Slaný

Slaný (Schlan) is a town in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 17,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts
The villages of Blahotice, Dolín, Lotouš, Kvíc, Kvíček, Netovice, Otruby, Trpoměchy and Želevčice are administrative parts of Slaný.

Etymology
The word slaný literally means 'salty' in Czech. According to the Wenceslaus Hajek's chronicle records, Slaný was founded at the site of a salt spring below the hill of Slánská hora.

Geography
Slaný is located about 9 km north of Kladno and 25 km northwest of Prague. It lies in the Prague Plateau. The highest point and a dominant feature of the town's panorama is the hill Slánská hora at 330 m above sea level. The stream of Červený potok flows through the municipal territory from the southwest to the northeast.

History
The first written mention of Slaný is from 1262. The town grew as a result of its location on the trade route between Prague and Saxony. The Benedictines established a hospital here in 1136, together with a church dedicated to St. Gotthard. It was this large presence of the church, and the unconsolidated state of landed property that went with it, that allowed King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia to charter Slaný as a town and give his royal assent to its Magdeburg rights only sometime in the decade after 1295. In 1348, an earthquake damaged the now-fortified town; in 1371, a large fire broke out, and the church had to be rebuilt.

Slaný was captured by the Taborites in 1425 during the Hussite Wars, and remained in their hands until 1434. Not only did the Benedictine monks have to leave — this town by the hill was also one of Hussite holy cities, and their preachers expected it to survive the anticipated end of the world. Later, King George of Poděbrady gave Slaný many privileges, after the town had supported his election to the throne. The town also participated in the Bohemian Revolt that opened the Thirty Years' War, housing the family of King Frederick V. After the Battle of White Mountain, that meant a defeat for the cause, the town suffered as a result of the ravages of war. Afterwards, the new Catholic possessors of Slaný, the Martinic family, erected a Baroque church and edifice that, together with a new monastery, adorn the town to this day.

From the middle of the 19th century, Slaný began to be industrialized. The industry focused primarily on the needs of agriculture.

Transport
Slaný is situated at the crossing of the Prague–Louny and Mělník–Karlovy Vary roads, near the end of the unfinished D7 motorway.

Slaný is the terminus and starting point of the railway line from/to Kralupy nad Vltavou. The town is served by two train stations.

Education
Slaný is home to three secondary schools: Václav Beneš Třebízský Gymnasium, Dr. Edvard Beneš Business Academy, and Secondary Vocational School Slaný. There are five primary schools and also one primary art school.

Sport
Slaný is the home venue of the motorcycle speedway club AK Slaný. Motorcycle speedway is held at the Slaný Speedway Stadium in the southeast of the town. It was opened in 1950. The venue hosted the final of the 1962 Speedway World Team Cup.

Sights
The former town hall on the town square is the main landmark of the town. it is located on the site of a house, which donated King Charles IV to the town in 1378. It was burned and then rebuilt several times and its present neo-Renaissance appearance dates from 1895–1896. It has a 43 m high clock tower. Today it is the seat of the police and of a gallery.

The second landmark of the town square is the former Piarist college. It was built in 1658–1665. It served students until 1939. Today it is a museum, library and cinema. The Chapel of the Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary is used for social events.

Velvary Gate is one of the last remnants of the town fortifications. It dates from the second half of the 15th century. Today it houses an exhibition of the town museum.

The formerly Franciscan monastery was founded in 1655 and completed in 1662. Since 1996, it has been home to the Order of Discalced Carmelites. The Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1581–1602. The core of the church is the Loreto Chapel with a statue of the Black Mother of God, which was built in 1657.

The deanery Church of Saint Gotthard is a Gothic church located on the site of a former Romanesque basilica from the 13th century. The original Renaissance baptistery dates from 1511.

Notable people

 * Josef Matěj Navrátil (1798–1865), painter
 * Václav Beneš Třebízský (1849–1884), priest and novelist; studied here
 * Jan Malypetr (1873–1947), politician, prime minister of Czechoslovakia
 * Oskar Fischer (1876–1942), psychiatrist and neuropathologist
 * Olga Scheinpflugová (1902–1968), actress and author
 * Karel Smyczek (born 1950), film director and screenwriter
 * Eva Urbanová (born 1961), operatic soprano
 * Roman Matoušek (1964–2020), national champion speedway rider
 * Martin Procházka (born 1972), ice hockey player
 * Jiří Tlustý (born 1988), ice hockey player

Twin towns – sister cities
Slaný is twinned with:
 * 🇩🇪 Pegnitz, Germany
 * 🇸🇰 Skalica, Slovakia

Friendly towns
Slaný also cooperates with:
 * 🇨🇿 Bolatice, Czech Republic
 * 🇫🇷 Guyancourt, France
 * Linlithgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

Slaný is a part of the Commonwealth of Towns With Hussite Past and Tradition, along with other 11 Czech and 6 German municipalities.