Běhařov

Běhařov
Church of Saint Procopius
Běhařov
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°20′42″N 13°9′37″E / 49.34500°N 13.16028°E / 49.34500; 13.16028
Country Czech Republic
RegionPlzeň
DistrictKlatovy
First mentioned1352
Area
 • Total
4.37 km2 (1.69 sq mi)
Elevation
485 m (1,591 ft)
Population
 (2025-01-01)[1]
 • Total
185
 • Density42.3/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
340 21
Websitewww.beharov.cz

Běhařov (German: Wihorschau) is a municipality and village in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants.

Administrative division

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

  • Běhařov (116)
  • Úborsko (50)

Etymology

The name is derived from the surname Běhař, meaning "Běhař's (court)".[3]

Geography

Běhařov is located about 11 kilometres (7 mi) southwest of Klatovy and 46 km (29 mi) south of Plzeň. It lies in the Švihov Highlands. The highest point is at 592 m (1,942 ft) above sea level. The Úhlava River flows along the southern municipal border.

History

The first written mention of Běhařov is from 1352, when the village with a fortress were owned by the local noble family that called themselves Barons of Běhařov. Běhařov often changed hands and was owned by various lesser noblemen. During the Thirty Years' War, it became part of the Bystřice estate (today Bystřice nad Úhlavou, part of Nýřany).[4]

Demographics

Transport

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

Sights

The main landmarks of Běhařov are the Church of Saint Procopius and Běhařov Castle. The church was built in the early Gothic style in the mid-13th century, but it was damaged by the fires in 1616, 1777 and 1789, and was reconstructed in the Baroque style. The tower was raised in 1693. The last large reconstruction of the church was after the fire in 1911.[7]

The Běhařov Castle was originally a Gothic-Renaissance fortress, rebuilt to its present Baroque form in the first half of the 18th century. In 1917, the castle was bought by the painter Alois Kalvoda. He had reconstructed the building, founded a summer painting school here and decorated the landscape park around the castle with sculptures by Jan Štursa, Franta Úprka and Josef Drahoňovský.[8][9]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2025". Czech Statistical Office. 2025-05-16.
  2. ^ "Public Census 2021 – basic data". Public Database (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2022.
  3. ^ Profous, Antonín (1947). Místní jména v Čechách I: A–H (in Czech). pp. 41–42.
  4. ^ "Z historie obce Běhařov" (in Czech). Obec Běhařov. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  5. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
  6. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  7. ^ "Kostel sv. Prokopa" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  8. ^ "Zámek" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  9. ^ "Akademický malíř Alois Kalvoda". Encyklopedie dějin Brna (in Czech). Retrieved 2026-01-19.