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Karlovy Vary Region

Karlovy Vary Region
Karlovarský kraj
Region
Flag of Karlovy Vary Region
Flag
Coat of arms of Karlovy Vary Region
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 50°13′42″N 12°58′00″E / 50.22833°N 12.96667°E / 50.22833; 12.96667
CountryCzech Republic
CapitalKarlovy Vary
DistrictsKarlovy Vary District, Sokolov District, Cheb District
Government
 • GovernorJana Mračková Vildumetzová (ANO)
Area
 • Total3,314.46 km2 (1,279.72 sq mi)
Highest elevation
1,244 m (4,081 ft)
Population
 (2024-01-01)[1]
 • Total295,077
 • Density89/km2 (230/sq mi)
GDP
[2]
 • TotalCZK 99.823 billion
(€3.893 billion)
ISO 3166 codeCZ-41
Vehicle registrationK
Websitewww.kr-karlovarsky.cz

The Karlovy Vary Region (Czech: Karlovarský kraj) is an administrative unit (Czech: kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the westernmost part of the country. It is named after its capital Karlovy Vary. It is known for spas, which include Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně.

The Karlovy Vary Region, as a higher territorial self-governing unit, was created in 2000 in the northern part of the West Bohemian Region. The seat of the region is Karlovy Vary. In terms of size, number of municipalities, and population, it ranks among the smaller regions of the Czech Republic. Its area (3,314 km²) covers 4.25% of the territory of the Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Region is the third smallest region by area, right after Prague and the Liberec Region. By population, the Karlovy Vary Region is the smallest region in the Czech Republic, with approximately 295,000 inhabitants.

Administrative divisions

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The Karlovy Vary Region is divided into three districts:

Districts of Karlovy Vary Region
  Cheb
  Karlovy Vary
  Sokolov

At a lower level, the region has 134 municipalities, comprising 56 in the Karlovy Vary District, 40 in the Cheb District and 38 in the Sokolov District.[3]

Population

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Karlovy Vary Region is the smallest region in the Czech Republic with a population of less than 300,000. Only 11 municipalities have populations greater than 5,000. The largest municipality of the region is Karlovy Vary with a population of around 50,000. The table below shows the municipalities in Karlovy Vary Region with the largest population (as of 1 January 2024):[4]

Name Population Area (km2) District
Karlovy Vary 49,353 59 Karlovy Vary District
Cheb 32,825 96 Cheb District
Sokolov 22,155 23 Sokolov District
Ostrov 15,825 50 Karlovy Vary District
Mariánské Lázně 14,225 52 Cheb District
Chodov 12,649 14 Sokolov District
Aš 12,783 56 Cheb District

Other significant towns in Karlovy Vary Region are Nejdek, Kraslice, Františkovy Lázně and Horní Slavkov.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1869322,278—    
1880357,772+11.0%
1890379,786+6.2%
1900431,366+13.6%
1910477,729+10.7%
YearPop.±%
1921457,130−4.3%
1930501,905+9.8%
1950243,977−51.4%
1961278,879+14.3%
1970298,110+6.9%
YearPop.±%
1980311,995+4.7%
1991301,985−3.2%
2001304,315+0.8%
2011295,564−2.9%
2021279,103−5.6%
Source: Censuses[5][6]

Economy

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Spas

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The region is responsible over half of the county's spa industry.[7] Twelve spas are in the city of Karlovy Vary.[8] Other spa towns in the region include Františkovy Lázně, Mariánské Lázně, Lázně Kynžvart and Jáchymov.[9] The spas are visited by Czechs as well as by people from the rest of Europe, Russia, Israel and North America.[10] The Karlovy Vary spa wafer, a local food item, was awarded protected designation of origin (PDO) status by the European Commission in 2011.[11]

The water from the region is used in locally produced beverages including Mattoni from Karlovy Vary and Aquila from the village of Kyselka.[12]

Black Triangle

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The region is the home of two power stations, Vřesová and Tisová, both in the Sokolov District. The region is also part of the so-called Black Triangle, an area of heavy industrialization and environmental damage on the three-way border of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.[13]

Transport

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The Karlovy Region is served by Karlovy Vary Airport, which handled more than 100,000 passengers in 2012.[14] The region is also home to two other airports, neither of which are used for passenger flights. These are Cheb Airport, the oldest airport in the country,[15] and Mariánské Lázně Airport.

The region lacks any motorways.[16] The unfinished R6 expressway passes through the region, linking Cheb and Karlovy Vary to Prague. The length of operated railway lines in the region is 493 km (306 mi).[16]

Education

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The Czech University of Life Sciences Prague opened a centre in the village of Dalovice in the Karlovy Vary District in 2007.[17] The private College of Karlovy Vary is also located in the region, in addition to regional centres of the Banking Institute / College of Banking in Karlovy Vary and the University of West Bohemia in Cheb and Sokolov.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Population of cohesion regions, regions and districts of the Czech Republic, 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  2. ^ https://www.czso.cz/csu/xb/regionalni_hdp Language - Czech, Access date - 01/30/2021
  3. ^ "Population of municipalities of the Czech republic". Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  4. ^ "Population of municipalities of the Czech Republic, 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  5. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
  6. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  7. ^ "Tourism drops but not for everyone". The Prague Post. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Spas". Radio Prague. 5 December 2004. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Karlovy Vary Region - Basic Information". Tourist portal of Karlovy Vary Region. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  10. ^ "Spa treatment becoming less affordable for Czechs". Radio Prague. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  11. ^ "Czechs win protection for Karlovy Vary spa wafers". Radio Prague. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Balené vody na tuzemském trhu". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). 27 June 2001. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) page 9.
  14. ^ "Letiště Karlovy Vary loni mělo zisk na 8,7 milionu korun". Czech News Agency (in Czech). 23 June 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Mailbox". Radio Prague. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  16. ^ a b "Doprava" [Transport] (XLS). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  17. ^ a b "V Karlovarském kraji otevře studium zemědělská univerzita". Czech News Agency (in Czech). Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
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