The district of Rokycany is located in the eastern part of Western Bohemia, and due to its area (573 km
2) and number of citizens, it is the second smallest district in the entire Czech Republic. There are 68 villages and 6 cities - Rokycany, Mirosov, Hradek, Myto, Radnice and Zbiroh. According to the last census, in 1981, there were 47,800 people in the district, of which 23,024 were active in the work force.
The village of the Rokycans - that is, a meadow-dwelling people living by sallows (rokyta) - was established at the confluence of the Borecky and Padrtsky brooks, which together make the Klabava River. The first mention of the village comes from 1110, when it belonged to the bishop of Prague, who owned Rokycany in the entire pre-Hussite period. Bishop Tobias of Bechyne changed Rokycany at the end of the 13
th century into a city, to which the bishop's successors granted a number of privileges. In 1406, Rokycany received the
"large deed of liberties", which emphasized that the city would be governed by the Prague Old Town laws.
One of the most famous people born in Rokycany is Master John of Rokycany, who defended the Hussites at
the Council of Basil, and in 1435 was elected as Prague's archbishop. In 1498, King Vladislav purchased Rokycany from the Svamberks. In 1547, Ferdinand I granted the city the right to collect customs and tolls. Since 1557, the city was able to buy country estates, and in 1584 Rudolf II. raised the city to the status of royal city, upon payment of a large sum from the citizenry. After Bila Hora, Rokycany lost all estates, and the city
was burned during the Thirty Years War.
New city development was accelerated due to its favorable position on the railroad, and through the development of an ironworks industry. Beginning in the 19
th century, coal was mined in this area, and in the area of Radnice a chemical and glass industry developed. From the economic point of view, the region may be currently characterized as predominantly industrial, although agriculture is also present. Traditional industry is represented: production of Favorit bicycles and Hamiro plush toys. Production of components for the auto industry has also recently developed.
Visitors to the Rokycany district can see a number of cultural and historical monuments, such as the sawmill near Dobrivy from 1505 and the Gothic cemetery Church of the Holy Trinity, built in 1609; the Church of Our Lady of the Snows, from the first half of the 14
th century; the Baroque plague column; the city hall dating from 1804-1805, in
the late classical Baroque style; and the Gothic church of St. Jacob in Zbiroh.
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