Ceske Budejovice

The capital of South Bohemia, the royal city was founded at the confluence of the Vltava and Malse in 1265 by Premysl Otakar II. The city quickly turned into a major metropolis of South Bohemia, and the advantageous situation of Budejovice at the intersection of major trade routes allowed developing trade and industry. Fame to the city was brought by production of "Budejovicky Budvar" beer and «Koh-i-Noor» pencils.

A well-known urban monument is the equestrian railway, by which since 1832 the first train on the European continent was running from Budejovice to the Austrian city of Linz.

Ceske Budejovice - not only an industrial, but also the cultural center of southern Bohemia. Open there are the Mining Museum of the Rudolf Royal Dynasty and the museum of the Rudolfs’ town, the museum of motorbikes, the equestrian tram museum, the national agricultural museum, an observatory, a planetarium, 25 exhibition centers and galleries, the South Bohemian University and the Academy of Knowledge of Jan Kamensky.

Since 1980, the old center of the city was declared a historic reserve. Currently there are about 250 protected monuments of history and architecture. The most famous are the Cathedral of St.Nicholas, the Butcher market, the Black Tower, the former Dominican monastery with the Church of Sacrifice of the Virgin Mary and a fountain with a sculpture of Samson in the square.

From Ceske Budejovice a bicycle track leads straight into Hluboka-nad-Vltavou, where one of the most famous Czech castles is situated.