České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the

South Bohemian Region The South Bohemian Region ( cs, Jihočeský kraj; , ) is an administrative unit (''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 part ...

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 ...

. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the

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 ...

River, at its confluence with the

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 ...

. České Budějovice is the largest city in the region and its political and commercial capital, the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice The Diocese of České Budějovice ( la, Dioecesis Budovicensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese. It is situated almost entirely in Bohemia, with only small eastern section in Moravia. The diocese was founded on 20 September 1785, and its area is 12 ...

, 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 ...

, and of the Academy of Sciences. It is famous for the

Budweiser Budvar Brewery Budweiser Budvar ( ) is a brewery in the Czech city of České Budějovice (german: Budweis), best known for its original Budweiser or Budweiser Budvar pale lager brewed using artesian water, Moravian barley and Saaz hops. Budweiser Budvar is th ...

. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.

Administrative parts

České Budějovice is made up of seven city parts named České Budějovice 1–7. České Budějovice 5 forms an exclave of the municipal territory.

Etymology

The name Budějovice is derived from personal Slavic name ''Budivoj'', meaning "the village of the people of Budivoj". The name first appeared as ''Budoywicz'', then it appeared in various similar forms. The German name was created by transcribing and shortening the Czech name. When the royal city was founded in 1265, the name appeared as ''Budwoyz'' and then it was adapted to ''Budweis''. The name ''Budvicium'' was used in Latin. After the

Hussite revolution 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 Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Ca ...

in the first half of the 15th century, the name ''České Budějovice'' ("

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 ...

n Budějovice") appeared to distinguish it from

Moravské Budějovice Moravské Budějovice (; german: Mährisch Budwitz) is a town in Třebíč District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,200 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monum ...

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 m ...

n Budějovice").

Geography

České Budějovice Czech-Republic-Rene-Cortin

České Budějovice is located about south of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. The city lies in 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 ...

, a small eastern part extends into the

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 city spread mostly across a plain making it nearly flat in the inner parts with hillier areas in the eastern suburbs. The highest point lies at about above sea level. České Budějovice is situated in the valley of the

River, at its confluence with the

. A set of large fish ponds is located in the northwestern part of the municipal territory. The largest pond is Novohaklovský with an area of . Several of the ponds lies within the ''Vrbenské rybníky''

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

Climate

České Budějovice has a cooler and wet inland version of a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfb'') with an average annual temperature of . There are four seasons, with a murky dry winter between early December and early March, a sunny and wetter spring between half of March up to half of May changing to a rainy and warm summer during late May and early September when a dry autumn lasting to late November begins. There are between 1,550 and 1,800 hours of sunshine in most years.

History

The first written mention of Budějovice is from 1251, when it was only a village. The royal city was founded on its site in 1265 by King

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...

in 1265. The siting and planning of the city was carried out by the king's

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

Hirzo. The German-speaking settlers were coming from 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 ...

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 ...

. The royal city was created as a platform of the king's power in South Bohemia and to counterbalance the powerful noble

House of Rosenberg The House of Rosenberg ( cs, Rožmberkové, sg. ''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 Pragu ...

, which became extinct in 1611. In 1341 King

John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...

allowed

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

families to reside within the city walls, and the first

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

was built in 1380; however several

pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...

s occurred in the late 15th and early 16th century. Since 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 Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

, the city was traditionally a bulwark of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

during the long-lasting religious conflicts in the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

. A part of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

from 1526, Budejovice remained a loyal supporter of Emperor Ferdinand II in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

. Budějovice underwent a short occupation by

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

during the

Silesian Wars The Silesian Wars (german: Schlesische Kriege, links=no) were three wars fought in the mid-18th century between Prussia (under King Frederick the Great) and Habsburg Austria (under Archduchess Maria Theresa) for control of the Central European ...

