Bezděkov (Klatovy District)

Bezděkov (German: Besdiekau) is a municipality and village in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants.

Bezděkov
Municipality
Church of Saint Wenceslaus
Flag Coat of arms
Bezděkov Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°22′51″N 13°13′39″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Plzeň
District	Klatovy
First mentioned	1331
Area
• Total	14.92 km2 (5.76 sq mi)
Elevation	412 m (1,352 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)[1]
• Total	958
• Density	64/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	339 01
Website	www.bezdekov.cz

Administrative parts

The villages of Koryta, Poborovice, Struhadlo, Tetětice and Vítaná are administrative parts of Bezděkov.

Geography

Bezděkov is located about 5 km (3 mi) west of Klatovy and 40 km (25 mi) south of Plzeň. It lies in the Švihov Highlands. The highest point is at 695 m (2,280 ft) above sea level, below the summit of Velký Bítov hill. The Úhlava River flows along the eastern municipal border and shortly through the municipality.

History

The first written mention of Bezděkov is from 1331. The village was probably founded in the 13th century.^[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,278 —     1880 1,379 +7.9% 1890 1,268 −8.0% 1900 1,287 +1.5% 1910 1,370 +6.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,306 −4.7% 1930 1,274 −2.5% 1950 945 −25.8% 1961 940 −0.5% 1970 883 −6.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 836 −5.3% 1991 812 −2.9% 2001 846 +4.2% 2011 949 +12.2% 2021 920 −3.1%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Transport

The I/22 road (the section from Klatovy to Domažlice) runs through the municipality.

Bezděkov is located on the main railway line Prague–Železná Ruda via Plzeň and on the regional line Klatovy–Domažlice.^[5]

Sights

Bezděkov Castle

The main landmark of Bezděkov is the Bezděkov Castle. The original castle was built on the site of an older Gothic fortress in 1737. In 1854–1856, the castle was rebuilt into its current Gothic Revival form by the architect Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann. Today, the castle is privately owned and inaccessible.^[6]

The Church of Saint Anne on a hill near Bezděkov dates from 1693. After its capacity became insufficient, the Church of Saint Wenceslaus was built in the centre of the village in 1899–1901. It belongs to the youngest churches in the region.^[7]

Notable people

• Christian Heinrich Spiess (1755–1799), German writer; lived and died here

Gallery

• 
  Primary school
• 
  Pond
• 
  Grave of Christian Heinrich Spiess

References

1. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
2. "Historie Bezděkova" (in Czech). Obec Bezděkov. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
3. "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
4. "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
5. "Detail stanice Bezděkov u Klatov" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
6. "Zámek Bezděkov" (in Czech). Obec Bezděkov. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
7. "Historie, památky" (in Czech). Obec Bezděkov. Retrieved 2022-12-02.

External links

• Official website