Vlašim

Vlašim (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvlaʃɪm]; German: Wlaschim) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has 12,689 inhabitants and is situated on the Blanice river, 70 kilometers south-east from the capital, Prague. Vlašim is known for its castle and English style park with many pieces of romantic architecture such as the Chinese pavilion, Old castle and its three gates.

According to archeologists, the first inhabitants settled here as long as 30 thousand years ago. About 4,000 years ago, the place was inhabited by Celts, and later by Germanic and Slavic peoples. The town of Vlašim was founded in the 13th century. The castle history dates back to 1303. A fortress was built here in 1318 by Hynek of Vlašim. The oldest historical buildings are found around Hus square and Žižka square.

Vlašim is situated in close proximity to the D1 motorway linking Prague to Brno. Vlašim railway station, situated to the south of the town centre, is situated on the Benešov–Trhový Stěpánov line.

The castle hosts an annual concert on 1 May, which is a state holiday in the Czech Republic.

The town is home to an association football team, FC Graffin Vlašim, who play in the Czech National Football League, the second tier of Czech football.

Winters in Vlašim area are cold and the countryside is often covered with snow from November, sometimes up until March. Summer and autumn are usually warm.

The unemployment rate was 3.8 in 2006. Low unemployment is connected to the favorable proximity to the capital, where many locals manage to find their jobs. Commuting to Prague is very common in Vlašim. The most significant engineering factory in Vlašim is Sellier & Bellot, manufacturing ammunition. Packaging machinery companies are also successful worldwide and employ local people. In 2010, unemployment increased to 6.69 as a result of the recession, which decreased the demand for exported products.

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Wikipedia