Lány (Kladno District)

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Lány is a village in the Czech Republic, 35 km (22 mi) west of Prague, in Central Bohemian Region, outside the main road towards Karlovy Vary. It has 1610 inhabitants. Its major landmark is a castle, serving as a summer residence of Czechoslovak and later Czech Presidents. There is also a sports car museum and Museum of T. G. Masaryk, the first President of Czechoslovakia. Both President Masaryk and his wife are buried in the local cemetery.

The second oldest horse-drawn wagonway in continental Europe operated between Prague and Lány (originally planned to reach Plzeň) from 1830 until 1869. Its final station was in present-day forester's lodge Píně.

The word "Lány" in Czech means "fields" or "tracts (of land)".

History

Until 1918, the village was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), in the Schlan (Slaný) district, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften (district office) in Bohemia. A post-office was opened in 1869.^[1]

Lány Castle

The castle of Lány was first mentioned in 1392. It changed owners many times and underwent a major reconstruction in 1902–1903. In 1921, it was purchased by the Czechoslovak state and designated as an official summer presidential residence. Slovene architect Jože Plečnik was commissioned to make improvements both to the castle and the adjacent park. Tomáš G. Masaryk, the first President, liked the castle and was allowed to stay there after his abdication in 1935 until his death in 1937. During World War II, the castle was a residence of Emil Hácha, an increasingly ill and incapacitated President of Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia.

The castle was used only rarely during the Communist era. Many valuable artefacts, especially those designed by Jože Plečnik, were discarded during the tenure of Gustáv Husák. Only after the Velvet Revolution did the new President Václav Havel start to come to the castle regularly. Since then, it has been a place of many official sessions between the President and other top politicians.

The castle itself is closed to the public. The park is sometimes accessible, especially on public holidays. The closest train station is Stochov (formerly Lány) about 3 km (1.9 mi) away, still preserving Masaryk's salon used by the President before boarding a train.