Ceske Budejovice is the largest town in South Bohemia. It is a town with an interesting history and notable places of interest, but the business, economic, political and cultural centre of region. The town is located at the south-east part of the Ceske Budejovice basin. Thanks to its favourable position on
the mercantile pathway, the Ceske Budejovice basin was settled many centuries ago. It was here, on the confluence of the Vltava and Malse rivers, where the Bohemian king Premysl Otakar II. founded a town which he called Buduoyz - Budejovice. The town had to serve as a strong support against the expansiveness of the Vitkovci, a South Bohemian feudal clan, later known as the Rosenbergs.
The 14
th century meant a period of prosperity for the town. The fact that during the Hussite disordes the town was never attacted proved the strong position of the town. The loyality to the king brought a number of privileges to the town and that is why Ceske Budejovice became the most important town of the Bohemian Kingdom, after Prague and Pilsen.
Between 1825 - 1832
the first European continental horse railway was built, according to the designs of father and son Gerstners. It was to connect Ceske Budejovice to Linz. With the horse railway the industry started to move to the town. The first great company were linked to the name of the local businessman
and boatswain Vojtech Lanna. In 1847 the Viennese firm Hardtmuth brought here the enterprise for producing pencil and ceramics. In the last third of the 19
th century were also established enterprises with Czech capital. The most important was the Czech jointstock brewery - nowadays Budvar of Budejovice, founded in 1895, which has spread the fame of the town to many countries all over the world.
Ceske Budejovice, nowadays 100 000 inhabitants, can pride on an interesting places of interest. One of them is the Premysl Otakar II. square. Thanks to its area it belongs to the biggest square in the Czech Republic.
The oldest building in town is the monastery, which is located close to the fortification. To the monastery belongs so-called White Tower. The fortification has come down to the present and especially along the dead arm of the Vltava river. Very interesting is the tower called
Zelezna panna (Iron Virgin) from 14
th century.
Places connected with the historical horse railway belong to the most interesting sights of Ceske Budejovice, too. The former inn U zelene ratolesti at Husova street was the northernmost point of the railway. We could find here the stores of the Lanna forwardingfirm. The relics of the building of the salt store in Ceska street is a reminder of the reason why the horse railway was built.
The guard house in Manesova street used to be a part of the area of the goods station. Nowadays it belongs to the South Bohemian Museum and you can see an exhibition dedicated to the horse railway there.
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