Sušice

Sušice is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic, with about 11,000 inhabitants. It stands on the Otava River in the foothills of the Bohemian Forest, about 24 kilometres southeast of Klatovy and 56 kilometres south of Plzeň, and the highest point of its territory is the hill Sedlo at 902 metres above sea level. The name comes from the Czech verb for drying and recalls the gold panners who dried gold sand here after washing it. The first written mention dates from 1233, the settlement became a royal fortified town after 1260, and a great fire in 1707 destroyed most of the town. In the nineteenth century Sušice became known around the world for the production of phosphorus matches under the SOLO brand, a trade that lasted until 2008. The historic centre is protected as an urban monument zone, and its main landmark is the Renaissance town hall with a tower 31 metres high. The town also keeps the Bohemian Forest Museum and a long Jewish history that began with a first record in 1562.