About Pilsen Region
The Pilsen Region
The Pilsen Region is located in the western part of today’s Czech Republic. It is named for its capital city of Plzeň (Pilsen), founded in 1295 on a busy trade route between Prague and Bavaria in Germany. The city has a rich and vibrant cultural center with key sights such as St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral and the Great Synagogue. It is home to the University of West Bohemia and the Football Club Viktoria Plzeň, a top Czech professional soccer league. The region boasts a highly industrialized northeastern section with the engineering industry flourishing around Pilsen. The southwestern part is rural with a scenic countryside, beautified by Kašperk Castle, the highest built royal castle in the country, in the breathtaking Šumava National Park as well as the 14th century extensive fortress, Rabí Castle.
Modern History
During WWII, Czechoslovakia, which consisted of what is now the Czech Republic (also known as Czechia) and Slovakia, was under military occupation by Nazi Germany. It began with the German annexation of the Sudetenland, which held extensive Czechoslovak border fortifications, following the Munich Conference in 1938, and continued with the creation of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Taking refuge in London, Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš organized a government-in-exile, seeking to secure support from the Allied powers. Over 2,000 Czechoslovak pilots and airmen joined Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF), contributing significantly to the Allied war effort.
In 1944 and 1945, the US Army’s Liberation began with an intense air war. On April 18, 1945, the US Army land troops entered Czechoslovakia, seizing passes in the Czech border mountains. Pilsen was a strategic metropolis during the war. The factories at Škoda Works produced weapons and munitions for Hitler’s Germany. On May 4, General Dwight Eisenhower ordered an advance. On May 5, the US 3rd Army led by General George Patton pushed into the Czech interior with its V and XII Corps, liberating the majority of the Western part of what is now Czechia.
Following the liberation, President Beneš immediately returned, re-establishing the democratic government, and was formally re-elected to his second term in 1946. Unfortunately, the flame dimmed again in 1948 with the communist coup d’état. It wasn’t until 1989 that the truth ultimately prevailed and democracy was restored for a second time in Czechoslovakia during the Velvet Revolution. The country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. Looking westward, Czechia joined and remains a strong and dependable member of both the European Union and NATO.
Photo credit: Liberation of Pilsen, 1945 | US ARMY PHOTO
Pilsen was liberated on 6 May 1945 by the U.S. 16th Armored Division (along with the 2nd and 97th Infantry) under the George S. Patton-led Third Army.
Photo credit: Liberation of Pilsen, 1945 | US ARMY PHOTO
Pilsen was liberated on 6 May 1945 by the U.S. 16th Armored Division (along with the 2nd and 97th Infantry) under the George S. Patton-led Third Army.
Pilsen Liberation Festival
The people of Pilsen never forgot the American heroes, who liberated them from the Nazi occupation, albeit the Communists supressed much historical information during their rule. Since 1990, the Pilsen Liberation Festival is held annually in May to commemorate the liberation of the Czech Republic’s fourth-largest city by the US Army. The festival offers a vibrant, multi-day program, which includes a convoy of historical military vehicles, period military camps, and commemorative gatherings at WWII memorials. The festivities attract thousands, including families, historical fans, and even US veterans, who make the journey back to Europe to remember the events and the joyful atmosphere marking the end of war. This year marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation!
Photo courtesy of the City of Pilsen, Pilsen Liberation Festival
Pilsner Urquell
The name Pilsen is also synonymous with the legendary beer, Pilsner Urquell, brewed in the city of Pilsen since 1842. Back then, most beer was dark and top fermented but bottom-fermented lagers were on the rise. Using this revolutionary method, Josef Gross, the brewmaster in Pilsen’s new people’s brewery, invented the world’s first pale lager, the Pilsner Urquell, brewed with malt and Saaz hops and characterized by its golden color, clarity, and malty-sweetness and aroma. With its thick head of foam, the beer was a hit and has been copied world-wide ever since as the Pilsner, a category of beer recognized as being from the original source, Pilsen.
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