Slaný

Slaný
Slaný
Town
	Centre with the Church of Saint Gotthard
	Flag Coat of arms
	Slaný Location in the Czech Republic
	Coordinates: 50°13′50″N 14°5′13″E / 50.23056°N 14.08694°E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Central Bohemian
District	Kladno
First mentioned	1262
Government
• Mayor	Martin Hrabánek (ODS)
Area
• Total	35.12 km2 (13.56 sq mi)
Elevation	234 m (768 ft)
Population (2024-01-01)
• Total	16,740
• Density	480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	273 79, 274 01
Website	www.meuslany.cz

Slaný (Czech pronunciation: [ˈslaniː]; German: 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.^[2]

Geography

Slaný is located about 9 kilometres (6 mi) north of Kladno and 25 km (16 mi) 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 (1,080 ft) 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.^[2] 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.^[2] 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.^[2]

From the middle of the 19th century, Slaný began to be industrialized. The industry focused primarily on the needs of agriculture.^[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1869	8,917	—
1880	9,835	+10.3%
1890	11,128	+13.1%
1900	11,589	+4.1%
1910	12,197	+5.2%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	11,926	−2.2%
1930	12,792	+7.3%
1950	11,823	−7.6%
1961	12,890	+9.0%
1970	13,160	+2.1%

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	14,748	+12.1%
1991	15,285	+3.6%
2001	15,237	−0.3%
2011	15,274	+0.2%
2021	15,945	+4.4%

Source: Censuses^[3]^[4]

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.^[5]

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.^[6]

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.^[7]

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 metres (141 ft) high clock tower. Today it is the seat of the police and of a gallery.^[8]^[9]

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.^[9]

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.^[9]

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.^[10]

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.^[11]