Plzeň city overview: is it suitable for students
Pilsen is the largest city in Western Bohemia and the administrative center of the Pilsen Region. It is located at the confluence of four rivers: the Mže, Radbuz, Uglava and Uslava, which join to form the Berounka River. Pilsen is considered the capital of Western Bohemia and one of the centers of Czech brewing, and is one of the five largest and most important cities in the Czech Republic.
Pilsen is an ancient city with interesting architecture and sights. But it is also a major industrial, economic and educational center. It is one of the richest cities in the Czech Republic.
Pilsen is home to 2 major Czech universities, and it is not surprising that many students from CIS countries consider this city when choosing a suitable place to study.
But when you are planning to move to another country, it is important to make sure that the new city you will be living in is perfect for you. There are several criteria to evaluate a city from a student's point of view: where you can study, how expensive it is to live, whether you can get a part-time job, where to have fun, etc.
Pilsen is the fourth largest city in the Czech Republic. This city hosts many events ranging from sports to music.
From a historical point of view, Pilsen is an important industrial and brewing city, famous for brands such as Škoda, Pilsner Urquell or Gambrinus. In addition, the city is home to several major universities, making it the educational center of western Bohemia.
But let's take a closer look at whether Pilsen is suitable for a future Czech student.
Studying in the city of Pilsen
This is probably the most important criterion. After all, how can you go to study in a city where there are no educational institutions. But also important is how promising the study in your chosen locality is.
Pilsen has everything at the highest level in this respect. There are 2 universities in the city: the University of West Bohemia and Charles University with its Faculty of Medicine.
The main university in Pilsen is the University of West Bohemia, which is one of the largest in the Czech Republic. This institution offers specialties for all tastes. The university has nine faculties, a large research laboratory and a separate language training faculty. The university considers its highlight to be its technical study programs: students can not only attend lectures on specialized subjects, but also do practical training in laboratories, participate in conferences and work on personal projects.
It is not only science and technology that you can study at the University of West Bohemia. Here is a list of all the faculties of the university:
- Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art
- Economics
- Electrotechnical
- Applied Sciences
- Philosophy
- Pedagogical
- Law
- Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering
- Medical Research
As you can see, in this university will find a specialty to taste and technician, and humanities, and creative personality, and the future doctor.
At the University of West Bohemia you can study at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral level.
As for medicine, in Pilsen it is represented in two institutions at once. At the University of West Bohemia you will study medical research, and at the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University you can study general medicine or dentistry.
The city of Pilsen is home to one of the seven medical faculties of the world-famous Charles University, which offers a master's program in General Medicine and Dentistry. In the doctoral program, the list of specialties expands significantly: anatomy, hygiene, radiology and many other specialties.
It is important that the Faculty of Medicine does not have a separate bachelor's and continuing master's program, there is only a full master's and doctoral program.
In Pilsen you will find the specialty you need, as all fields of study are represented at local universities.
And that's not all! Preparation for entering Czech universities is now more accessible with the Prague Education Center. Enroll in a year-long course either online or offline in one of the major cities of the Czech Republic: Prague or Brno. Pay a deposit after you submit your visa application or start the course. You will be able to master Czech language up to levels B2/C1 and get all the necessary knowledge for admission. More information about the program ...
Student accommodation in Pilsen
Rental prices in the city of Pilsen differ from those in Prague for the better. Since it is not the capital and not a particularly touristy city, accommodation is much more affordable. While studying at university, you can live in a dormitory, ubytování or rent an apartment.
Pilsen is the fourth largest city in the Czech Republic. Czech students in Pilsen can rent an apartment without much difficulty, as the prices for such accommodation here are affordable. Consequently, there is little competition for a place in a dormitory. More often than not, students who apply for a dormitory end up getting the place they want. In Prague it is much worse, there is so much competition for a place that you need to apply in the first days after the start of registration, otherwise there may be no decent rooms in good hostels.
The cost of living depends on the type of room and the hostel itself. Rooms come in 1-o, 2-o, 3-o, 4-o and 4-bed. On average, the price varies between 2000-3500 CZK per month.
