Soběslav (; ) is a town in

Tábor District Tábor District () is a district in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Tábor. Administrative division Tábor District is divided into two administrative districts of municipalities with extended competenc ...

in the

South Bohemian Region The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''Regions of the Czech Republic, kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.

Administrative division

Soběslav consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Soběslav I (964) *Soběslav II (1,779) *Soběslav III (3,767) *Chlebov (190) *Nedvědice (101)

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name

Soběslav Soběslav (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

Geography

Soběslav is located about south of

Tábor Tábor (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populated town in the region. The town was founded by the Hussites in 1420. The historic town centre is well pres ...

and northeast of

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...

. It lies on the border between the

Třeboň Basin The Třeboň Basin () is a structural basin and Geomorphological division of the Czech Republic, 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 f ...

and the

Tábor Uplands Tábor (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populated town in the region. The town was founded by the Hussites in 1420. The historic town centre is well pres ...

. The town is situated at the confluence of the Lužnice River and the stream

Černovický potok The Černovický potok is a stream in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Lužnice (river), Lužnice River. It flows through the South Bohemian Region, South Bohemian and Vysočina Region, Vysočina regions. It is long. Etymology The nam ...

. There are several fishponds in the territory of Soběslav. The fishpond Nový rybník with its surroundings is protected as the Nový rybník u Soběslavi Nature Monument.

History

The first written mention of Soběslav is from 1293, when the castle and surrounding areas belonged to the

Rosenberg family The House of Rosenberg ( or ''Páni z Rožmberka'') was a prominent Bohemian noble family that played an important role in Czech medieval history from the 13th century until 1611. Members of this family held posts at the Prague royal (and ...

. In obtained town rights in 1390. Four years later was the King

Wenceslaus IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400. As he ...

imprisoned in a local castle. In the 16th century, Soběslav was the seat of

Peter Vok of Rosenberg Peter Vok of Rosenberg (; 1 October 1539 – 6 November 1611) was a nobleman of the House of Rosenberg, descended from the Vítkovci. Rožmberk was a leading Protestant in the unsettled years before Battle of White Mountain. Life Peter Vok was ...

and one of the most important towns of the Rosenbergs' estate. It represented the economic centre of southern Bohemia with ties to

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. This most important stage in the history of the town is evident in numerous historic buildings in the town to this day. The town was burned twice during the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

. At the end of 19th century, the town was connected by a railway with

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and

Demographics

Transport

The D3 motorway (part of the

European route E55 European route E55 is an E-route. It starts in southern Sweden, crosses the Øresund strait to Denmark, and passes through more water (the western Baltic Sea) to reach continental Europe on Rostock, Germany. Thence it continues further southwar ...

) from Tábor to České Budějovice runs next to the town. Soběslav is located on the railway line Prague–

. There is a small civil airport on the southern edge of the town.

Sights

The historical part of the town is protected as an urban monument zone. The Church of Saint Vitus is a Gothic building from 1375, founded by

Oldřich I of Rosenberg Oldřich I of Rosenberg (died 4 March 1390) was the fourth son of the Peter I of Rosenberg and his second wife, . Together with his mother and brothers, he founded a Minorite monastery in Český Krumlov. After the death of his older brother ...

. In the 15th–18th centuries it was modified, but retained its Gothic character. The Soběslav Castle is known for its well-preserved cylindrical tower Hláska, which is a landmark of the town. The castle fell into disrepair in the 1980s. Its northern wing was reconstructed in 2010 and today it houses the town library. The parish Church of Saints Peter and Paul is a landmark of the town square. An old church was completely rebuilt in the late Gothic style in 1493–1517. It has a high tower, open to the public as a lookout tower. There are two museums in the town: Smrčka's House (an ethnographic museum in the only preserved Renaissance house in the town) and Rosenberg House (museum with nature-related expositions). Nearby the town border there is a forest called Svákov with the eponymous observation tower, small Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, and remnants of an old Slavic gord.

Notable people

* František Josef Studnička (1836–1903), mathematician, astronomer and Czech science life organizer *

Otakar Ostrčil Otakar Ostrčil (25 February 1879 in Prague – 20 August 1935 in Prague) was a Czech composer and conductor. He is noted for symphonic works ''Impromptu'', ''Suite in C Minor'', and ''Symfonietta'', and in his opera compositions '' Poupě'' and ' ...

(1879–1935), pedagogue, composer and conductor; visited regularly the town and composed here

Twin towns – sister cities

Soběslav is twinned with: *

Sabinov Sabinov (, , ) is a small town located in the Prešov Region (north-eastern Slovakia), approximately 20 km from Prešov and 55 km from Košice. The population of Sabinov is 12,700. Etymology The name apparently comes from some shortened ...

, Slovakia

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sobeslav Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Tábor District