Sušice (; ) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Sušice is made up of 17 town parts and villages: Sušice I–III, Albrechtice, Červené Dvorce, Chmelná, Divišov, Dolní Staňkov, Humpolec, Milčice, Nuzerov, Páteček, Rok, Stráž, Volšovy, Vrabcov and Záluží. Etymology The name Sušice is derived from the Czech verb sušit, i.e. "dry". At the time of its establishment, it was a place where gold panners dried the gold sand after washing. Geography Sušice is located about southeast of Klatovy and south of Plzeň. It lies in the Bohemian Forest Foothills. The highest point is the hill Sedlo at above sea level. The Otava River flows through the town. Climate Average daily temperature in July is about , while January mean temperatures are typically . The annual average is . History Sušice originated as a settlement near the Otava River, a gold-mining area. The settlement was probably founded around 790, however the first written mention is from 1233. In the 12th century, the area was owned by the Bavarian Counts of Bogen. It was re-connected to Bohemia by King Ottokar II in the 13th century and after 1260 it became a royal fortified town. During the Hussite Wars (1419–1434), Sušice was a Hussite town. The town's major economic growth occurred in the 16th century, when the town profited from the salt, grain and malt trade with neighbouring Bavaria. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Sušice suffered from wars, fires and the Counter-Reformation. The most devastating was the fire of 1707, which destroyed most of the town. In the 19th century, new prosperity came. The production of phosphorus matches started here and made Sušice famous all over the world. The leather industry also developed in the town, and at the end of the 19th century, the mining and processing of limestone was started. Until 1918, Sušice – Schüttenhoffen was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austrian side after the compromise of 1867). The town was an administrative seat of the district of the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia. Jewish community The first written mention of Jews in Sušice is from 1562. The number of Jews in Sušice gradually increased and reached its peak in 1860, when 300 lived