The Plzeň Region (Plzeňský kraj) lies in the south-west of the Czech Republic.[1] Its regional capital is Plzeň, which lies in the middle of the region.[4] By area it is the third largest region in the country, while by population it ranks eighth.[1]*
Location and territory
In the south-west and west the region's boundary is the state border with Germany (Bavaria), its longest boundary.[1][2] It borders the Karlovy Vary Region to the north-west, the Ústí nad Labem Region to the north, the Central Bohemian Region to the north-east and the South Bohemian Region to the east.[2] The region covers 7,649 km².[1] The border ranges of the Šumava and the Bohemian Forest stretch along the south-west, the Plzeň basin lies in the north-east, and the rest of the territory consists of the Plzeň uplands and part of the Brdy highlands.[2] Most of the region belongs to the Berounka basin, while the Sušice area and part of the Klatovy area drain into the upper Otava.[2] Plzeň, originally New Plzeň, was founded in 1295 at the confluence of the Radbuza, Mže, Úhlava and Úslava.[2] Forests cover 40.5 % and farmland 49.2 % of the region.[1]
Population and districts
As of 31 December 2025 the region had 614,683 inhabitants.[3] It has seven districts: Domažlice, Klatovy, Plzeň-město, Plzeň-jih, Plzeň-sever, Rokycany and Tachov.[1] The region is characterised by a large number of small settlements and a lack of medium-sized towns; its 57 towns are home to 66.8 % of the population.[1] Besides Plzeň, Klatovy, Domažlice, Tachov and Rokycany serve as local centres.[2] Since 2003 the region has been divided into 15 administrative districts of municipalities with extended powers: Blovice, Domažlice, Horažďovice, Horšovský Týn, Klatovy, Kralovice, Nepomuk, Nýřany, Plzeň, Přeštice, Rokycany, Stod, Stříbro, Sušice and Tachov.[1]
Creation and self-government
The region was established on 1 January 2000 under Constitutional Act No. 347/1997 Coll. as one of 14 higher self-governing territorial units; its name was derived from its seat.[5] In 2016, after the abolition of the Brdy military area, the boundary between the Plzeň and Central Bohemian regions changed.[5] Under Act No. 129/2000 Coll. on Regions the highest body of the region is the regional assembly, which has 45 members and elects from among them the governor (hejtman) and a nine-member regional council.[2] In the European statistical classification the region forms the South-West cohesion region together with the South Bohemian Region.[6]
Economy
The main industries include engineering, food processing, building materials and ceramics, energy and metallurgy.[2] According to estimates, the city of Plzeň generates almost two thirds of the region's gross domestic product.[2] University education is provided by the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň with nine faculties.[1] As of 1 January 2026 the region had 109.3 km of motorways, most of them in Tachov District.[1]
Monuments and nature
The region has 202 specially protected areas, including Šumava National Park and five protected landscape areas: Šumava, the Bohemian Forest, Slavkovský les, Brdy and Křivoklátsko.[1] Cultural monuments include the monastery convent in Plasy, the monastery in Kladruby, Manětín château, Švihov water castle, Kašperk castle, Kozel château and the Renaissance château of Horšovský Týn.[1] The historic underground of Plzeň is almost 20 km long.[1] In September 2026 the region was monitoring the situation around the vanished village of Zhůří in the Klatovy area, where toxic substances had been found at a former army chemical training ground and the site was classified as contaminated.[7]