The South Bohemian Region ( cs, Jihočeský kraj; , ) is an administrative unit (''
kraj
A kraj ( ''kraje'') is the highest-level administrative unit in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. For lack of other English expressions, the Slavic term is often translated as "province", "region", or "territory", although it approxim ...
'') of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
, with a small part in southwestern
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The me ...
. The western part of the South Bohemian Region is former
Prachens (Prácheňsko), a huge archaic region with distinctive features with its capital,
Písek
Písek (; german: Pisek) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Písek is colloquially called "''South ...
. In 2011, there were 624 municipalities in the region, whereof 54 had a status of a town.
The region borders (from the west clockwise) the regions
Plzeň
Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...
,
Central Bohemia
The Central Bohemian Region ( cz, Středočeský kraj, german: Mittelböhmische Region) is an administrative unit ( cz, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in ...
,
Vysočina and
South Moravia
The South Moravian Region ( cs, Jihomoravský kraj; , ; sk, Juhomoravský kraj) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia (an exception is Jobova Lhota which trad ...
. To the south it borders
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
(
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
and
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...
) and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
(
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
). Until 30 May 2001, the region was named as or , after its capital,
České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
.
Due to its geographical location and natural surroundings the region belongs to the first settlements that appeared in the distant past. Over the past centuries, the South Bohemian region has been known for fishpond cultivation and forestry. The region has been industrialized since the beginning of the twentieth century. Nowadays, it is a tourist destination due to its natural and historical richness and the fastest growing industry has been the travel industry.
Administrative divisions
The South Bohemian Region was established with constitutional lax No. 347/97 of Collections concerning the formation of higher territorial administrative units. The region and its authorities are specified by Act No. 129-2000 of Collections concerning regions, which came into effect on the day of the regional authorities elections, 1 January 2001.
The region is divided into 7 districts:
Population and area
The total area of the region is 10,056 km
2 which is 12.8% of the total area of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. As of 2019, South Bohemia's population is 642,133 and with only 64 people per 1 km
2 the region has the lowest population density in the whole country.
64.2% of the region's population lives in towns or cities. One-third of the inhabitants live in the five largest municipalities. Only 4% of region's population lives in municipalities with less than 200 inhabitants.
In 2011, the average age in the region is 41.2 years. Approximately 11% of inhabitants who were 15 years or older had a university degree (in 2001 this was 8%). According to the 2011 census, 20.6% of inhabitants in the region believe in God (however, almost half of the people did not answer this question). The table below gives an overview of towns and cities in the region that have at least 8,000 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2019).
Other significant towns are:
Vimperk
Vimperk (; german: Winterberg) is a town in Prachatice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,300 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#M ...
,
Dačice
Dačice (; german: Datschitz) is a town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
It is ...
,
Kaplice
Kaplice (; german: Kaplitz) is a town in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech ...
,
Soběslav
Soběslav (; german: Sobieslau) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,800 inhabitants. The historical town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Admi ...
,
Sezimovo Ústí
Sezimovo Ústí (; german: Alttabor) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,000 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Sezimovo Ústí is formed by one administrative part.
Etymology
The name li ...
,
Vodňany
Vodňany (; german: Wodnian) is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone, Vodňan ...
,
Blatná
Blatná (; german: Blatna) is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,400 inhabitants. It is known for a water castle in the centre of a pond, and a landscape garden around it. The town cen ...
,
Veselí nad Lužnicí
Veselí nad Lužnicí (; german: Wesseli an der Lainsitz) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,300 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Lužnice and Nežárka rivers.
Administrat ...
,
Bechyně
Bechyně (; german: Bechin, Beching or ''Bechingen'') is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,900 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban ...
and
Protivín
Protivín () is a town in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,700 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Chvaletice, Krč, Maletice, Milenovice, Myšenec, Protivín, Selibov, Těšínov and Zá ...
. The following table provides more details on the districts of the South Bohemia:
Geography
![Plešné jezero](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Ple%C5%A1n%C3%A9_jezero.jpg)
The central part of the South Bohemian Region consists of the
České Budějovice Basin
The České Budějovice Basin ( cs, Českobudějovická pánev) is a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the South Bohemian Region and it is named after the city of České Budějovice. It is known as a cultural lan ...
and
Třeboň Basin
The Třeboň Basin ( cs, Třeboňská pánev) is a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the South Bohemian Region and it is named after the town of Třeboň. It is known for its fishpond system.
