Vlašim

Vlašim (Wlaschim) is a town in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. Vlašim is known for its castle and English park.

Administrative parts
The villages of Bolina, Domašín, Hrazená Lhota, Nesperská Lhota, Polánka and Znosim are administrative parts of Vlašim.

Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name Vlašim, meaning "Vlašim's (property)".

Geography
Vlašim is located about 17 km southeast of Benešov and 45 km southeast of Prague. It lies in the Vlašim Uplands. The highest point is at 528 m above sea level. The Blanice River flows through the town.

History
The castle is Vlašim was probably built in 1303 by local noble family, which started calling itself the Vlašim family. The first written mention of the castle and therefore of Vlašim is from 1318. After the Vlašim family, the town was owned by the Trčka of Lípa family and then by the Ostrovec family. As a result of the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, the properties of the Ostrovec family were confiscated and Vlašim was acquired by the Talmberk family in 1622. They owned the town until 1744. From 1744 until the end of World War II, the Vlašim estate was owned by the Auersperg family.

Economy
The most significant industrial company in Vlašim is Sellier & Bellot, a manufacturer of ammunition. It employs more than 1,500 people.

Transport
Vlašim is located on the Benešov–Trhový Štěpánov railway line.

Vlašim aerodrome, LKVL, has been re-opened in 2019 for national public traffic.

Culture
The castle park hosts an annual festival on 1 May, which is a public holiday in the Czech Republic.

Sport
The town is home to an association football team, FC Sellier & Bellot Vlašim, which plays in the Czech National Football League, the second tier of Czech football.

Sights
The Vlašim Castle is the main landmark of the town. The original Gothic castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style in the 16th century. > It is surrounded with an English landscape garden with many pieces of romantic architecture such as the Chinese pavilion, Old Castle and its three gates.

The Church of Saint Giles is a late Gothic building, built in 1522–1523.

Notable people

 * Jan Očko of Vlašim (?–1380), Archbishop of Prague
 * Miluše Poupětová (born 1963), artist
 * Marcela Krinke-Susmelj (born 1965), Czech-Swiss dressage rider
 * Luboš Kozel (born 1971), football player and manager
 * Libor Procházka (born 1974), ice hockey player
 * Stanislav Vlček (born 1976), footballer
 * Michal Rozsíval (born 1978), ice hockey player
 * Michal Řepík (born 1988), ice hockey player