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České Budějovice Budweis
City
Old town in mid-October 2008
Flag Coat of arms
České Budějovice
Coordinates: 48°58′29″N 14°28′29″E / 48.97472°N 14.47472°E / 48.97472; 14.47472Coordinates: 48°58′29″N 14°28′29″E / 48.97472°N 14.47472°E / 48.97472; 14.47472
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Bohemian
District	České Budějovice
Founded	1265
Government
• Mayor	Jiří Svoboda (ANO)
Area
• Total	55.56 km2 (21.45 sq mi)
Elevation	381 m (1,250 ft)
Population (As of 2015[update])
• Total	93,285
• Density	1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	370 01
Website	www.c-budejovice.cz/en

České Budějovice ([ˈtʃɛskɛː ˈbuɟɛjovɪtsɛ] (listen); German: Budweis or Böhmisch Budweis, Latin: Budovicium^[1]) is a statutory city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region as well as its political and commercial capital, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice, the University of South Bohemia, and the Academy of Sciences. It is located in the center of a valley of the Vltava River, at the confluence with the Malše. It is famous for Budweiser.

České Budějovice, which is located in the historical province of Bohemia, is not to be confused with Moravské Budějovice in Moravia.

History

Trams on Radecky street (now Žižkova street), c. 1909

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.^[2] 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, which became extinct in 1611.

In 1341 King John of Bohemia allowed Jewish families to reside within the city walls, and the first synagogue was built in 1380; however several pogroms occurred in the late 15th and early 16th century. Since the Hussite Wars, the city was traditionally a bulwark of the Catholic Church during the long-lasting religious conflicts in the Kingdom of Bohemia. A part of the Habsburg Monarchy from 1526, Budejovice remained a loyal supporter of Emperor Ferdinand II in the Thirty Years' War. Budějovice underwent a short occupation by Prussia during the Silesian Wars, and the war between the Habsburgs and the French army in 1742.

In 1762 the Piarists established a gymnasium here and Emperor Joseph II founded the diocese in 1785. In 1847, the production of Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth pencils was relocated from Vienna to Budějovice.

During the Second World War in March 1945, Budějovice was twice targeted by U.S. Air Force raids that greatly damaged the city and caused great loss of life. At the end of the war, on 9 May 1945, Soviet troops liberated the city. On the following day, the Red Army and the American Army met on the main square in a joint celebration of the city's liberation.

Demographics

The vast majority of the city's population today are Czechs (94.9% in 2001), with 1.15% Slovaks. In the past, the city had a significant proportion of ethnic Germans, who had formed the majority since medieval times.^[3] The city remained a German-speaking enclave 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.^[4] The entire German population was forcibly expelled in 1945 under the Beneš decrees.

Geography

Tourist boat on river in České Budějovice

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. The lowest point lies at 375 meters (1,230 feet) above sea level, and the highest point at 452 meters (1,483 feet). Because it is not very well ventilated some strong winters do occur; the strongest winter plummeted to −42.2 °C (−44.0 °F) in 1929 in the southern part of the city with lower temperatures elsewhere in the meantime. Nevertheless, such a strong winter is exceptional, especially outside of valley bottoms.

České Budějovice has a cooler and wet inland version of a humid continental climate (Dfb) with an average annual temperature of 8.3 °C (46.9 °F). 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 1550 and 1800 hours of sunshine in most years.

Beer

Budweiser Budvar Brewery

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,^[7] along with Pilsner from Plzeň, one of the best-known lagers. Brewing remains a major industry. In 1256 the Svitavy brewery was founded there, which was closed in 2002.^[8]

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. The same product is also sold elsewhere under the names "Budvar" and "Czechvar" due to legal disagreements with Anheuser-Busch over the Budweiser brand. The American lager 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 (founded in 1795) and second largest brewery was renamed to "Pivovar Samson", replacing its original German name "Budweiser Bürgerbräu" 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.

Architecture

Town Hall and Samson fountain at Ottokar II Square

The 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, on Piaristic Square.

Historical Presentation of Virgin Mary Church (rear)

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.^[9]

Transport

Trolleybus Škoda 25Tr serving the city

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 Kaplice. 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.^[10]

The city is served by České Budějovice railway station, a Neo-Renaissance style station building in the new town.^[11] The horse-drawn railroad line connecting České Budějovice to Linz 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 buses and trolleybuses take passengers to most areas of the city.

České Budějovice Airport is located 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) south-west from České Budějovice, at the nearby village of Planá.

People

It was the birthplace of:

• 
  Adalbert Gyrowetz (Czech: Vojtěch Jírovec) (1763–1850), composer


• 
  Franz Schuselka (1811–1886), politician


• 
  Otto Pilny (1866–1936), painter


• 
  Otto Steinhäusl (1879–1940), police officer


• 
  Jan Palouš (1888–1971), ice hockey player


• 
  Rudolf Tomaschek (1895–1966), experimental physicist


• 
  Norbert Frýd (1913–1976), writer


• 
  Rolf Thiele (1918–1994), film director and producer


• 
  Haro Senft (1928–2016), film director


• 
  Marta Kubišová (born 1942), singer


• 
  Vladimír Remek (born 1948), cosmonaut (first non-USSR, non-US citizen in space aboard Soyuz 28 in 1978)


• 
  Pavel Tobiáš (born 1955), football player and manager


• 
  František Straka (born 1958), football player and manager


• 
  Zdeněk Tůma (born 1960), economist


• 
  Karel Roden (born 1962), actor


• 
  Karel Vácha (born 1970), football player


• 
  Jiří Lerch (born 1971), football player


• 
  Jaroslav Modrý (born 1971), ice hockey player


• 
  Radek Mynář (born 1974), football player


• 
  Stanislav Neckář (born 1975), ice hockey player


• 
  Václav "Vinny" Prospal (born 1975), ice hockey player


• 
  Roman Lengyel (born 1978), football player


• 
  Vladimíra Uhlířová (born 1978), tennis player


• 
  Josef Melichar (born 1979), ice hockey player


• 
  David Lafata (born 1981), football player


• 
  Václav Nedorost (born 1982), ice hockey player


• 
  Filip Novák (born 1982), ice hockey player


• 
  Jiří Kladrubský (born 1985), football player


• 
  Tomáš Mertl (born 1986), ice hockey player


• 
  Martin Hanzal (born 1987), ice hockey player

The city is also 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

International relations

Sculpture of rushing managers by Czech sculptor Michal Trpák (Lannova avenue)

Twin towns and sister cities

České Budějovice is twinned with:

References

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to České Budějovice.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for České Budějovice.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Budweis.

• České Budějovice – official page


• 
  Official page (in Czech)
  


• Virtual Tourist tour of České Budějovice


• University of South Bohemia


• Region of České Budějovice


• 
  České Budějovice – tourism, basic facts, hotels


• 
  České Budějovice – tourism, basic facts, accommodation


• 
  Text of European Court of Justice judgment in the "Budweiser" trademark case – Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 16 November 2004. Anheuser-Busch Inc. v Budĕjovický Budvar, národní podnik. Reference for a preliminary ruling: Korkein oikeus – Finland. Agreement establishing the World Trade Organisation – Articles 2(1), 16(1) and 70 of the TRIPs Agreement – Trade marks – Scope of the proprietor's exclusive right to the trade mark – Alleged use of the sign as a trade name. Case C-245/02.
  


• 
  "Švejk Central": Web site devoted to the Hašek novel


• České Budějovice at the official website of the Czech Republic


• Virtual show