Geomorphology
The T ...
. The southwest consists of the
Bohemian Forest
The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava () and in German as Böhmerwald, is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in ...
mountain range and its foothills, the
Gratzen Mountains
The Gratzen Mountains (german: Gratzener Bergland or, more rarely, ''Gratzener Gebirge''; cz, Novohradské hory) are part of the Bohemian Massif and run along either side of the border between the Czech Republic and the Austrian states of Upper ...
and its foothills are located to the south. The northern part of the region extends to the
Central Bohemian Hills
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
. The eastern part lies in the
Bohemian-Moravian Highlands
The Bohemian-Moravian Highlands ( cs, Českomoravská vrchovina or ''Vysočina''; german: Böhmisch-Mährische Höhe) is a geomorphological macroregion and mountain range in the Czech Republic. Its highest peaks are the Javořice at and Devět s ...
. The highest elevation in the region is the high
Plechý in the Bohemian Forest, the lowest elevation with above sea level is at the
Orlík Dam.
The region is located in the drainage basin of
Vltava
Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at M ...
river. Other significant rivers are
Malše
The Malše (german: Maltsch) is a river in Upper Austria and in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Vltava.
The Malše originates on the north slope of the , near the village of Sandl in Freistadt District, Upper Austria. It flows nort ...
,
Lužnice,
Otava,
Nežárka
Nežárka () (german: Naser) is a river in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. It flows into the Lužnice in Veselí nad Lužnicí. It is 56.0 km (35 miles) long, and its basin area is 1,001 km2. The river flows through Jindřichův Hradec a ...
and
Lomnice. South Bohemia is known for its many ponds. In the past, more than seven thousand ponds were established across the region. With its 489 ha
Rožmberk is the
largest one, followed by Bezdrev (450 ha) and Horusice pond (415 ha). In the 20th century, a series of dams were constructed on the Vltava river.
Lipno Dam
The Lipno Reservoir ( cs, přehrada Lipno) is a dam and hydroelectric plant constructed along the Vltava River in the Czech Republic. It is the largest water area in the Czech Republic.
History
Due to frequent flooding and subsequent damage, the ...
is the largest dam in the Czech Republic and has an area of 4,870 ha. Other dams in the region are
Orlík Dam, Římov Dam and Hněvkovice Dam.
A big part of the
Šumava National Park
The Šumava National Park ( cs, Národní park Šumava, usually shortened as NP Šumava), or Bohemian Forest National Park,
is a national park in the South Bohemian regions of the Czech Republic along the border with Germany (where the smaller ad ...
is situated in South Bohemia. The Bohemian Forest is a holiday destination, in particular, with hikers. Many natural and cultural sights are connected with more than 500 km of summer marked trails and bike trails.
Climate
The climate in South Bohemia is of a transitional Central European type. It is affected alternatively by an oceanic influence from the west, and a continental influence from the east. Therefore, the weather can be variable. Most of the South Bohemian region belongs to the mild, warm and wet zone and at altitudes above 750 m, this passes to mild and cool. The warmest month is usually July, with temperatures averaging between 17 and 18 °C in valley areas. In higher localities (over 900 m) the temperatures can drop below 14 °C. Days with temperatures above 25 °C are most frequently in valley-basins, and the area around the confluence of the rivers Lužnice and Vltava (Moldau): on average there are 40-50 such days a year.
Economy
![Budvar UK retouched](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Budvar_UK_retouched.jpg)
In 2010, the region produced 5% of the national
GDP
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is ofte ...
. The GDP per capita is 84% of the national average, which is the 8th highest among all regions. In 2011, the business sector in the South Bohemian Region comprises 159,000 entities, 114,000 of which were sole traders. There are more than 300 thousand people employed in the region, whereof 31% in industry, 13% in trade and 10% in construction sector. The average salary in the region in September 2013 was CZK 21,768 (approximately EUR 850). The unemployment rate in September 2013 was 6.05%.
The Region does not rank among key industrial areas of the Czech Republic. The industrial production is concentrated particularly in the area of
České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
and in
Tábor District
Tábor District ( cs, okres Tábor) is a district ('' okres'') within South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Tábor.
