Today the second largest town of Bohemia, Plzen was founded in the 13 th century under the order of King Wencenslas at the strategic hub of four rivers and three trading routes. The town hall in the city center which is under monumental protection is surrounded by an ensemble of renaissance and baroque architecture. Outside of the old town center however, broad boulevards and Wilhelmian style buildings are a testimonial to the economic growth that the city experienced at the end of the 19 th century. One of the significant cornerstones of this development in addition to the foundation of the machine factory Skoda was the establishment of the brewery. During a visit to the traditional Plzen Brewery you will be introduced to the intricacies of beer brewing and its history. Included in the tour of the brewery is of course a sample of this golden water from Plzen.

History

Pilsen was first mentioned as a castle in 976, as the scene of a battle between Duke Boleslaus II of Bohemia and Emperor Otto II. It became a town in 1295 when King Wenceslas II granted Pilsen its civic charter and established a new town site, located some 10 km away from the original settlement, which is the current town of Starý Plzenec. It quickly became an important town on trade routes leading to Nuremberg and Regensburg; in the 14th century, it was the third-largest town in Bohemia after Prague and Kutná Hora. During the Hussite Wars, it was the centre of Catholic resistance to the Hussites: Prokop the Great unsuccessfully besieged it three times, and it joined the league of Romanist nobles against King George of Podebrady. In 1468, the town acquired a printing press; the Troyan Chronicle, the first book published in Bohemia, was printed on it. Emperor Rudolf II made Pilsen his seat from 1599-1600. During the Thirty Years' War the town was taken by Mansfeld in 1618 after the Siege of Plzen and it was not recaptured by the Imperialists until 1621. Wallenstein made it his winter-quarters in 1633. The town was unsuccessfully besieged by the Swedes in 1637 and 1648. At the end of the 17th century, the architecture of Pilsen began to be influenced by the Baroque style. The historic city center has been under historic preservation since 1989.

On May 6, 1945, at the very end of World War II, Pilsen was liberated from Nazi Germany by the 16th Armored Division of General Patton's 3rd Army. Furthermore, participating in the liberation of the city were elements of the 97th and 2nd Infantry Divisions. Other Third Army units liberated major portions of Western Bohemia. The rest of Czechoslovakia was liberated from German control by the Soviet Red Army. Elements of Third Army remained in Plzen until late November 1945 assisting the Czechs with re-building from the war. After seizing power in 1948, the Communists undertook a systematic campaign to suppress all acknowledgements of the U.S. Army's role in liberating the city and Western Bohemia. This effort continued until 1989 when the Communists were removed from power. Since 1990, the city of Plzen has organized annual Liberation Festival taking place in May, which has already become a local tradition, and has been attended by many American and Allied veterans. In 1953, the totalitarian, Soviet-oriented Czechoslovak government launched a currency reform. This decision caused a wave of discontent throughout the society, while the events in Pilsen were more intense.

For more information regarding Plzen visit official website.