Bechyně

Bechyně
Town
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120px Flag 90px Coat of arms
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Bohemian
District	Tábor
Little District	Tábor
Elevation	406 m (1,332 ft)
Coordinates
Area	21.20 km2 (8.19 sq mi)
Population	5,598
Density	264 / km2 (684 / sq mi)
First mentioned	993
Mayor	Jaroslav Matějka
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	391 65
Location in the Czech Republic
Wikimedia Commons: Bechyně
Website: www.mestobechyne.cz

File:Bechyně.jpg

Bechyně at the beginning of 20th century.  Photographed by Šechtl and Voseček.

Bechyně (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbɛxɪɲɛ]), is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Also knowm as Bechin or Beching in German. as It is located on the Lužnice River 20 km southwest of Tábor and has a population of 5,695 (2005).

The town is the terminus of the railway line from Tabor. This was built in 1903 and was the first electrified railway in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The original passenger train is preserved and operates several times each summer.

A 13th century castle was built in Bechyně, although almost none of that original structure remains today. A reconstruction in the late 16th century and subsequent renovation in the 1670s resulted in the structure that stands there today.

Notable people

• Václav Pichl (1741–1805), Czech classical composer.
• Ladislav Haškovec (1866–1944), Czech neuropsychiatrist.
• Josefina Napravilová (1914–2014), humanitarian worker, an awardee of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in 2009. She lived in Bechyně at the end of her life.

External links

• Municipal website (Czech)