Tips on trips – Interesting places

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 20 km SE | GPS: 48°53'54.964"N, 14°38'32.165"E

This is a small picturesque town with several significant and interesting structural monuments. The former Augustinian monastery was established in 1455 and this late Gothic facility is bordered by the Baroque château dating from 1763 - 1767, which wasa the original seat of the principals at the monastery.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 50 km NE | GPS: 48°48'39.269"N, 14°18'54.747"E

This is a château , which is romantically situated on a stone island in the middle of a fishpond. The original water-protected fortress was gradually reconstructed in the 16th and 17th centuries until it became a more comfortable Renaissance château, which could not be extended outwards due to the nature of the building site. The present appearance of the château dates from reconstruction work undertaken in 1903 - 1912. The château is open to the public.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 25 km SSW | GPS: 48°48'39.269"N, 14°18'54.747"E

This is one of the best-preserved historical towns in Bohemia and it has been entered into the UNESCO world cultural heritage list. The local castle was the seat of the House of Vítkovec from the time it was established and it especially served the most significant branch of this family, the lords of Rožmberk. In 1602, the Emperor Rudolf II purchased Krumlov. Thereafter, it belonged to the House of Eggenberg and finally to the House of Schwarzenberg.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 30 km SW | GPS: 48°53'21.269"N, 14°21'25.109"E

This is an expansive castle ruin on a rugged promontory above the Vltava River and the Křemežský Stream, to the north of the Zlatá Koruna monastery. The Rožmberk Brothers established this large, well-fortified settlement in 1349 with the permission of Charles IV and the castle remained in the ownership of this powerful aristocratic house for almost its entire existence. In 1394, King Václav IV was even imprisoned there for a short while. Durinf the 16th century, Dívčí Kámen was abandoned and it became a ruin. Opposite the castle near Třísov, there are the remains of a former Celtic settlement , a sort of fortified town dating from the last century before Christ.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 40 km SE | GPS: 48°44'28.072"N, 14°43'23.03"E

This is a place of pilgrimage, which was formaly widely renowned for its curative waters and was even at one time known as the "South Bohemian Lourdes". The Baroque Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (chrám Nanebevzetí Panny Marie), which is visible from afar, arose in 1708 - 1715 and it offers a beautiful view of the Nové Hrady District and the Třeboň Basin. Hojná Voda, a former renowned spa town favoured by the Lords of Rožumberk and the place where the writer Zikmund Winter wrote his novel "Master Kampanus (Mistr Kampanus)", lies not far away.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 15 km NNW | GPS: 49°3'8.1"N, 14°26'3.373"E

This romantic château near České Budějovice is probably one of the most sought out monuments in South Bohemia. The original royal castle dating from the 13th century has undergone many renovations of which the last took place in 1845 - 1871 and thus gave the château its appearance as the sumptuous neo-gothic seat of the House of Schwarzenberg. The Ohrada hunting lodge stands not far from Hluboká on the banks of the Munický fishpond. The lodge was built in 1708 - 1721 for Adam František of Schwarzenberg. Today it houses a richly equipped hunting museum. The lodge also has a small zoological garden especially oriented toward Šumava fauna (an ideal trip destination for families with children).

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 18 km W | GPS: 48°58'7.284"N, 14°16'20.824"E

This is a village with an expansive common, which is surrounded by uniquely preserved rows of walled homesteads with decorated gables dating from the 19th century. This unique se of folk architecture in the style of the so-called rustic Baroque has been entered in the UNESCO international cultural heritage list since 1998. Peasant Celebrations (Selské slavnosti) take place here every year at the end of July, at which dozens of folk craftspeople and artists offer their wares. Impressive examples of rustic Baroque can also be found in many other villages in the Hluboká area (for example Plástovice, Malé Chrášťany and Zbudov) or in the area of the Soběslav Moors (Soběslavská Blata) (Komárov, Klečaty, Mažice, Vlastiboř, Zálší and do on).

