Lhenice

Market town in South Bohemian, Czech Republic

Flag

Coat of arms

48°59′42″N 14°8′59″E / 48.99500°N 14.14972°E / 48.99500; 14.14972Country

Czech RepublicRegionSouth BohemianDistrictPrachaticeFirst mentioned1283Area

• Total39.14 km² (15.11 sq mi)Elevation

559 m (1,834 ft)Population

(2023-01-01)^[1]

• Total2,109 • Density54/km² (140/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code

384 02

Websitewww.lhenice.cz

Lhenice (German: Elhenitz) is a market town in Prachatice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

The villages of Dolní Chrášťany, Horní Chrášťany, Hoříkovice, Hrbov, Třebanice, Třešňový Újezdec, Vadkov and Vodice are administrative parts of Lhenice.

Etymology

The original name of the village was Lhynice and was derived from the personal name Lhyně, meaning "the village of Lhyně's people".^[2]

Geography

Lhenice is located about 11 kilometres (7 mi) east of Prachatice and 24 km (15 mi) west of České Budějovice. It lies in the Bohemian Forest Foothills. The highest point is at 756 m (2,480 ft) above sea level. The territory is rich in small streams and fishponds.

History

The first written mention of Lhenice is from 1283, when the village was owned by the monastery in Zlatá Koruna. After the Hussite Wars, it became part of the Tábor estate. In 1544, Lhenice was promoted to a market town by Emperor Ferdinand I. In 1547, Lhenice was acquired by the Rosenberg family. The next owners were the families of Schwamberg (1611–1622), Eggenberg (1622–1719) and Schwarzenberg (from 1719 until the establishment of an independent municipality).^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1869	3,034	—
1880	3,044	+0.3%
1890	2,784	−8.5%
1900	2,775	−0.3%
1910	2,760	−0.5%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	2,770	+0.4%
1930	2,672	−3.5%
1950	2,005	−25.0%
1961	1,959	−2.3%
1970	1,799	−8.2%

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	1,796	−0.2%
1991	1,782	−0.8%
2001	1,743	−2.2%
2011	1,784	+2.4%
2021	2,039	+14.3%

Source: Censuses^[4]^[5]

Economy

Lhenice is known for growing fruit.^[6]

Transport

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

Sights

The main landmark of Lhenice is the Church of Saint James the Great. It was originally a Gothic church, rebuilt and extended in 1734–1740.^[7]

The town hall is a valuable Baroque building. It was built in 1811–1814.^[8]

The village of Vodice is protected as a village monument reservation for one of the most complete sets of folk architecture in the region and intact urban structure of the village. Today's appearance of the homestead dates back to the 1860s and 1870s.^[9] For similar reasons, the village of Třešňový Újezdec is protected as a village monument zone.^[10]

Twin towns – sister cities

Lhenice is twinned with:^[11]

Budča, Slovakia
Gurbrü, Switzerland

References

^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
^ Profous, Antonín (1949). Místní jména v Čechách II: CH–L (in Czech). pp. 515–516.
^ "Historie" (in Czech). Městys Lhenice. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Prachatice" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 7–8.
^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
^ "Informace o Lhenicích" (in Czech). Městys Lhenice. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
^ "Kostel sv. Jakuba Většího" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
^ "Radnice" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
^ "Vodice" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
^ "Třešňový Újezdec" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
^ "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Městys Lhenice. Retrieved 2024-03-05.