Staňkov (Domažlice District)

Staňkov (Stankau) is a town in Domažlice District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,400 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
Staňkov is made up of the town parts of Staňkov I and Staňkov II, and the villages of Krchleby, Ohučov and Vránov.

Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name Staněk.

Geography
Staňkov is located about 16 km northeast of Domažlice and 28 km southwest of Plzeň. It lies in the Plasy Uplands. The highest point is the hill Holubí hlava at 475 m above sea level. The Radbuza River flows through the town.

History
The first written mention of the village of Staňkov is from 1233. The market town of Staňkov was a separate settlement first mentioned in 1367. In 1271 the village was sold to Chotěšov Abbey and both the village and the market town were its property until 1425.

Staňkov village and Staňkov market town existed separately until 1938, when they were merged into one municipality. In 1960, Staňkov became a town.

During World War II, the metalworks in Staňkov were accidentally bombed by the RAF on 28 October 1940 when they were mistaken for the nearby Škoda Works.

Transport
The I/26 road from Plzeň to the Czech-German border in Česká Kubice runs through Staňkov.

Staňkov is located on the railway line Plzeň–Domažlice and is the starting point of a local line to Poběžovice.

Sights
The main landmark of Staňkov is the Church of Saint James the Great. It is originally a Gothic church from the 14th century. The tower was raised in 1673. Baroque modifications were made in 1738.

The town hall is a late Baroque building from the end of the 18th century, after the old town hall from 1620 was destroyed by a fire in 1794. In the 19th and first half of the 20th century, the building was modified to its present appearance.

Notable people

 * Josef Mathauser (1846–1917), painter