Pilsen – Metropolis of West Bohemia.
Since its foundation in 1295, The City of Pilsen has naturally become a cultural and economic centre of the West Bohemia. Nowadays, Pilsen with its 165 000 inhabitants covers an area of 138 square kilometres and it is easily accessible by the D5 motorway. The city came to prominence in the middle of the 19th century when the Škoda Works Company and the Pilsner Urquell brewery were founded. Nowadays, the industrial potential of the city concentrates on value added production and the so called knowledge economy projects.
Many district and regional institutions reside in the city, among them about forty secondary schools and apprenticeship training colleges, the University of West Bohemia and the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University. The city centre with its many historical landmarks has been declared a protected historic area. Many of the buildings rank among true gems of architecture, namely the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew (a listed building), the Renaissance City Hall, the Great Synagogue or the sgrafitti by Mikoláš Aleš on the front facades of burgher houses. Favourite tourist destinations include, apart from the world renowned Pilsner Urquell brewery, also the ZOO and Botanical Gardens and the adjacent DinoPark. The J. K. Tyl Theatre as well as the Alfa Theatre feature prominently among the highlights of Pilsen cultural life, together with about twenty galleries and various multigenre and alternative cultural projects. Pilsen clubs can offer a range of concerts and other entertainment. Its quality accommodation, new conference facilities and unique cultural scene make the City of Pilsen a sought after destination for conference tourism.
