Sokolov District

Sokolov District
Okres Sokolov
District
Location in the Karlovy Vary Region within the Czech Republic
Location in the Karlovy Vary Region within the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°13′N 12°38′E / 50.217°N 12.633°E / 50.217; 12.633
Country Czech Republic
RegionKarlovy Vary
CapitalSokolov
Area
[1]
 • Total
753.71 km2 (291.01 sq mi)
Population
 (2024)[2]
 • Total
85,670
 • Density110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Municipalities38
* Towns13
* Market towns1

Sokolov District (Czech: okres Sokolov) is a district in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Sokolov.

Administrative division

Sokolov District is divided into two administrative districts of municipalities with extended competence: Sokolov and Kraslice.

List of municipalities

Towns are marked in bold:

Březová - Bublava - Bukovany - Chlum Svaté Maří - Chodov - Citice - Dasnice - Dolní Nivy - Dolní Rychnov - Habartov - Horní Slavkov - Jindřichovice - Josefov - Kaceřov - Krajková - Královské Poříčí - Kraslice - Krásno - Kynšperk nad Ohří - Libavské Údolí - Loket - Lomnice - Nová Ves - Nové Sedlo - Oloví - Přebuz - Rotava - Rovná - Šabina - Šindelová - Sokolov - Staré Sedlo - Stříbrná - Svatava - Tatrovice - Těšovice - Vintířov - Vřesová

Geography

Oloví and surrounding landscape

Sokolov District borders Germany in the north. The terrain is characterized by two mountain ranges with a forested landscape, between which there is an unforested depression. The territory extends into five geomorphological mesoregions: Ore Mountains (north), Sokolov Basin (centre), Slavkov Forest (south), Cheb Basin (small part in the west) and Fichtel Mountains (very small part in the northwest). The highest point of the district is the mountain Špičák in Stříbrná with an elevation of 995 m (3,264 ft). The lowest point is the river bed of the Ohře in Loket at 374 m (1,227 ft).

From the total district area of 753.7 km2 (291.0 sq mi), agricultural land occupies 209.0 km2 (80.7 sq mi), forests occupy 390.1 km2 (150.6 sq mi), and water area occupies 17.4 km2 (6.7 sq mi). Forests cover 51.8% of the district's area.[1]

The most important river is the Ohře, which flows across the district from west to east and drains the entire territory. Its longest tributary in the district is the Svatava. The Teplá River forms part of the southeastern district border. There are several water reservoirs and artificial lakes created by reclamation after coal mining. The largest body of water is Medard Lake.

In the district is one protected landscape area, located in the south of the district: Slavkovský les.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
186989,483—    
188097,483+8.9%
1890108,134+10.9%
1900127,488+17.9%
1910141,448+11.0%
YearPop.±%
1921136,452−3.5%
1930145,847+6.9%
195066,695−54.3%
196179,210+18.8%
197090,289+14.0%
YearPop.±%
198095,444+5.7%
199192,623−3.0%
200193,607+1.1%
201189,961−3.9%
202183,987−6.6%
Source: Censuses[3][4]

Most populated municipalities

Name Population[2] Area (km2)
Sokolov 22,155 23
Chodov 12,649 14
Kraslice 6,573 81
Horní Slavkov 5,438 37
Habartov 4,717 21
Kynšperk nad Ohří 4,496 23
Loket 3,071 27
Rotava 2,798 12
Březová 2,604 60
Nové Sedlo 2,557 17

Economy

The largest employers with headquarters in Sokolov District and at least 500 employees are:[5]

Economic entity Location Number of employees Main activity
Sokolovská uhelná Sokolov 1,000–1,499 Coal mining
SKF Lubrication Systems CZ Chodov 500–999 Manufacture of lubrication systems

Transport

The D6 motorway from Karlovy Vary to Cheb (part of the European routes E48 and E49) passes through the district.

Sights

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saint Mary Magdalene

The most important monuments in the district, protected as national cultural monuments, are:[6]

  • Jeroným Mine in Podstrání
  • Artificial water channel Dlouhá stoka (partly)
  • Pilgrimage area Chlum Svaté Maří with the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saint Mary Magdalene

The best-preserved settlements, protected as monument reservations and monument zones, are:[7]

The most visited tourist destination is the Loket Castle.[8]

Notable people

Main category: People from Sokolov District

References

  1. ^ a b "Land use (as at 31 December)". Public database. Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  2. ^ a b "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
  3. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
  4. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  5. ^ "Registr ekonomických subjektů". Business Register (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  6. ^ "Výsledky vyhledávání: Národní kulturní památky, okres Sokolov". Ústřední seznam kulturních památek (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  7. ^ "Výsledky vyhledávání: Památkové rezervace, Památkové zóny, okres Sokolov". Ústřední seznam kulturních památek (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  8. ^ "Turisté mají v České republice nejraději zoologické zahrady, technické památky, koupání a Pražský hrad" (in Czech). CzechTourism. 2022-06-24. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
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