Horažďovice ([ˈɦoraʒɟovɪtsɛ] ⓘ; German: Horaschdowitz) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.

The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

The early history of the territory was influenced by the establishment of the Prácheň gord on the nearby eponymous hill, which became the administrative center of the historical region of Prácheňsko two centuries later.

He initiated development of administrative centres in the town vicinity such as the castles Rabí, Švihov and Velhartice.

[7] The prosperity of Horažďovice ended with the Thirty Years' War, when the town was damaged by two large fires and twice looted by the Swedish army.

[6] The Rummerskirch family owned Horažďovice from 1800 to 1843 and had a significant impact on the town by introducing pearl oysters farming.

[8] The Kinskys founded an English park with many rare specimens of trees and plants on an island in the Otava, today called "Ostrov".

[9] The Jews of Horažďovice were subject to orders and decrees that made life extraordinarily difficult throughout much of their entire history.

In the 17th century, the number of Jewish residents in Horažďovice was limited to 10 families, partially in an effort to discourage competition for local tradesmen.

In the late 17th century, an edict prohibited the Jews from allowing their cattle to graze with the communal herd.

[9] The most far-reaching restrictions on Horažďovice's Jews were a series of measures known as the Family Laws (Familianten), introduced by Emperor Charles VI in 1726 and designed to limit Jewish population numbers.

[9] The repeal of the Family Laws in the mid 1800s launched what many regard as the "golden age" of Horažďovice Jewry.

The influence of the Jewish community however was far greater as they were the driving force behind much of Horažďovice's Industrial Revolution.

[9] In 1873, Samuel Kohn opened a matchstick factory that produced matches with colourful wax heads in decorative boxes for export to the east.

On the adjacent property, a paper manufacturing plant owned by Rud, Firth and Bernard Gans was particularly important as it employed many workers and purchased straw from local farmers.

[9] A significant number of Jews emigrated from Horažďovice from 1850 to 1938, particularly to the United States, Australia and South America.

During World War II, the Jewish community was deported by German military authorities as part of the Final Solution.

The exhibitions focus on the history of the town and on historical activities in the area around the Otava River (gold panning, mining, pearl oysters farming).

[16] The Church of Saint John the Baptist was built in the Renaissance style in 1598, early Baroque modifications were made in 1693.