České Budějovice town tour - Square of Přemysl Otakar II
The natural starting point of our sightseeing
tour of České Budějovice is the Square
of Přemysl Otakar II. It is said to have
the shape of a perfect square, but it is not
really true - one side is 132 metres and the
other one approximately 137 metres. The
square was marked out soon after the town
was established and it served especially as
a place for holding markets, various fairs
and of course executions. We are reminded
of the execution ground by the so-called
erratic boulder situated near the centre of
the square. It is all that‘s left of the original
stone paving, cobbles. In 1939 the cobbles
were replaced with ceramic paving that
has covered the square to today.
Erratic boulder
There is a legend about the erratic boulder saying that a person who steps over the boulder after ten at night will never again be able to find their way home. You can find the erratic boulder easily. It is inserted in the pavement near Samson‘s Fountain, so you can try yourself whether or not the legend is true. But it‘s not so simple. The legend includes the crafty condition that you have to step over the boulder unconsciously.
Samson‘s Fountain
In the very centre of the square you can
find another important symbol of České Budějovice - Samson‘s Fountain. This magnificent
Baroque work was built in the period
from 1721 to 1727. It is formed by a stone
basin that is one of the largest fountains in
the Czech Republic with a diameter of 17
metres. The fountain is decorated with four
gargoyles and with four statues of atlantes
holding a large stone shell. A pedestal rises
out of the shell with a sculpture of Samson
fighting a lion. During restoration works in
1999 the fountain was equipped with colour
lighting and all the statues were replaced
with copies. The originals are kept inside the
town hall.
Samson‘s Fountain is connected to the art of sculptor Josef Dietrich (1677-1753) and to the stonemason master Zachariáš Horn. The man behind it must also be mentioned: Franz Baugut. He employed his urban designs regarding the position, dimensions and probably also the topic of the fountain. And it was Baugut who initiated construction of the town waterworks from which the fountain was fed. Today the social position of this well-educated man is surprising. Baugut was a Jesuit of Jindřichův Hradec.
Baroque town hall
The square of Přemysl Otakar II is lined with 48 houses, all
of which have an arbour. Let‘s take a closer
look at some of them: The first building
to draw our attention is the gorgeous Baroque
town hall with its three spires situated
in the south-west corner of the square.
It was originally a Renaissance house built
in the period from 1555 to 1558 and it was
reconstructed in Baroque style from 1727 to
1730. The attic is decorated with sculptures
of four virtues by sculptor Josef Dietrich
from České Budějovice - Wisdom, Courage,
Caution and Fairness. Chimes placed in
the middle town hall spire have been contributing to the pleasant atmosphere of the
town centre since 1995. The chimes consist
of 16 bells weighing from 8 to 60 kg and
controlled by a computer. They can play up
to 80 musical motifs according to the time of
day or the season. The chimes were created
by the Perner company from Passau. This
company has its roots in České Budějovice
because it operated here as a bell-making
company from 1772 to 1945.
In the town hall arcade you can see a strip of iron embedded in the wall. It is a standard of a historical unit of measurement - the so-called Vienna cubit (77.8 cm). You should not miss a memorial plaque in the facade of the town hall, commemorating President T. G. Masaryk‘s stop here during his return to the Czech lands by train in 1918.
We recommend that you also look at the interior of the town hall. What you will see is not only a fortuitous combination of the town hall‘s modern reconstruction with the original architecture, but also for instance the original statue of Samson from the fountain in the square, the original statues of virtues from the town hall attic, a large tapestry by painter Cyril Bouda, etc. A view of the town from the observation terrace, which is situated on the roof of the building, is also very nice.
Apart from the town hall all other houses in the square were in the past owned by wealthy burghers or even noblemen. Some noblemen needed grand housing, so they reconstructed (especially in the 16th century) the original Gothic houses that were built back when the town was founded. Therefore we can still find a Gothic core and the original layout in most of them.
Hotel Zvon
The Zvon Hotel consisting of three buildings
is a dominant feature of the square
opposite the town hall. The largest of these
three buildings used to be an inn where Emperor
Joseph II spent a night. However, the
current appearance of the hotel dates to the
very beginning of the 20th century, when the
building was reconstructed after a great fire.
On the right, the three houses of the Zvon Hotel are followed by the tall Včela Palace, which encloses this side of the square. The palace is different from the other buildings in the square in terms of age, because it was built in 1896.
Of course, in the square we can find a number of houses that are very valuable in terms of architecture and history. However, this guide cannot include a description of all of them. Therefore let‘s take a look at the corner Prindl‘s House located at the mouth of Krajinská Street. It stands out thanks to its stone tracery dating to the 14th and 15th centuries. House No. 55/15 dating to 1493 with a separate chapel, which is situated on the north side of the square, is a jewel of the late Gothic style.
The modern architecture of pre-war Czechoslovakia is represented by the attractive functionalist building of Česká spořitelna dating to the 1930s in the very centre of the town. Experts consider it the best functionalist building in South Bohemia.
IČ: 75152533, zapsané u KS v Č: Budějovicích, spis. zn. L 6355/KSCB | korespondenční adresa: Chvalšinská 242, 381 01 Český Krumlov
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