Chudenice

Chudenice (Chudenitz) is a market town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Bezpravovice, Býšov, Lučice and Slatina are administrative parts of Chudenice.

Geography
Chudenice is located about 11 km northwest of Klatovy and 33 km southwest of Plzeň. It lies in the Švihov Highlands. The highest point is a hill at 697 m above sea level.

History
The first written mention of Chudenice is from 1200. From the first half of the 13th century until 1945, Chudenice was continuously owned by the Czernin family. In 1592, the village was promoted to a market town by Emperor Rudolf II.

Transport
There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipal territory.

Sights
The Old Chudenice Castle was originally a medieval fortress, rebuilt into a Renaissance residence at the end of the 16th century. Its present appearance is a result of Baroque and Neoclassical modifications. A part of the valuable castle complex is a former brewery from the 16th century. Today the castle is owned by Chudenice. It is open to the public and offers guided tours. The northern wing houses the Museum of Josef Dobrovský.

The Lázeň Castle is a former summer house of the Czernin family. It was originally a Baroque spa building, rebuilt in the Empire style in 1849–1859. Around the castle is a landscape park with dendrologically valuable trees.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist was built in the Gothic style in the mid-14th century. Later it was modified in the Baroque style. The tower was added in 1660. The interior is decorated with valuable Gothic paintings from the 15th century.

The remains of the former pilgrimage Church of St. Wolfgang is a tower. The church was built in the Baroque style in 1722–1729 by František Maxmilián Kaňka. It was abolished in 1785. A Neoclassical chapel was added to the tower in 1772. The church tower was changed to an observation tower in 1845. Today the tower is called Bolfánek.

Notable people

 * Josef Reicha (1752–1795), cellist
 * Jaroslav Kvapil (1868–1950), writer
 * Jan Roubal (1880–1971), entomologist