Ruda is a municipality and village in Rakovník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants.
Etymology The name literally means 'ore' in Czech, but it is not documented that it was ever mined here. It is therefore more likely that the name was derived from the personal name Ruda.
Geography Ruda is located about northeast of Rakovník and west of Prague. It lies mostly in the Křivoklát Highlands, only a small northern part of the municipality extends into the Džbán range. The highest point is the hill Dlouhý hřeben at above sea level. The Klíčava Stream flows along the eastern municipal border and several its small tributaries crosses the territory of Ruda.
History The first written mention of Ruda is from 1379. Until the 16th century, the village was owned by various lesser noblemen. Around 1534, Ruda was acquired by the Nostitz family. In 1582, the village was acquired by the royal chamber and a pheasantry of Emperor Rudolf II was established near Ruda. During the Thirty Years' War, the village was badly damaged and in 1654 only one inhabitant lived there. However, it gradually recovered in the following decades.
After the formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the pheasantry was re-established. It was managed by the Forestry Administration of Lány Castle and served the presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. President Václav Havel organised informal meetings at the hunting lodge belonging to the pheasantry since 1992. The pheasantry was closed in 2024.
Demographics
Transport The railway line Prague–Rakovník runs through the northern part of the municipality, but there is no train station. The municipality is served by the station in neighbouring Nové Strašecí.
Sights Among the protected cultural monuments in the municipality are an architecturally valuable farmyard called Amálie, founded around 1820–1830, and a small Baroque chapel.
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