Kadaň is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants.

The town lies on the banks of the river Ohře. Kadaň is a tourist centre with highlights being the Franciscan Monastery and the historical square with late Gothic Town Hall Tower. It is also a town with the narrowest lane in the Czech Republic – Katova ulička with only 66.1 cm.

Economy

Although it is situated in an industrial part of the Czech Republic there is no major industry within the town and people usually work in offices or have to commute. There are two large power plants nearby (Tušimice and Prunéřov).

Places of interest

• Franciscan Monastery (museum)
• Town Hall Tower
• The Castle
• The Old Square
• Holy Tower
• Barbican
• Lookout Tower on Svatý kopeček (Holy Hill)

Annual events

• Emperor’s Day (on the last Sunday in August, there are many attractions on the square)
• Maxipes Fík Birthday
• Kirwitzer Astronomical Day
• Old Czech Carnival
• Franciscan Summer
• Vine Harvest Festival
• Vysmáté léto – Summer Rock Fest
• Nativity Play
• Passion of Christ Play

Education

Kadaň is home to several secondary schools with a long history. The oldest of them is the Gymnasium Kadaň that was established in 1803 with 99 students and continued under the control of the Piarists until 1823. The seat of the old Gymnasium was a former Minorites Monastery (different from the Franciscan Monastery) near the square in a building which is now residence of the Regional Archives. The institute of Gymnasium was then reestablished in 1872 in a new building. The Gymnasium was closed again in 1951 and the new Industrial School moved to the building. It is still there today. A new Gymnasium was established in 1968 and has remained on the same premises since 1978.

The Industrial School specialized at first on mining (because of the lignite and uranium mines in the surroundings), however since 1957 it has been specialized on building and finally in 2001 it added Commercial Academy to its educational program so now it is called Industrial Building School and Commercial Academy.

The Agriculture School (now SOŠS a SOU Amos) was established in 1862 as so-called Ackerbauschule. In front of the building there are valuable statues of Albrecht Thaer and Justus von Liebig (restored in 2003).

The teaching in all the schools was in German language until 1945. There are four elementary schools in Kadaň and a school for handicapped children.

Churches

There are churches and chapels of four Christian denominations: Roman Catholic Church, Czechoslovak Hussite Church, Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren and Orthodox Church. Roman Catholic Parish Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross is situated in the square.

Parks and urban vegetation

Kadaň is situated at the edges of Doupov Mountains with mixed forests and Ore Mountains with coniferous stand. There were three major parks in the 19th century enlarging town. The Municipal park – now Smetanovy sady – was founded by a Kadaň inhabitant and future Mayor Peter Prinzl in 1852. Landscape park was also established on the rocks over the Ohře river next to the Franciscan monastery. A new organisation Anpflanzungs- und Verschönerungsverein Kaaden concentrated its energy on park layout for so-called Svatá hora or Svatý kopeček – Holy Hill that was called “holy” (heiliger berg since 1541) for its position above the holy pilgrimage monastery. The hill with abandoned rock vineyards became an English park with many viewpoints, arbours and benches at the turn of the 20th century. Jaroslav Havlíček wrote in his novel “Vlčí kůže” about Svatá hora that it was a place for romantic walks of young couples. The park the area around was also referred to as Sommerfrische Kaaden – Kadaň summer resort. It was, however, not cared for in the times of World War II and Communists after 1948 left the park to be completely devastated and overgrown. However, the socialist planners projected the new residential areas with much greenery inside. A large, new park came to existence on the other side of the town on the left bank of Bystřice stream – now Rooseveltovy sady.

Interesting facts

• A Swiss-French writer Benjamin Constant set a part of his famous novel Adolphe (1816) in Kadaň, referring to it as Caden, petite ville de la Bohême. 
• Václav Vanya from Kadaň Švejk Restaurant U Věžičky won the national Pilsner Urquell Master Bartender competition 2008.^[3]
• There is a dive bar named Kadaň located in San Diego, California.