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 40 km N | GPS: 49°6'41.17"N, 14°27'36.74"E

This is a castle ruin hidden in the forest growth above the Vltava Valley. It was built in the 1450s at the behest of Charles IV as a hunting castle and apparently as an intended administrative centre. However, it soon lost its significance and it was abandoned before the end of the same century.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 35 km SW | GPS: 48°51'55.078"N, 14°17'3.611"E

The massive Blanský Forest (Blanský les) with its highest mountain Kleť (1083 m), which is home to the oldest stone lookout tower in Bohemia dating from 1825, lies in the area between Český Krumlov and České Budějovice.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 30 km W | GPS: 49°3'30.47"N, 14°10'8.14"E

This is a Renaissance château built in 1583 - 1589 for Vilém of Rožmberk as a summer and hunting residence. The architect, Baltassare Maggi, was inspired by the rural villas of the Italien feudal lords, and Kratochvíle therefore makes a very unusual impression. Visits to the château aare especially popular with families, becouse not only does it house Renaissance interiors with wonderful stucco decorations, but also an exhibition of Czech animated film.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 40 km SE | GPS: 48°47'22.671"N, 14°46'42.187"E

This town with its castle were established in the 13th century and later subjected to frequent renovations. It belonged to the House of Rožmberk and then to the House of Buquoy, which operated a renowned glassworks in the Nové Hrady estate. The Baroque town hall stands on the square and the Buqouy Residence (1634 - 1635) is opposite it. The expansive Empire-style château dating from 1801 - 1810 is now open to the public, as is the neo-Gothic Buqouy tomb in the cemetery. Visits can also be made to the renewed monastery built in 1679 - 1685 next to the older Gothic Church of SS Peter and Paul (kostel sv. Petra a Pavla). A favourite place for strolls is the nearby Tereziino or Terčino Valley, an expansive English park with several romantic structures, exotic tree species and an artificial waterfall. The park was built from the second half of the 18th century and named in honour of the Countess Terezia Buquoyová. The Cuknštejn medieval fortress dating from the period between 1488 and 1491 is situated at the end of the valley.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 20 km S | GPS: 48°51'20.217"N, 14°29'12.63"E

This is a significant pilgrimage site constructed by the Český Krumlov Jesuits and dating from 1648. The centre of the township has a church with a Loretta chapel and cloister. From there, it is possible to undertake a six kilometre walk along the Way of the Cross, the twenty-five stations of which have been sensitively located within the landscape.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 40 km NE | GPS: 49°4'10.962"N, 14°54'19.85"E

This town has a Baroque château, which is based on a medieval castle belonging to the House of Vítkovec. From 1914 to 1930, the internationally renowned singer Ema Destinnová owned and lived in the château.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 20 km SE | GPS: 48°50'32.333"N, 14°38'21.265"E

The town gets its name from the pig markets. Whereas no trace has remained of the local castle, which was the seat of one of the branches of the House of Vítkovec as early as the 13th century, the architecturally unique Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (kostel Nanebevzetí Panny Marie) has been preserved. Its later Gothic transformation took place in 1485 and was still underway a quarter of a century later. The stone tower with barbicans on the western side bears witness to the fact that the cathedral could also be used as a refuge for the citizens at times of threat. The Baroque Church of the Holy Trinity (kostel svaté Trojice) dating from 1708 - 1710 is situated to the south of the city. it has been interestingly designed and effectively integrated into the landscape. The nearby Bušek´s Iron-Mill (Buškův hamr) dating from 1836 is a unique functioning technical monument with a display of metal working technology, which is vell worth a visit.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 15 km SE | GPS: 48°54'23.285"N, 14°35'43.558"E

This involves the precinct of a defunct medieval village, from which the Hussite general Jan Žižka of Trocnov came. The former gamekeeper´s house with a small historical display can be visited and there is a circuit walk with the remains of two original farmsteads and a monument at the apparent place of Žižka´s birth.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 30 km E | GPS: 49°0'13.1"N, 14°46'14.339"E

The unique atmosphere of this spa town is supplemented by the exceptionally preserved historical core, its position on the banks of the Svět fishpond and last but not least by the awareness of its rich history connected with the House of Rožmberk.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 25 km SSW | GPS: 48°51'17.17"N, 14°22'10.342"E

This is an expansive Cistercian monasstery, one of the largest in our territory. It was established in 1263 by the Bohemian king Přemysl Otakar II with the aim of demonstrating his sovereign power over the South Bohemian House of Vítkovec. The Gothic monastery complex grew for almost one hundred years and was then expanded futher during later renovations. The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (chrám Nanebevzetí Panny Marie), which is adjacent to the convent and the nearby unique multi-storeyed Chapel of the Guardian Angels (kaple Andělů strážných), towers over the other buildings. The monastery is open to the public.

Distance from Č. Budějovice: 30 km SE | GPS: 48°47'44.858"N, 14°40'56.503"E

This includes a fortress complex, a fortified courtyard and a Gothic church. The original medieval fortress, which was renovated and expanded in the Renaissance style, is nowadays carefully maintained and it houses a permanent exhibition of South Bohemian painted folk furniture. Apart from this, five ramparts from the fortified farmstead have been preserved.