Chomutov

Chomutov is a statutory city in the Usti nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic, on the Chomutovka River in the foothills of the Ore Mountains about 78 kilometers northwest of Prague, with a population of roughly 46,560. First documented in 1252, when it was granted to the Teutonic Order, it received its town charter in 1396, and Jesuit influence shaped its religious and cultural life from 1589 to 1773; the city grew rapidly in the 19th century through industrialization and lignite mining, an industry still represented by the Severoceske doly mining company. Chomutov's historic center has been protected as an urban monument zone since 1992, and the city is also home to the largest zoo in the country by area.