The best road cycling routes around Klatovy

The towering Black Tower can be seen from almost anywhere in the city – and thus the city center with the main square can be located.

The monument to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic commemorates the proclamation of the first Czechoslovak state on October 28, 1918, at the Prague Municipal House. The first president of the state was Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk.

The center of Klatovy is the square marketplace (officially Peace Square, náměstí míru), surrounded by historic buildings, overlooked by the city's landmark, the Black Tower. In the middle of the square stands a, also square, fountain. Even before the city was founded, a market settlement existed somewhat north of here (first mentioned in 1253). The city was then founded in 1260 by the Bohemian King Přemysl Otakar II. The "Gate to the Bohemian Forest" initially had a regular, chessboard-like layout and was surrounded by walls from the 13th and 14th centuries. Today, around 22,000 people live in Klatovy.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception and St. Ignatius (Jesuit Church) was built from 1656 onwards on the initiative of the Jesuit order and with the support of noble patrons in the Baroque style. The first mass was celebrated in 1675, but the construction of the church extended over more than a century. Significant architects and artists such as Carlo Lurago, Giovanni Domenico Orsi, Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, and Jan Hiebel contributed significantly to the design of the building. The church acquired its present appearance in 1817.

For centuries, it has been tradition for the tower keeper from the top of the Černá věž not only to watch over the city and its surroundings, but also to announce the time to the residents with trumpet calls. To this day, the trumpet signals can be heard every full hour. However, they now come from a tape recording. Until 1962, tower keeper Antonín Kubík, whose family had held the position for generations, performed this duty. Since the last real tower keeper retired, the melody - recorded by Kubík himself - has been played from tape, every full hour between 9 PM and 2 AM, in all four directions.

The late Gothic bell tower with clockwork and observation platform at Náměstí Míru (Peace Square) stands right next to the Renaissance town hall. It is a distinctive landmark of the city. The tower rises 81.6 meters high. The observation platform is at a height of about fifty meters and is accessible via 226 steps. In 1547, the then flourishing royal town commissioned the Italian architect Antonio de Sala to build the tower. He was to build it not only for defense purposes, but also as a testament to the city's wealth. In 1557, the tower was finished. In 1583, a bell was hung. It is so heavy that it can only be swung by two men.

The "Okrouhlice" city tower from the 16th century was part of the medieval fortifications of Klatovy. It is now freestanding in Vrchlického sady park in the city center, which was built from 1843 to 1845 on the filled-in moats and demolished walls.

Construction of the Roman Catholic pilgrimage church Mariä Geburt began at the end of the 13th century. Thanks to financial support from Rome, it was extended in the 14th and 15th centuries on the advice of Pope Boniface XI. In 1581, a bell tower, the so-called White Tower, was added, which was destroyed by fire several times and subsequently rebuilt. The church is an important pilgrimage site. Here, above the main altar, hangs a copy of the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary, which allegedly began to bleed on July 8, 1685.