Sokolov, Czech Republic

Sokolov (, until 1948 Falknov nad Ohří; Falkenau an der Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Hrušková and Novina and the area of the former village of Vítkov are administrative parts of Sokolov.

Etymology
The meaning of the original German name Falkenau was "falcon's riparian forest", the original Czech name Falknov was created by transcription of the German name. According to legend, it was related to hobby of knight Sebastian, who is said to have been the founder of the town, of falconry. After World War II, when it was customary to change names of German origin, the town was renamed Sokolov. According to communist propaganda at the time, the name was not related to a falcon (i.e. sokol in Czech), but to the Battle of Sokolovo in which Czechoslovak soldiers had fought alongside Soviet soldiers on the Eastern Front in World War II.

Geography
Sokolov is located about 16 km southwest of Karlovy Vary. It lies mostly in the Sokolov Basin. The eastern part of the municipal territory extends into the Slavkov Forest and includes the highest point of Sokolov, the hill Zelený močál at 797 m above sea level. The Ohře River flows through the town.

On the eastern outskirts of the town there is Lake Michal, an artificial lake created by flooding of former coal quarry. It has an area of 30 ha and serves recreational purposes.

History
The first written mention of Sokolov is from 13 April 1279 under the name Falkenau / Falknov. The town was a property of noble families of Nothaft and later Schlick. The Schlick family built here a small castle, which was rebuilt in the 16th century.

After the Battle of White Mountain the Nostitz family gained Sokolov. During the Thirty Years' War the town and the castle was repeatedly burned out. The town and the castle was recovered in the 1760s by Johann Hartwig of Nostitz-Rieneck. In the 18th century, there was a great expansion of urban crafts and hop growing.

From 1867 to 1918, the town was part of Austria-Hungary, head of the Falkenau an der Eger District, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia. In 1919, the town, being part of the continuous German Sprachraum, was proclaimed part of the Republic of German-Austria, but shortly afterwards became part of the First Czechoslovak Republic.

From 1938 to 1945, the town was occupied by Nazi Germany and administered as part of Reichsgau Sudetenland. During World War II, in April 1941, the Stalag 359 prisoner-of-war camp was established in the town by the occupiers, however, it was relocated to Poniatowa in German-occupied Poland in September 1941. The town was also the site of a sub-camp of the Flossenbürg concentration camp, which was liberated the U.S. 1st Infantry Division on 6 May 1945. Nearly all of the town's population, being Germans, were expelled after 1945 in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement.

Economy
The region is known for mining of lignite. The largest employer based in the town is Sokolovská uhelná, a major Czech mining company.

Transport
The D6 motorway from Karlovy Vary to Cheb runs through the town.

Sokolov is located on the major railway lines Prague–Cheb and Plzeň–Karlovy Vary. The town is also the starting point of a railway line heading to Kraslice and Mehltheuer in Germany.

Sport
The town is home to a football club, FK Baník Sokolov. It used to play in the second tier of the Czech football team, but today it plays in lower amateur tiers.

Sights
The Church of Saint James the Great is one of the landmarks of the town centre. It was first documented in the 13th century and rebuilt in the late Renaissance style in 1632–1637. In 1671–1681, it was modified in the early Baroque style. The church tower is built in the spirit of the Saxon Renaissance.

The Sokolov Castle was built on the site of a former water fortress in late Renaissance and early Baroque styles. In 1800–1805, the building was modified in the Neoclassical style. Since 1960, the castle has been the seat of the Regional Museum, focused mainly on the development of mining and the history of the region.

A cultural monument is the former Capuchin monastery with the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua. It dates from the end of the 17th century. Today, the premises of the monastery are privately owned and the premises of the church serves as a concert and exhibition hall.

Notable people

 * Ernst Hammer (1884–1957), German military officer
 * Václav Blažek (born 1959), historical linguist
 * Štefan Füle (born 1962), diplomat
 * Markéta Vondroušová (born 1999), tennis player

Twin towns – sister cities
Sokolov is twinned with:
 * 🇩🇪 Saalfeld, Germany
 * 🇩🇪 Schwandorf, Germany