Ubytování is a kind of hostel or dormitory for everyone, not just students. There, the renovation of the room can be better, and there are many more single rooms in such places than in a regular student hostel.
The cost of living in ubytovna is higher than in a dormitory, minimum 3500 kroner. In general, living ubytování can be even more expensive than renting an apartment.
Renting an apartment in Pilsen is much cheaper than in Prague. In the capital few students can afford to rent an apartment alone, most often they live with roommates. In Pilsen you can easily rent a one bedroom apartment for 8000 CZK, which is cheaper than a room in Prague.
Student jobs in Pilsen
It is important to know that in the Czech Republic, people living in the country on a student visa can legally work.
There is even a special kind of student part-time work with hourly wages, and you can customize your work schedule. These jobs are called Brigada. Most often it is a simple job that does not require special education, such as a barista, receptionist in a hotel, store clerk, etc.
Part-time work you can find on the Internet on specialized sites or on the bulletin board at the university. Salary varies depending on the job, on average 90-120 crowns. It is noteworthy that in Prague the salary is the same, but the prices are much higher.
In Pilsen, the choice of part-time jobs is not as great as in Prague, but there is plenty of work. You can even find part-time work in cafes and small stores owned by people from the CIS.
Infrastructure of Pilsen
Pilsen is a fairly large city (by Czech standards), so it has a well-developed public transportation system. You can travel around the city on buses, trolleybuses and streetcars. Tickets are common and valid in all modes of transportation, but only for a certain time depending on the type of ticket. The price of tickets is lower than in Prague: you can ride for half an hour for 18 crowns, an hour for 22 crowns, 3 hours for 38 crowns and a day for 66 crowns.
There are several hospitals in the city, the largest of which is the University Hospital of Pilsen.
In addition, the city has a zoo, many sports fields and a whole network of bicycle paths. In the heat of the day, you can enjoy the coolness of the Hracholuski and Ceske Udolí dams or the Košutka Lake right in the city center.
Pilsen is situated in a beautiful scenic location among forests and fields, so if you like to go outdoors, you definitely won't be bored there.
Historical sites and entertainment
The historic heart of the city is the Republic Square, from which many medieval streets originate. Very often markets are located here, be it traditional Czech farmers' markets or temporary fairs on the occasion of Easter, St. Martin's Day, Christmas and many other holidays.
The main attraction in the square is the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew. At the back of the Cathedral there is an iron forged lattice with angel heads, one of these angels is polished to a shine by locals who believe it can grant wishes if its head is rubbed thoroughly. In three different corners of the square are gilded fountains depicting a greyhound, a camel and an angel - symbols from the coat of arms of the city of Pilsen.
In the narrowest ring of streets around the square you can find the remains of the medieval city walls and the Dominican monastery, as well as the preserved Franciscan monastery and the entrance to the famous historic city dungeon.
This ring of streets is surrounded on three sides by well-maintained city parks. Among them are the gardens of Kopecký, Šafářík and Mlýnská stróha. On one side of the Smetanovy Gardens is the neo-Renaissance Til Theater, on the other side is the monumental West Bohemian Museum, and in the middle is the old Jewish Synagogue.
In the gardens of the Thirty-Fifth Anniversary is the Great Synagogue, the second largest synagogue in Europe.
Pilsen hosts a number of important cultural events, including the Smetana Music Days, Metalfest Open Air, Jazz Without Borders, Finále Plzeň Film Festival, International Theater Festival and, of course, the Pilsner Fest beer festival.
Traveling from Pilsen
Plzeň is an hour's drive from Prague, so you can easily travel to the capital to see friends, go shopping or just walk around.
Another undeniable advantage of Pilsen is the D5 highway, which is the link between Prague and Germany. Therefore, trips to Germany in this city are very popular, some Czechs even go there to work. After all, Germany is less than an hour away.
Those who are not very interested in shopping and traveling abroad can appreciate the countless quality bike paths on which you can travel all over the Pilsen region.
Pilsen is a large city where you can not only study at a progressive university, but also have an eventful social life. In addition, Pilsen is quite inexpensive, so living there is a real money saver.
If you are looking for an ideal place to study with the best balance between quality of education and affordability of life, then we recommend Plzeň.
