Rotava

Rotava (German: Rothau) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants.

Rotava
Town
Skyline of Rotava
Flag Coat of arms
Rotava Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°18′11″N 12°33′23″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Karlovy Vary
District	Sokolov
First mentioned	1552
Government
• Mayor	Michal Červenka
Area
• Total	12.01 km2 (4.64 sq mi)
Elevation	568 m (1,864 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	2,778
• Density	230/km2 (600/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	357 01, 357 02
Website	www.rotava.cz

Administrative division

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

• Rotava (2,583)
• Smolná (53)

Geography

Rotava is located about 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of Sokolov and 21 km (13 mi) northwest of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the Ore Mountains. The highest point is the mountain Sklenský vrch at 817 m (2,680 ft) above sea level. The Svatava River flows along the western municipal border. The Rotava Stream flows along the eastern and southern border and then joins the Svatava.

History

The iron ore was mined in the area from 1543. The first written mention of Rotava is from 1552, when there was a hamlet with a hammer mill. Until 1628, the area was owned by the Schlick family. For the next centuries, it was property of the Nostitz family. The municipality of Rotava was created in the 19th century by merger of several settlements. The establishment of a bar iron rolling mill in 1861 brought significant development in Rotava.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,248 —     1880 2,341 +4.1% 1890 2,572 +9.9% 1900 3,213 +24.9% 1910 4,439 +38.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 4,563 +2.8% 1930 4,695 +2.9% 1950 1,477 −68.5% 1961 1,883 +27.5% 1970 4,110 +118.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 3,784 −7.9% 1991 3,433 −9.3% 2001 3,449 +0.5% 2011 3,145 −8.8% 2021 2,636 −16.2%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

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

Sights

The main landmark of Rotava is the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. It is a modern church, built in 1914–1925.^[6]

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Rotava is twinned with:^[7]

• Veitshöchheim, Germany