České Budějovice is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and its political and commercial capital, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice, of the University of South Bohemia, and of the Academy of Sciences.
It is in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is famous for the Budweiser Budvar Brewery.
The city was founded in 1265 by King Ottokar II of Bohemia, who granted its municipal charter in 1265. The siting and planning of the city was carried out by the king’s knight Hirzo. The settlers were coming from the Bohemian Forest and Upper Austria.České Budějovice is a low-lying city spread mostly across a plain, making it nearly flat in the inner parts with hillier areas in the eastern suburbs.
Beer
Budějovice has long been well known for the beer brewed there since the 13th century. For a time, the town was the imperial brewery for the Holy Roman Emperor, and Budweiser Bier (i.e. beer from Budweis) became, along with Pilsner from Plzeň, one of the best-known lagers. Brewing remains a major industry.
The largest brewery, founded in 1895, is “Pivovar Budějovický Budvar” (Budweiser Budvar Brewery) which has legal rights to market its beer under the “Budweiser” brand name in much of Europe.
Architecture
Black Tower and St. Nicholas Cathedral on the opposite corner of the square
The old town preserves interesting architecture from the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and 19th century periods. This includes buildings around the large Ottokar II Square (“Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II”), the old Town Hall with murals and bronze gargoyles, and the 16th century Black Tower (Černá věž). The most valuable historic building in České Budějovice is the Dominican convent with the Gothic Presentation of the Virgin Mary church from the 13th century. The Iron Maiden Tower and the Rabenštejn Tower are a 14th-century former prisons and one of the few remainings of the Old Town’s Gothic fortifications.
Culture
Museum of South Bohemia
The Museum of South Bohemia dates to 1877 and holds a large collection of historic books, coins, weapons and other articles. It was closed for reconstruction in 2012–2014.
In literature
The city is one of the major settings in the novel “The Good Soldier Švejk” by Jaroslav Hašek. Budějovice is the setting and was the working title for the play The Misunderstanding by Albert Camus.
Transport
The city can be reached from other locations by inter-city buses and by train. The town will receive access to the planned D3 motorway running from Prague to the Austrian border at Dolní Dvořiště. Internationally, a direct railroad built by the Austrian Empress Elisabeth Railway company in 1871, connecting the Czech capital Prague with Zürich, via Linz and Salzburg, also makes a stop in České Budějovice.[
The city is served by České Budějovice railway station, a Neo-Renaissance style station building in the new town.nLocal buses and trolleybuses take passengers to most areas of the city.
Public domestic and non-public international České Budějovice Airport is located 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) south-west from České Budějovice, at the nearby village of Planá.
