Celebrities
Wenceslas II (1271 – 1305)
Czech king of the Premyslid family, founder of the town of New Pilsen in 1295.
Vaclav Koranda (approx. 1424 – 1519)
Radical Hussite preacher who worked in Pilsen for several years . He left for Tabor in 1420.
Jan Zizka (approx. 1360 – 1424)
He came to Pilsen in 1419 and began building a fortress (The City of the Sun). When the Emperor's army besieged the city, Zizka left Pilsen. It was in 1420 following the Pilseners opposition. Later, he attempted to capture the city once again without success.
Giovanni de Statia (lived in Pilsen 1554-1596)
De Statia was a Rennaisance architect and builder. As such, he was a significant representative of the first wave of Italian immigrants - stonemasons and builders. He designed and built the Pilsen city hall.
Rudolf II. (1552 - 1612)
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor and a Czech King, resided in Pilsen twice. His last stay there was in 1599-1600 when he was escaping the plague epidemy in Prague. Rudodf II fell in love with the city of Pilsen and even bought two houses there. He had them reconstructed according to his taste.
Peter Ernest Mansfeld (1580 - 1626)
Mansfeld tried to lay a claim to Pilsen while in command of the Estate army. In November 1618, he captured the city. The fall of Pilsen may be considered as the beginning of the 30-year war in Europe.
Albrecht of Wallenstein (1583 - 1634)
Wallenstein was a Czech aristocrat and an army leader. He lived in Pilsen from December 1633 until February 1634 prior to his fateful departure to Cheb.
Martin Kopecky (1777 - 1854)
Kopecky, the Pilsen burghermaster from 1828 to 1850, undertook several important constructional reforms in the city. He had the city fortifications demolished and had parks created in their stead. A memorial to Kopecky can be found in the Kopecky Park. Another one is situated near the Lochotin pavilion.
Josef Vojtech Sedlacek (1785 - 1836)
Memorial tablet to this patriot and writer can be seen on the house No. 14 in Bedrich Smetana Street.
Josef Frantisek Smetana (1801 -1861)
Smetana came to Pilsen in 1831. He was a professor at the Institute of Philosophy and the author of the first Czech instruction manual on astronomy and physics. He was also uncle of Bedrich Smetana, the famous Czech composer. Josef Frantisek Smetana is buried at the Nicolas Cemetery, his statue can be seen in the Smetana Park.
Josef Kajetan Tyl (1808 - 1856)
He came to Pilsen in 1829 for the first time with a touring theatre company. He died in Pilsen during his last stay in the city in 1856. He was an important Czech writer, playwright and journalist. He is buried in the Nicolas Cemetery. A memorial to him is in the Lochotin Park and at the Great Theatre in the Smetana Park and a tablet can be seen in No. 3 Presovska Street.
Bedrich Smetana (1824 - 1884)
He was a renowned Czech composer. From 1840 to 1843, he studied in Pilsen at a grammar school. He also composed several works here. A statue in the Smetana Park and a memorial tablet in the State Scientific Library commemorate his presence in the city.
Mikolas Ales (1852 - 1913)
Ales was a noteworthy Czech painter and a friend of Pilsen architect Rudolf Stech. Some of the buildings created by Stech are decorated by graffiti based on Ales' sketches. The West Bohemia Art Gallery has some of these sketches in its collections.
Emil Skoda (1839 - 1900)
Skoda was the founder of the Skoda works - the most important armament factory in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It later stayed the most significant heavy engineering company in Czechoslovakia. Emil Skoda is buried at the Nicolas Cemetery. On the Water Tower in Prazska Street, there is a memorial tablet to J. Skoda, uncle of Emil Skoda. Doctor and professor in Vienna, he was also a rich sponsor to artists.
Frantisek Krizik (1847 - 1941)
Krizik was born in Planice in the Klatovy Region. He was an excellent Czech inventor, electrical engineer and entrepreneur. His first experiments in Pilsen resulted in the invention of the electric arch lamp. He founded the Electrical Engineering Factory in Doudlevce (later the Skoda Works - Electrical engineering factory in Doudlevce). A memorial to Frantisek Krizik can be seen in the Krizik Park.
Karel Klostermann (1848 - 1923)
Klostermann was an important Czech writer who taught at the German Technical Secondary School in 1877-1908. He is buried at the Central Cemetery.
Rudolf Stech (1858 - 1908)
Stech was an architect and a builder. He also designed many public buildings in Pilsen. He is buried at the Central Cemetery.
Ladislav Labek (1882 - 1970)
He was a historian and the founder of the Museum of Ethnography in Pilsen. A memorial tablet to him can be found on the Chotesov House.
Josef Beran (1888 - 1969)
Beran was born in Pilsen and studied theology in Rome. Durin the war, he was imprisoned by the Nazis. After the liberation, in 1946, he was named Prague's Archbishop and incarcerated again in 1949-1965. In 1965, he was forced to leave the country and was appointed a Cardinal in Rome.
Josef Skupa (1892 - 1957)
Skupa was a famous pupeteer and a creator of Spejbl (in 1919) and of Hurvinek (in 1926). He is buried at the Central Cemetery, and a memorial tablet to him is in Prokopova Street.
Jiri Trnka (1912 - 1969)
Born in Pilsen, Trnka was an important Czech painter, illustrator, puppeteer, and director. He is buried at the Central Cemetery.