Pernink

Municipality in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Pernink

Municipality

Main street

Flag

Coat of arms

Pernink

Location in the Czech Republic

Coordinates: 50°21′57″N 12°47′2″E﻿ / ﻿50.36583°N 12.78389°E﻿ / 50.36583; 12.78389
Country|  Czech Republic
Region| Karlovy Vary
District| Karlovy Vary
First mentioned| 1532
Area

• Total

| 15.71 km2 (6.07 sq mi)
Elevation

| 840 m (2,760 ft)
Population

(2025-01-01)[1]

• Total

| 583
• Density| 37/km2 (96/sq mi)
Time zone| UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code|

362 36

Website| www.pernink.eu

Pernink (German: Bärringen) is a municipality and village in Karlovy Vary District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants.

## Administrative division

[edit]

Pernink consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2]

* Pernink (589)
* Bludná (0)
* Rybná (8)

## Geography

[edit]

Pernink is located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the Ore Mountains. The highest point is at 1,033 m (3,389 ft) above sea level. The village is situated in the valley of the Bílá Bystřice stream.

## History

[edit]

Railway station

At the beginning of the 16th century, mining pioneers settled in the area which was dominated by dense forest at the time. According to legend, a bear found ore here. The legend is preserved in the coat of arms and also in the German name (Bär = bear). In 1532, a settlement called Peringer was promoted to a mining town by the then owner of the estate, Jindřich Schlick. The town received further privileges in 1559 and 1562.[3]

The predominant industry was the mining of silver and tin. The area between Pernink, Abertamy and Horní Blatná used to be called "silver triangle". Following the Thirty Years' War, most of the Protestant miners left to neighbouring Saxony. Mining was gradually replaced by forestry and crafts.[3]

In the first half of the 19th century, Adalbert Meinl founded a textile factory. Small workshops for the manufacturing of wooden and iron products were established. In 1843, the town had almost 1,800 residents living in 207 houses. The economic situation was bolstered by the opening of the railway in 1899. In the inter-war period, the number of residents rose to approximately 3,500.[3]

From 1938 to 1945, it was annexed by Nazi Germany and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland. After World War II, almost 90% of the inhabitants were expelled. The area was resettled with hundreds of new Czech settlers in 1946. Following the closure of uranium mines in Jáchymov, the number of residents decreased.[3]

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population| Year| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1869| 2,219| —
1880| 2,444| +10.1%
1890| 2,544| +4.1%
1900| 2,860| +12.4%
1910| 3,019| +5.6%
| Year| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1921| 2,506| −17.0%
1930| 3,023| +20.6%
1950| 1,376| −54.5%
1961| 1,253| −8.9%
1970| 927| −26.0%
| Year| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1980| 794| −14.3%
1991| 709| −10.7%
2001| 904| +27.5%
2011| 722| −20.1%
2021| 597| −17.3%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

## Economy

[edit]

Today, Pernink lives mainly from tourism. The municipality is a centre of winter and summer sports.[6]

## Transport

[edit]

Pernink is located on the Karlovy Vary–Johanngeorgenstadt railway. The local railway station is the second highest in the Czech Republic with an elevation of 902 metres (2,959 ft).[7]

## Sights

[edit]

Pernink Viaduct

The Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1714–1716. It has a tower in the Alpine style.[6]

The viaduct in Pernink is at the highest altitude in the country. It is a significant technical monument.[6][7]

The former Bludná mining district is a part of Ore Mountain Mining Region, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[8]

## Notable people

[edit]

* Rudolf Kippenhahn (1926–2020), German astrophysicist
* Rudolf Höhnl (born 1946), ski jumper

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2025". Czech Statistical Office. 2025-05-16.
2. ^ "Public Census 2021 – basic data". Public Database (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2022.
3. ^ a b c d "Historie obce" (in Czech). Obec Pernink. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
4. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21.
5. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
6. ^ a b c "Zajímavosti" (in Czech). Obec Pernink. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
7. ^ a b Vagaday, David (2018-10-25). "Nejvýše položený viadukt v Česku vede nad sjezdovkou. Podívejte se" (in Czech). Deník.cz. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
8. ^ "Bludná mining district". Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region. Retrieved 2022-03-31.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pernink.

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Towns and villages of Karlovy Vary District

* Abertamy
* Andělská Hora
* Bečov nad Teplou
* Bochov
* Boží Dar
* Božičany
* Bražec
* Březová
* Černava
* Chodov
* Chyše
* Čichalov
* Dalovice
* Děpoltovice
* Doupovské Hradiště
* Hájek
* Horní Blatná
* Hory
* Hroznětín
* Jáchymov
* Jenišov
* Karlovy Vary
* Kolová
* Krásné Údolí
* Krásný Les
* Kyselka
* Merklín
* Mírová
* Nejdek
* Nová Role
* Nové Hamry
* Ostrov
* Otovice
* Otročín
* Pernink
* Pila
* Potůčky
* Pšov
* Sadov
* Šemnice
* Smolné Pece
* Stanovice
* Štědrá
* Stráž nad Ohří
* Stružná
* Teplička
* Toužim
* Útvina
* Valeč
* Velichov
* Verušičky
* Vojkovice
* Vrbice
* Vysoká Pec
* Žlutice
* Military Area Hradiště

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Czech Republic

Other|

* Yale LUX

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