The best MTB trails around okres České Budějovice

A real eye-catcher on the market square

The modern sculpture shows a group of humanoids, i.e. human-like beings, rushing somewhere. According to the artist Michal Trpák, it depicts our society, where many people rush from nowhere to nowhere.

Practical use and adornment of the square: The fountain, the construction of which was decided by the city council in 1716, should fulfill both functions. On the one hand, it should supply households, craft businesses, and hospitality establishments with water, and on the other hand, it should impress visually through exquisite stonework (by Zachariáš Horn) and sculptural decorations (by Josef Dietrich). Between 1721 and 1727, the fountain was built, its water pumped from the Vltava. The sculpture, depicting the biblical Samson taming a lion, is considered a landmark of České Budějovice. Samson looks north towards Prague.

With an area of 1.78 hectares, Přemysl Otakar II Square in České Budějovice is the second largest square in the Czech Republic, after the town square in Vysoké Mýto (2.05 hectares). Since January 1, 1991, it has been named after the city founder King Přemysl Otakar II of Bohemia; previously (especially in the 20th century) its name changed frequently. The almost square square with a side length of 133 meters was already laid out when the city was founded in 1265. Around it, eight-meter-wide plots were measured for the construction of burgher houses. Today, there are 48 houses around the square, including the baroque town hall, the Art Nouveau building Puklics House, and the Neo-Renaissance masterpiece Biene Palace.

In the 15th century, two Gothic townhouses were combined into one building on the southwest corner of Přemysl Otakar II Square to create a new, representative town hall. Due to structural problems, demolition of the town hall began in 1555 and a new one was built on the same footprint. This one also no longer satisfied the town council in 1727. A new building was decided upon, which the council members commissioned from the architect Anton Erhard Martinelli, who came from Northern Italy. The work lasted from 1727 to 1730. The overall silhouette of the now baroque town hall was changed by three towers. The last significant change to the town hall took place in 1983, when the facade was changed from its former ochre-yellow hue to its current grey-blue during the renovation. Since October 1995, there has been a computer-controlled carillon with sixteen bells in the central tower. It can play up to eighty different melodies.

The foundation stone of the parish church of the royal town of České Budějovice was laid in 1265, shortly after the town was founded. Around 1297, the main altar was consecrated and the church was opened, although it was not yet completed (the main building was probably only finished in the mid-14th century). Originally an early Gothic basilica, the church was almost completely destroyed in the great town fire of 1641. The subsequent restoration gave the church its present-day baroque appearance. St. Nicholas Cathedral is the main church of the Diocese of České Budějovice.

In 1547, the city council of České Budějovice resolved to build the Black Tower (Černá věž), which was intended to serve as a watchtower, bell tower, and not least as a symbol of the city's wealth. The construction of the tower, which today is open to the public up to the gallery on the ninth floor with its fantastic views over the city, lasted from 1549 to 1577. In 1606, the tower was additionally equipped with a clock. The name supposedly comes from the great fire of České Budějovice in 1641, during which the surface of the stone blocks is said to have turned black. In fact, however, the name "Black Tower" for the 71.9-meter-high structure only appeared around 1890. In the 19th century, the last remnants of the painted plaster fell off, and the stone surface turned black, presumably as a result of air pollution from industrialization and coal combustion.

An impressive work by the artist Michal Trpák from 2077, which after several exhibition venues has found its current place on Lennova Street in this city. It consists of eight resin-filled human figures, which evoked a strange feeling in me upon seeing them. It is as if I were seeing jumpy, stressed human beings burdened by the materialism surrounding us. They seem to have stopped being humans and become robots.