Plánice

Plánice (Planitz) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,600 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Bližanovy, Křížovice, Kvasetice, Lovčice, Mlynářovice, Nová Plánice, Pohoří, Štipoklasy, Vracov, Zbyslav and Zdebořice are administrative parts of Plánice. Mlynářovice forms an exclave of the municipal territory.

Etymology
The name is a diminutive form of pláně, which means 'plains'.

Geography
Plánice is located about 13 km east of Klatovy and 38 km south of Plzeň. It lies in the Blatná Uplands. The highest point is the hill Rovná at 724 m above sea level. The town is situated on the left bank of the Úslava River. There are several small fishponds in the municipal territory.

History
The first written mention of Plánice is from 1144, when it was property of the newly established monastery of Pomuk. As a town, Plánice was first mentioned in 1329. During its history, the town was owned by the noble families of Schwamberg, Sternberg, Rožmitál and Martinic.

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

Sights
The main landmark of Plánice is the Church of Saint Blaise. The original Gothic church was first documented in 1352. It was demolished and in 1755–1757, it was replaced by the current Baroque building. It was built by the architect Anselmo Lurago, probably according to the plans of Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer.

Plánice Castle was originally a fortress, built in the second half of the 16th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was rebuilt into the early Baroque castle. Today it is owned by the town and inaccessible to the public.

Notable people

 * František Křižík (1847–1941), engineer and inventor

Twin towns – sister cities
Plánice is twinned with:
 * Rubigen, Switzerland