Družec

Družec is a municipality and village in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants.

Etymology
The name was originally written as Družeč and was derived from the personal name Družec, meaning "Družec's (court)".

Geography
Družec is located about 6 km southwest of Kladno and 20 km west of Prague. It lies in the Křivoklát Highlands. The highest point is the Dojka hill at 445 m above sea level. The Loděnice River flows through the municipality.

History
The first written mention of Družec is from 1320.

Transport
The D6 motorway from Prague to Karlovy Vary runs through the northern part of the municipality.

Sights
The main landmark of Družec is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is a pilgrimage church, first mentioned in 1352. The originally Gothic church was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1688–1689.

Next to the church there is a sandstone Marian column from 1674 and a man-sized menhir called Zkamenělec ("Man-turned-into-stone"), surrounded with legends of a punished perjurer.