Halže

Halže (Hals) is a municipality and village in Tachov District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Branka, Horní Výšina and Svobodka are administrative parts of Halže.

Etymology
The original German name Hals means 'neck' or 'throat'. The name referred to the location of the village on a long, narrow elevated place between the mountains. The Czech name was derived from the German one.

Geography
Halže is located about 5 km northwest of Tachov and 56 km northwest of Plzeň. The municipality lies on the border with Germany and is adjacent to German municipalities of Bärnau and Mähring. It lies in the Upper Palatine Forest mountain range. The highest point is at 766 m above sea level. The Mže River flows through the municipality. On the southern municipal border there is the Lučina Reservoir.

History
The first written mention of Halže is from 1479. It was a part of the Tachov estate until 1644, when the village was donated to the newly established monastery in Světce. Halže was owned by the monastery until 1787, when the monastery was abolished, then it became a separate estate. It the 1880s, it was acquired by the Landwehr of Wehrheim family, who owned it until 1945.

In 1945, most German-speaking inhabitants, which made majority of the population in Halže, were expelled. After the war, the municipality was only partly repopulated.

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

Sights
The main landmark of Halže is the Church of Saints John and Paul. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1799–1801 and the Empire tower was added in 1855.