, and the war between the Habsburgs and the French army in 1742. In 1762 the

Piarists The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...

established a '' gymnasium'' here and Emperor

Joseph II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...

founded the diocese in 1785. In 1847, the production of

Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth a.s. is a Czech manufacturing company of stationery products, based in České Budějovice. Having been established in 1790, it is one of the oldest stationery companies in the world. With four factories in its country of o ...

pencils was relocated from

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

to Budějovice. The city remained a German-speaking

enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

until 1880, after which Czechs became the majority. Until the end of World War II, the city contained a significant German minority (about 15.5% in 1930). For example, the ratios between the Germans and the Czechs were in 1880: 11,829 Germans to 11,812 Czechs, in 1890: 11,642 to 16,585, in 1900: 15,400 to 23,400, in 1910: 16,900 to 27,300 and in 1921: 7,415 to 35,800. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the city was occupied by Germany. The occupiers operated a

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

prison and a forced labour camp in the city. During the final stages of the war, in March 1945, Budějovice's marshalling yard was twice targeted by

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

raids that greatly damaged the city and caused great loss of life. At the end of the war, on 9 May 1945,

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

troops liberated the city. On the following day, the Red Army and the United States Army met on the main square in a joint celebration of the city's liberation. The entire German population was expelled in 1945 under the Beneš decrees and the Potsdam Agreement.

Demographics

Economy

Budějovice has long been well known for the beer brewed there since the 13th century. In 1256 the Svitavy brewery was founded there, which was closed in 2002. For a time, the town was the imperial brewery for the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

, and ''Budweiser Bier'' (i.e. beer from Budweis) became, along with ''

Pilsner Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Bre ...

'' from Plzeň, one of the best-known

lager Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storag ...

s. Brewing remains a major industry. The largest brewery, founded in 1895, is "

" which has legal rights to market its beer under the "Budweiser" brand name in much of Europe. The same product is also sold elsewhere under the names "Budvar" and "Czechvar" due to legal disagreements with

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...

over the Budweiser brand and Anheuser-Busch sells its beer as "Bud" in most of the European Union. The

American lager American lager or North American lager is pale lager that is produced in the United States. The pale lager-style beer originated in Europe in the mid-19th century, and moved to the US with German immigrants. As a general trend outside of Bavaria ...

was originally brewed as an imitation of the famous Bohemian original, but over time has developed its own identity and attained remarkable commercial success. Anheuser-Busch has made offers to buy out the Czech brewing company in order to secure global rights to the name "Budweiser", but the Czech government has refused all such offers, regarding the Czech Budweiser name as a matter of national pride. The oldest operating and second largest brewery, founded in 1795, was renamed to "Pivovar Samson", replacing its original German name "

Budweiser Bürgerbräu Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrela ...

" during the communist period. It also exported, mostly under the "Samson" and "Crystal" labels. Recently, they reacquired naming rights for Budweiser for Europe while offering "B. B. Bürgerbräu" in the US since 2005.

Transport

The city can be reached from other locations by inter-city buses and by

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

. The town will receive access to the planned D3 motorway running from

to the

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 ...

n border at

Dolní Dvořiště Dolní Dvořiště (german: Unterhaid) is a municipality and village in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. It lies on the border with Austria. Administrative parts Villages ...

. Internationally, a direct railroad built by the Austrian

Empress Elisabeth Railway The Empress Elisabeth Railway (german: Kaiserin Elisabeth-Bahn, KEB) was the name of a former railway company during the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Its rail network was centred on the Western Railway line from Vienna to Salzburg wit ...

company in 1871, connecting Prague with

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

, via

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

and

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, also makes a stop in České Budějovice. The city is served by České Budějovice railway station, a

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

style station building in the new town. The horse-drawn railroad line connecting České Budějovice to

was the second oldest public line in continental Europe (after the St.Étienne-Andrézieux line in France), constructed from 1824 to 1832; traces of the line can be seen south of the city. Local

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

es and

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

es take passengers to most areas of the city. Public domestic and non-public international

České Budějovice Airport České Budějovice Airport (ICAO: LKCS, IATA: JCL) is a public domestic and non-public international airport operated by South Bohemian Airport České Budějovice a.s., owned by the South Bohemian Region and the city of České Budějovice. It i ...

is located south-west from České Budějovice, at the nearby village of Planá.

Sport

České Budějovice is the site of many sports facilities and national stadiums, including the football

Stadion Střelecký ostrov Stadion Střelecký ostrov is a football stadium in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, located near the Vltava River. It is currently used as the home ground of SK Dynamo České Budějovice. The stadium holds 6,681 people and was built in 1940. ...