List of municipalities
Balkova Lhota -
Bechyně -
Bečice -
Běleč -
Borkovice -
'' Borotín' ...
and
Strakonice District
Strakonice District ( cs, okres Strakonice) is a district ('' okres'') within South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Strakonice.
List of municipalities
Bavorov -
Bělčice -
Bezdědovice -
Bílsko -
Blatná -
B ...
. The food and drink processing industries play a significant role in the region. Other important sectors are the automotive industry, production of machinery and appliances, and also the textile and clothing industries. Recently, the travel industry has become an important sector in the region.
The Czech Academy of Sciences, whose institutes operate all over the region, provides a good base for the development of science. These institutes focus mostly on biology and ecology. Scientific work is also part of the activities of the
University of South Bohemia
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
(Czech: Jihočeská univerzita) with its headquarters in České Budějovice and Jindřichův Hradec.
Approximately 11% of the national agricultural production is produced in the South Bohemian Region. The agricultural sector focuses on plant production, mostly on growing cereals, oil plants, and potatoes. In animal husbandry, the breeding of cattle and pigs prevails. Fishpond cultivation has a long tradition in South Bohemia. Fish husbandry in the total area of 25 000 ha makes up about 50% of the total national production.
[Population, Economy; Available at: http://www.kraj-jihocesky.cz/foreign/eng/more2.php ]
Architecture
![Holasovice1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Holasovice1.jpg)
The region is famous for its small villages with a pond in the middle. These are generally built in the style of the
Rustic Baroque, also known as South Bohemian Baroque:
"Rustic Baroque is a term for the unique architecture of South Bohemia. The local folk bricklayer masters Martin Paták and František Šoch created a new type of South Bohemian farmhouse with an ornate frontispiece in the middle of the 19th century. A typical building of this style is a massive rustic farmhouse with two richly decorated frontispieces, which are joined by an arched gate with small doors. The marshland frontispieces are beautifully decorated, they have lavish contours, the surface is usually divided by allusive decorative columns, completed by arches, stylised hearts, four-leafed clovers, meadow flowers."
Gallery
Bechyně, zámek.JPG, Chauteau in Bechyně
Bechyně (; german: Bechin, Beching or ''Bechingen'') is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,900 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban ...
CBud sqr.jpg, Přemysl Otakar II Square in České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
Ceskykrumlov.JPG, Castle in Český Krumlov
Český Krumlov (; german: Krumau, , or ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The historic centre with the Český Krumlov Castle complex is protected by law as an urban monument reservation, and sin ...
Borová Lada, Chalupská slať, jezírko.JPG, ''Chalupská slať'' peat bog in the Bohemian Forest
Dačice, Palackého náměstí z věže.jpg, Dačice
Dačice (; german: Datschitz) is a town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
It is ...
Lipno nad Vltavou, přehradní hráz, přehrada.JPG, Lipno Dam
Pisecke namesti.jpg, Velké Square in Písek
Písek (; german: Pisek) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Písek is colloquially called "''South ...
Town hall in Prachatice in 2011 (3).JPG, Prachatice
Prachatice (; german: Prachatitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Administrative parts
Prac ...
Rozmberknadvltavou.JPG, Rožmberk nad Vltavou
Rožmberk nad Vltavou (german: Rosenberg) is a town in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants. The urban area with Rožmberk Castle is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...
ST lavka pres Otavu DSCN5647.JPG, Strakonice
Strakonice (; german: Strakonitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Strakonice is made up of town parts of Strakonice I and Strakonice II, and villages of Dražejov, ...
pedestrian bridge
Tabor CZ Zizka Memorial 323.jpg, Memorial of Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha ( en, John Zizka of Trocnov and the Chalice; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czech general – a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus and a Radical Hussite who led the Taborites. Žižka was a successful milita ...
in Žižka Square in Tábor
Tábor (; german: Tabor) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Administrative parts
The followi ...
Sculptural_group_on_square_in_Volyne.JPG, Town square in Volyně
Volyně is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Administrative parts
Villages of Če ...
External links
*
Official website*
Tourist Information System Of South Bohemia*
Bohemian ForestRegion Statistics*
Rustic Barocco*
Photo gallery made by a UNESCO photographer
References
{{authority control
Regions of the Czech Republic