Editing Plzeň (section)

==Economy==
Plzeň is a centre of business in the western part of the Czech Republic. Plzeň produces about two-thirds of the Plzeň Region GDP, even though it contains only 30% of its population.<ref>{{cite web |title=Základní informace o kraji|url=https://www.plzensky-kraj.cz/plzensky-kraj|publisher=Plzeň Region|language=cs|access-date=2025-03-17}}</ref> While part of this is explained by commuters to the city, it is one of the most prosperous cities in the Czech Republic.

Plzeň is the seat of many large corporations. The largest employers with its headquarters in Plzeň and at least 1,000 employees are:<ref>{{cite web |title=Registr ekonomických subjektů|url=https://csu.gov.cz/registr_ekonomickych_subjektu|work=Business Register|publisher=Czech Statistical Office|language=cs|access-date=2025-03-17}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Economic entity
! Number of employees
! Main activity
|-
| University Hospital Plzeň || 5,000–9,999 || Health care
|-
| [[University of West Bohemia]] || 3,000–3,999 || Education
|-
| [[Pilsner Urquell Brewery]] || 2,500–2,999 || Brewery
|-
| [[Škoda Transportation]] || 2,500–2,999 || Manufacture of railway vehicles
|-
| [[Police of the Czech Republic#Regional jurisdiction|Regional Police Directorate of the Plzeň Region]] || 2,500–2,999 || Public administration
|-
| City of Plzeň || 2,000–2,499 || Public administration
|-
| [[Daikin|Daikin Industries Czech Republic]] || 1,500–1,999 || Manufacture of air conditioning technology
|-
| Autoneum || 1,000–1,599 || Manufacture of textiles for the automotive industry
|-
| [[Doosan Škoda Power]] || 1,000–1,499 || Manufacture of steam turbines
|-
| HP-Pelzer || 1,000–1,499 || Automotive industry
|-
| [[JTEKT|JTEKT Czech Republic]] || 1,000–1,499 || Automotive industry
|-
| [[Lasselsberger]] || 1,000–1,499 || Manufacture of ceramic tiles
|-
| Plzeňské městské dopravní podniky || 1,000–1,499 || Urban and suburban passenger transport
|-
| [[Safran|Safran Cabin CZ]] || 1,000–1,499 || Manufacture of aircraft equipment
|-
| [[Škoda Transportation|Škoda Electric]] || 1,000–1,499 || Manufacture of electric drives
|}

The [[Škoda Works|Škoda]] company, established in Plzeň in 1859, has been an important element of Austro-Hungarian, Czechoslovak and Czech engineering, and one of the biggest European arms factories. During the Communist era of the country (1948–1989), the company's production had been directed to the needs of the [[Eastern Bloc]]. Disarray in the era after the [[Velvet Revolution]], and unsuccessful efforts to gain new Western markets, resulted in sales problems and debts. After a huge restructuring process, the company was divided into several subsidiaries, which were later sold. The most important successors companies are [[Škoda Transportation]] and [[Doosan Škoda Power]].

The Stock company, located in the Božkov district, is the largest producer of [[liquor]]s in the Czech Republic. [[Fernet Stock]] has long been the best-selling herbal liqueur on the Czech market.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stock letos očekává, že vyrobí asi 30 mil. litrů lihovin, podobně jako loni|url=https://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/stock-letos-ocekava-ze-vyrobi-asi-30-mil-litru-lihovin-podobne-jako-loni/2289550|work=České noviny|publisher=[[Czech News Agency]]|language=cs|date=2022-11-23|access-date=2025-03-17}}</ref>

Since the late 1990s, the city has experienced high growth in foreign investment. In 2007, Israeli mall developer Plaza Centers opened the [[Plzeň Plaza]], a {{convert|20000|m2|abbr=on|sp=us}} shopping mall and entertainment centre featuring a multiplex cinema from [[Cinema City Czech Republic]].

The [[Plzeň agglomeration]] was defined as a tool for drawing money from the [[European Structural and Investment Funds]]. It is an area that includes the city and its surroundings, linked to the city by commuting and migration. It has about 328,000 inhabitants.

===Pilsner beer===
[[File:Pilsner Urquell Brewery.jpg|thumb|Traditional fermenting building (centre) and modern fermenting building (left)]]
[[File:Pilsner.Urquell.JPG|thumb|120px|Pilsner Urquell]]

Plzeň is well known for the [[Pilsner Urquell]] (since 1842) and [[Gambrinus (beer)|Gambrinus]] (since 1869) [[brewery|breweries]], currently owned by Asahi Group Holdings.

Plzeň is an important city in the history of beer, including the development of [[Pilsner]].<ref name="Hampson9">{{cite book |last=Hampson|first=Tim|url=https://archive.org/details/beerbook0000unse_y0h6/page/9/mode/2up|title=The Beer Book|date=2008|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|isbn=978-1405333016|location=London|page=9|url-access=registration}}</ref> In 1375, Bohemian King [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] endowed the Dobrow Monastery near Plzeň with the beer right, and it is one of the oldest breweries to survive to modern times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/beeritshistoryit00sale|title=Beer : its history and its economic value as a national beverage|first=F. W. (Frederick William)|last=Salem|year=1880|publisher=Hartford, Conn. : F. W. Salem & Co.|access-date=2023-10-11|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aT-lIt3VBe0C&pg=PA33|title=Medicinal and Food Plants: With 200 Illustrations for Artists and Craftspeople|first1=Ernst|last1=Lehner|first2=Johanna|last2=Lehner|year=2006|publisher=Courier Corporation|isbn=9780486447513|access-date=2023-10-11|via=Google Books}}</ref> Many breweries were located in the interconnected deep cellars of the city.<ref>{{cite web |title=Plzen Historical Underground|url=https://web.zcu.cz/plzen/underground/|website=zcu.cz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230132008/https://web.zcu.cz/plzen/underground/|archive-date=2019-12-30|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pilsen Historical Underground|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pilsen-historical-underground|work=Atlas Obscura|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208061341/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pilsen-historical-underground|archive-date=2017-12-08|url-status=live}}</ref>

The officials of Plzeň founded a city-owned brewery in 1839, {{lang|de|Bürger Brauerei}} (Citizens' Brewery, now [[Plzeňský Prazdroj]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prazdroj.cz/en/about-the-company/history|title=Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s.|publisher=prazdroj.cz|access-date=2009-10-17}}</ref> and recruited Bavarian brewer [[Josef Groll]] (1813–1887) who produced the first batch of modern Pilsner beer on 5 October 1842. This included mastering the art of triple [[Mashing#Decoction mashing|decoction mashing]].<ref name="Hampson9"/> The combination of pale colour from the new malts, Plzeň's remarkably soft water, [[Saaz hops|Saaz]] [[noble hops]] from nearby [[Žatec]] (''Saaz'' in German) and Bavarian-style [[lager]]ing<!-- ice-cooled --> produced a clear, golden beer which was regarded as a sensation. Improving transport meant that this new beer was soon available throughout Central Europe and {{lang|de|Pilsner Brauart}}-style brewing was widely imitated.

In 1859, "Pilsner Bier" was registered as a brand name at the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Plzeň. In 1898, the [[Pilsner Urquell]] trade mark was created to put emphasis on this being the brewery where the style originated.