, the ice-hockey

Budvar Arena Budvar Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. It is used as the home ice of Motor České Budějovice, which currently plays in the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League The Chance Liga is the second-highe ...

and the Athletic Stadium Sokol. The Swimming Stadium České Budějovice features a 50-metre indoor pool, a diving pool, saunas, an outdoor swimming pool and a children's pool. After the modernization in 1998 a covered water slide was added and after the modernization in 2017 a new whirlpool. Major sport clubs include: *

SK Dynamo České Budějovice SK Dynamo České Budějovice is a football club from České Budějovice, Czech Republic. They currently play in the Czech First League, the first tier of football in the Czech Republic. History The club was founded in 1899 as Sportovní krouže ...

(

Czech First League The Czech First League, known as the Fortuna liga for sponsorship reasons, is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Seasons typically r ...

) *

Motor České Budějovice HC Motor České Budějovice is a professional men's ice hockey club, based in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. It is a member of the Czech Extraliga (ELH) after reforming when the original club, now known as Mountfield HK, moved to Hradec Kr ...

(

Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga ( cs, Extraliga ledního hokeje, ELH) is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created by the 1993 split of the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League following the breakup of Czechoslovakia. The le ...

) * Jihostroj České Budějovice ( Czech First Volleyball League) * TJ Sokol České Budějovice (

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

) * Hellboys České Budějovice (

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

) * RC České Budějovice (

Rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league. Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...

) * TJ Lokomotiva České Budějovice (

Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

) * Budějovické Barakudy (

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

) * FBC Štíři České Budějovice (

Floorball Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. Men and women play indoors with sticks and a plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three twenty-minute periods. The sport of bandy also played a role ...

) * TJ Dynamo České Budějovice (

Football tennis Football tennis, also known as futnet (in Czech and Slovak nohejbal and Soccer Tennis USA), is a sport played with a football. The sport is played indoors or outdoors on a court divided by a low net with two opposing teams made up of one, two o ...

) * SKVS České Budějovice (

Canoe slalom Canoe slalom (previously known as whitewater slalom) is a competitive sport with the aim to navigate a decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on river rapids in the fastest time possible. It is one of th ...

)

Sights

The old town preserves interesting architecture from the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

, and 19th century periods. This includes buildings around the large Přemysl Otakar II. Square, the old city 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 The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

with the Gothic Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 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. 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 ''The Good Soldier Švejk'' () is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who pretends to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary i ...

'' by

Jaroslav Hašek Jaroslav Hašek (; 1883–1923) was a Czech writer, humorist, satirist, journalist, bohemian and anarchist. He is best known for his novel '' The Fate of the Good Soldier Švejk during the World War'', an unfinished collection of farcical incide ...

. Budějovice is the setting and was the working title for the play ''

The Misunderstanding ''The Misunderstanding'' (French: ''Le Malentendu''), sometimes published as ''Cross Purpose'', is a play written in 1943 in occupied France by Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philos ...

'' by

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

Notable people

Adalbert Gyrowetz Vojtěch Matyáš Jírovec (Adalbert Gyrowetz) (20 February 1763 – 19 March 1850) was a Bohemian composer. He mainly wrote instrumental works, with a great production of string quartets and symphonies; his operas and singspiele numbered mo ...

(1763–1850), composer * Franz Schuselka (1811–1886), politician *

Otto Pilny Otto Pilny (28 June 1866 – 22 July 1936) was a Swiss painter who specialized in Orientalist genre scenes. Life and career Born in Budweis in 1866, his family moved to Prague in 1873, and he presumably received his artistic education there; ...

(1866–1936), painter *

Otto Steinhäusl Otto Steinhäusl (10 March 1879 – 20 June 1940) was an Austrian-born SS-''Oberführer'', Polizeipräsident (Police President) of Vienna, and President of Interpol (1938–1940). Early career Steinhäusl served as Vienna's head of police and Po ...

(1879–1940), police officer *

Jan Palouš Jan Leopold Alois "Koza" Palouš (25 October 1888 – 25 September 1971) was a Czechoslovak ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics and in the 1924 Winter Olympics. He was born in České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia and died i ...

(1888–1971), ice hockey player * Rudolf Tomaschek (1895–1966), experimental physicist * Anna Binder-Urbanová (1912–2004), philosophy lecturer *

Norbert Frýd Norbert Frýd (born Norbert Fried) (21 April 1913 – 18 March 1976) was a Czech writer, journalist and diplomat. He is known mainly for his autobiographical novel ''Krabice živých'' (A Box of Lives, 1956), in which he describes his experience ...

