Běhařov


Běhařov is a municipality and village in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants.
WWW beharov.cz

Administrative division

Běhařov consists of two municipal parts :
  • Běhařov
  • Úborsko

Etymology

The name is derived from the surname Běhař, meaning "Běhař's ".

Geography

Běhařov is located about southwest of Klatovy and south of Plzeň. It lies in the Švihov Highlands. The highest point is at above sea level. The Úhlava River flows along the southern municipal border.

History

The first written mention of Běhařov is from 1352, when the village with a fortress were owned by the local noble family that called themselves Barons of Běhařov. Běhařov often changed hands and was owned by various lesser noblemen. During the Thirty Years' War, it became part of the Bystřice estate.

Transport

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

Sights

The main landmarks of Běhařov are the Church of Saint Procopius and Běhařov Castle. The church was built in the early Gothic style in the mid-13th century, but it was damaged by the fires in 1616, 1777 and 1789, and was reconstructed in the Baroque style. The tower was raised in 1693. The last large reconstruction of the church was after the fire in 1911.
The Běhařov Castle was originally a Gothic-Renaissance fortress, rebuilt to its present Baroque form in the first half of the 18th century. In 1917, the castle was bought by the painter Alois Kalvoda. He had reconstructed the building, founded a summer painting school here and decorated the landscape park around the castle with sculptures by Jan Štursa, Franta Úprka and Josef Drahoňovský.

Notable people