Plesná

For the river, see Plesná (river).

Plesná (German: Fleißen) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants.

Plesná
Town
View of the town
Flag Coat of arms
Plesná Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°10′14″N 12°21′41″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Karlovy Vary
District	Cheb
First mentioned	1185
Government
• Mayor	Petr Schaller
Area
• Total	19.26 km2 (7.44 sq mi)
Elevation	499 m (1,637 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,886
• Density	97.92/km2 (253.6/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	351 35
Website	www.mestoplesna.cz

Administrative division

Plesná consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Plesná (1,755)
• Lomnička (89)
• Smrčina (6)
• Vackov (8)

Geography

Plesná is located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of Cheb and 36 km (22 mi) west of Karlovy Vary, on the border with Germany. It lies in the Fichtel Mountains. The highest point is the hill Bukový vrch at 650 m (2,130 ft) above sea level. The Plesná River flows through the town.

History

The first written mention of Plesná is from 1185, when it belonged to Waldsassen Abbey. In 1900, Plesná became a town.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,907 —     1880 3,040 +4.6% 1890 3,239 +6.5% 1900 3,861 +19.2% 1910 4,725 +22.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 4,416 −6.5% 1930 5,425 +22.8% 1950 2,126 −60.8% 1961 1,996 −6.1% 1970 2,014 +0.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,883 −6.5% 1991 1,692 −10.1% 2001 1,982 +17.1% 2011 2,021 +2.0% 2021 1,858 −8.1%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

Lutheran church

Plesná is located on the railway line Cheb–Bad Brambach.^[6]

On the Czech-German border is the road border crossing Plesná / Bad Brambach and the railway border crossing Vojtanov / Bad Brambach.

Sights

Church of the Immaculate Conception

The most valuable cultural landmark is the Lutheran church, located in the northwestern part of the town. It was built in the Neo-Renaissance style in 1847–1849.^[7]

A notable landmark is the Church of the Immaculate Conception. It was built in the Historicist style in 1893–1895. It is not protected as a cultural monument.^[8]

There are several conciliation crosses in the territory of Plesná. A set of three such crosses from 1864, situated in the western part of Plesná.^[9] Another conciliation cross is in Lomnička.^[10]

In the southern part of the municipal territory are the remnants of the medieval gord called Neuhaus. Today, only landscaping is visible.^[11]

Notable people

• Isaac Mayer Wise (1819–1900), American Reform rabbi
• František Nedvěd (1950–2010), weightlifter

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Plesná is twinned with:^[12]

• Bad Brambach, Germany
• Eichenzell, Germany
• Erbendorf, Germany
• Rosenthal am Rennsteig, Germany