STATISTICAL DATA
CzechInvest Information Series No. 12
Serial No.: REG/02/94-12
Date of Issue: February 10, 1994
STATISTICAL DATA
Area: 10,875 square kilometres
Population: 869,188*
Economically Active Population: 446,570, or 51.9% of the population (208,095 were women)*
Population Density: 80 inhabitants per square kilometre
Ethnic Diversity: 91.8% Czech; 4.7% Slovak; 0.5% Moravian; 3.0% Other (in descending order: Silesian, Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, German, Ruthenian, Ukrainian, and Russian)
Largest City: Plzen (population=174,676*)
*From the 1991 Census
In terms of both geographical size and population density, Western Bohemia is the Czech Republic's second smallest region. With the opening of the country's borders in 1989, however, the region's proximity to neighboring Germany has ensured increased development, in both industry and tourism.
Western Bohemia is an industrial region, with Plzen as its centre of heavy industrial production. Such internationally renowned exports as Moser glass, Pilsner Urquell beer, and Bohemian crystal and porcelain are also produced in this region.
Western Bohemia can be divided into three socio-economic areas:
1. The area of Plzen is dominated by its largest city, Plzen, which is the Czech Republic's centre for pilsner beer production. Among other pilsner beers produced here, Prazdroj is one of the country's most successful and is exported throughout the world as Pilsner Urquell. Other important towns in this area are Rokycany, with 16,212 inhabitants, and Tachov, with 13,436.
2. The area to the west of the Krusne Hory mountains includes the districts of Cheb, Sokolov, and Karlovy Vary.
3. The area to the west of Sumava, located along the border with Germany, includes the districts of Klatovy and Domazlice. Klatovy, the area's largest town and so-called "door to Sumava," relies on its high level of cattle breeding for the production of leather and fancy leather goods; the town is also a known producer of lingerie and mens' shirts. Susice is the area's centre for wood production, represented by the Solo company which exports wooden matches world-wide.
Western Bohemia is traversed by an extensive road network. The E12 motor way, part of the European motor way network, connects Plzen to Prague. The rest of the region is connected by main routes radiating from Plzen. A motor way connecting Prague-Plzen-Rozvadov is currently under construction.
The railroad network is equally extensive, and 4/5 of the region's towns have a railroad station in the immediate vicinity. The main railroad line is Cheb-Plzen-Praha.
Air transportation in the region is represented by a domestic airport in Karlovy Vary.
The Sumava region, previously closed by the Communist regime because of its proximity to the German border, is now attracting tourists with its unblemished scenery and thriving wildlife. Untouched by man for forty years, the area is filled with lakes, mountains, and rivers. Western Bohemia is also known for its thermal spas, the most famous being Karlovy Vary, Frantiskovy Lazne, and Marianske Lazne. Karlovy Vary, the Czech Republic's oldest and most renowned spa town, is also the source of Becherovka, an internationally exported Czech liqueur. Past visitors to these spas include J.W. Goethe, Ludwig van Beethoven, J.S. Bach, and various royal figures. Other spas in the region include Jachymov, Konstantinovy Lazne, and Lazne Kynzvart.
NOTE: This information is current as of February 1994. Although we have made every effort to ensure the reliability of our sources, CzechInvest does not assume responsibility for its accuracy.
