Plzen

Location

The Plzen region, the third-largest in the Czech Republic, is situated in southwest Bohemia and borders the German state of Bavaria. More than half of the region's residents are concentrated in Plzen and its surrounding area, whereas other parts of the region are less densely populated. The Plzen region occupies a strategically important position in the link between eastern-western Europe; the region is traversed by the important D5 highway from Prague to Bavaria. Plzen is the economic, administrative, cultural and social centre of the region. Other important cities include Klatovy, Domažlice, Tachova, Rokycany, and Sušice.

Investment climate

The economy of the Plzen region is very dynamic and attractive to foreign investors.

Among most significant branches of industry in the Plzen region are mechanical and electrical engineering, which are well-know due locomotives, trolley buses and machinery produced there. The food industry is also an important sector recognised around the world thanks to local beer production. Significant companies operating in the region include Škoda Transportation, Škoda Power, Plzeňský Prazdroj.

Since the 1990s industry has undergone successful restructuring and foreign entities have entered the market. The most important fields in which foreign investors are engaged are electrical engineering and the automotive industry, with Panasonic AVC Networks Czech, Daikin Industries Czech Republic, MBtech Bohemia (previously Mercedes Benz Engineering) serving as good examples.

The Plzen region offers a skilled workforce. The University of West Bohemia together with the Faculty of Medicine of Prague-based Charles University is able to provide higher education in most of the region's major cities. UWB is the only institution of higher education in this part of the country which prepares students for careers in electrical and mechanical engineering, applied sciences, education, economics, humanities and law.

Companies are finding new fields of business in numerous industrial zones. Modern business centres are taking shape in Plzen and a science and technology park is being built. Residential construction is also undergoing a massive expansion. All of this represents the infrastructure required for new investors. In future, the region will concentrate on investments with higher added value, particularly in the area of development centres and business support services.

Leisure time and torism

The region offers numerous leisure activities. The city of Plzen and the region as a whole have colourful cultural traditions and a rich contemporary cultural life.

There are good conditions for sports - in winter for downhill and cross-country skiing in the mountains; in summer for swimming, fishing, water skiing, horse riding, etc. Cycling is popular not only in the Šumava Mountains and the Czech Forest, but also on trails around castles, châteaux and villages featuring classic Bohemian architecture. The region boasts the rich cultural heritage of the ethnographic area of Chodsko, with which one can get acquainted at the Folk Festival in Domažlice or at traditional fairs.

The city of Plzen is the region's cultural and social centre. The city is well equipped with various services enabling quality leisure activities, such as cinemas, museums, galleries, theatres, exhibition halls, restaurants and pubs. The most popular sights in Plzen are the Gothic St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, the tower of which (102.26 m / 335 ft) is the tallest in the Czech Republic, the Renaissance Town Hall, and the third largest synagogue in the world. Other often-visited places are the zoological and botanical gardens, historic underground tunnel network running under parts of the Old Town, the Brewery Museum and the Plzeňský Prazdroj brewery.