(1913–1976), writer *

Rolf Thiele Rolf Thiele (7 March 1918 – 9 October 1994) was a German film director, film producer, producer and screenwriter. He directed 42 films between 1951 and 1977. He was born in Ústí nad Labem, Prödlitz, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. ...

(1918–1994), film director and producer *

Haro Senft Haro Senft (27 September 1928, Budweis, Czechoslovakia (now České Budějovice, Czech Republic – 4 February 2016, Munich) was a German filmmaker who was one of the founders of the New German Cinema movement. His short documentary film '' Kah ...

(1928–2016), film director *

Marta Kubišová Marta Kubišová (born 1 November 1942 in České Budějovice) is a Czech singer. By the time of the Prague Spring of 1968, with her song "Modlitba pro Martu" ("A prayer for Marta"), she was one of the most popular female singers in Czechoslovaki ...

(born 1942), singer *

Vladimír Remek Vladimír Remek (born 26 September 1948) is a Czech, formerly Czechoslovak, politician and diplomat, as well as a former cosmonaut and military pilot. He flew aboard Soyuz 28 from 2 to 10 March 1978, becoming the first and only Czechoslovak in ...

(born 1948), cosmonaut, military pilot and politician * Pavel Tobiáš (born 1955), football player and manager *

František Straka František "Franz" Straka (born 28 May 1958) is a Czech former football player and manager of Fotbal Třinec. Biography Playing career Straka played most notably for Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to Germany and spent the rest of his playi ...

(born 1958), football player and manager *

Zdeněk Tůma Zdeněk Tůma (born 19 October 1960) is a Czech economist, who was the Governor of the Czech National Bank from 1 December 2000 to 30 June 2010. He had previously served as Vice Governor of the Bank from 13 February 1999 to 30 November 2000. Care ...

(born 1960), economist *

Karel Roden Karel Roden (born 18 May 1962) is a Czech actor, popularly known for his roles in ''Hellboy'' and ''The Bourne Supremacy'', and his voice work in '' Grand Theft Auto IV''. Life and career Roden followed his father and grandfather into acting. ...

(born 1962), actor * Karel Havlíček (born 1969), politician * Karel Vácha (born 1970), footballer * Jiří Lerch (born 1971), footballer *

Jaroslav Modrý Jaroslav Modrý (born 27 February 1971) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Star ...

(born 1971), ice hockey player * Radek Mynář (born 1974), footballer *

Stanislav Neckář Stanislav "Stan" Neckář (; born 22 December 1975) is a former Czech professional ice hockey player. He played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning and ...

(born 1975), ice hockey player *

Václav Prospal Václav "Vinny" Prospal (born February 17, 1975) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player, currently a hockey coach. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, ...

(born 1975), ice hockey player * Roman Lengyel (born 1978), footballer *

Vladimíra Uhlířová Vladimíra Uhlířová (born 4 May 1978) is a retired Czech tennis player. In her career, she won five doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as 17 doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. In October 2003, she reached her best singles ranki ...

(born 1978), tennis player * Josef Melichar (born 1979), ice hockey player *

David Lafata David Lafata (born 18 September 1981) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a forward. Club career From 1992 until 2005 Lafata played for Czech team SK České Budějovice, with a brief spell at FC Vysočina Jihlava in 2002. ...

(born 1981), footballer * Václav Nedorost (born 1982), ice hockey player * Filip Novák (born 1982), ice hockey player * Jiří Kladrubský (born 1985), footballer * Milan Gulaš (born 1985), ice hockey player * Tomáš Mertl (born 1986), ice hockey player *

Martin Hanzal Martin Hanzal (; born 20 February 1987) is a Czech former professional ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Amateur As a youth, Hanzal played in ...

(born 1987), ice hockey player

Twin towns – sister cities

České Budějovice is twinned with: *

, Austria *

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

, France *

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth la ...

, Slovakia *

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

, Germany *

Suhl Suhl () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located SW of Erfurt, NE of Würzburg and N of Nuremberg. With its 37,000 inhabitants, it is the smallest of the six urban districts within Thuringia. Together with its northern neighbour-town Zella- ...

, Germany

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial tourist portalOfficial encyclopedy of České Budějovice

Virtual Tourist tour of České BudějoviceČeské Budějovice on DiscoverCzech Travel Agency
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceske Budejovice Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in České Budějovice District