of municipalities of the Czech Republic[3]

Sights change

 
Protestant church in Chodov

The most significant is Church of St. Lawrence, built by the constructor Brauenbock according to the plans of the architect Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. On the main shrine there is a painting by the famous Czech-German artist Peter Johann Brandl. In front of the church we find a 17th-century statue of St. Sebastian and on the main square a statue of the Virgin Mary (1675). The other church in the town belongs to the Protestants, Czech Brethren. Close to the gate of the Protestant church there is a monument to war victims. It was re-erected in 1998 exactly 100 years after its first erection.

Notable people change

Twin towns – sister cities change

Chodov is twinned with:[4]

References change

  1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2021". Czech Statistical Office. 2021-04-30.
  2. "Z historie města Chodova" (in Czech). Město Chodov. Archived from the original on 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  3. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Sokolov" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 3–4.
  4. "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Chodov. Archived from the original on 2019-08-24. Retrieved 2019-08-24.

Other websites change