Bělá nad Radbuzou

Bělá nad Radbuzou (Weißensulz) is a town in Domažlice District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Bystřice, Čečín, Černá Hora, Doubravka, Hleďsebe, Karlova Huť, Nový Dvůr, Pleš, Smolov, Újezd Svatého Kříže and Železná are administrative parts of Bělá nad Radbuzou.

Etymology
Bělá nad Radbuzou got its name probably from the Radbuza River, which was called here Bílý potok ('white stream').

Geography
Bělá nad Radbuzou is located about 9 km north of Domažlice and 37 km southwest of Plzeň. The town is situated at the confluence of the Radbuza River and the stream Bezděkovský potok. The built-up area lies in the Upper Palatine Forest Foothills, but most of the municipal territory lies in the Upper Palatine Forest and borders Germany in the west.

History
The first written mention of Bělá nad Radbuzou is from 1121, when the near Přimda Castle was built. Until 1600, Bělá nad Radbuzou was a part of the Přimda estate. In the 16th century, it became a property of Lamminger of Albenreuth, a Bavarian noble family. In 1614 the Lamminger family built a small Renaissance castle and a brewery. After the Battle of White Mountain, in 1623, the estate was merged with Újezd Svatého Kříže and the castle ceased to serve as the seat of the estate. In 2014, the castle burned down.

Transport
Bělá nad Radbuzou is located on the railway line Domažlice–Planá.

Sights
The main landmark of the town centre is the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows. It was built in 1721 on the site of a chapel from the late 17th century. The church was completely rebuilt into its current Neoclassical form in 1826–1846.

A cultural monument is the stone bridge over the Bezděkovský potok from 1820.

Notable people

 * Jan Smudek (1915–1999), resistance fighter
 * Hans Drachsler (1916–1996), German politician

Twin towns – sister cities
Bělá nad Radbuzou is twinned with:
 * 🇩🇪 Eslarn, Germany
 * Hindelbank, Switzerland