České Budějovice – Famous City of Beer and Culture
In 1251, Premysl Otakar II decided to establish a centre of royal power. He laid out a rectangular city plan (a square square with 133 m sides) at an important ford. The actual founding took place in 1265, merchants and craftsmen quickly settled here and formed the core of a prosperous town.
Near the square with Samson's Fountain stands the Black Tower with 225 steps, St. Nicholas Cathedral and a number of Renaissance and Baroque houses with arcades, passages and narrow streets facing all directions. Nearby are, for example, the Meat Shops, reconstructed in 2007, where butchers' stalls can still be seen today.
The first horse railway was built between Budějovice and Linz. At the end of the 18th century, the Hardtmuths founded a pencil factory in Vienna, whose products are now exported all over the world, and later transferred it to České Budějovice.
The Budějovický Budvar brewery was founded in 1895, although the tradition of brewing beer here dates back to the 13th century. Some world-famous restaurants (such as Vienna's Schweizerhaus) exclusively use this brand of beer.
Modern architecture is represented by the functionalist villa of the entrepreneur Zátka, located near the Dlouhé Most. Na Sadech Avenue runs through the centre of the city. Here, the Humanoids sculpture, which decorates the beginning of Lanna Avenue leading to the railway station, will certainly attract attention. In 2011, the Lanno shipyard was opened in the town centre, thus completing the first stage of the Vltava River between České Budějovice and Hluboká nad Vltavou, from where the waterway leads to Týn nad Vltavou.
Additional information
Our tip
A cultural city includes important cultural institutions. České Budějovice is home to the South Bohemian Theatre with four ensembles: drama, opera, ballet and the Little Theatre. Individual companies are also active in other places in the region, for example, the revolving auditorium in Český Krumlov falls under the theatre. The town is also home to the South Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, with a newly renovated concert hall.
Rodaks and personalities:
- Přemysl Otakar II (c. 1233-1278) - Czech king, called the "King of Iron and Gold", founder of the town, at one time the most powerful ruler in Europe; he fell in the Battle of Moravian Field.
- Vojtěch Lanna (1805-1866)- businessman, industrialist and builder, was a major shareholder in the České Budějovice - Linec horse railway, which he leased from 1835-1846. He traded in the timber industry, participated in the development of the Kladno coal mines and realized a number of water and railway constructions. He co-founded the UMPRUM in Prague.
Do you know that...
...on the site of today's Samson's Fountain originally stood a medieval pillory where dishonest craftsmen were punished?
