The best city hikes and walks around PP Vltava u Blanského lesa

A real eye-catcher on the market square

The founding of the Dominican monastery with its still-preserved Gothic cloister is inextricably linked with the founding of the city. Like the city, the monastery was founded by the Bohemian King Přemysl Otakar II. Since the city was founded in 1265, the monastery must have been established a few years earlier. The monastery, which - as was customary at the time - was part of the city fortifications, was managed by the Dominican Order from the outset. In 1785, it was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II and taken over by the Piarists, who founded a college and a Latin school there. In 1885, the Piarists were replaced by the Redemptorists. The Neo-Gothic reconstruction dates from their time. The monastery buildings were abandoned in 1949. Today, the former monastery is used by the elementary school for art.

At the confluence of the Malše and the Vltava lies the four-star hotel "Budweis". There are 59 double rooms and one suite available for overnight stays. In the 14th century, the city's first mill stood at this location. Its successor building from 1872, the new mill (Přední mlýn), became the basis of today's hotel. During the socialist era, the mill, which closed in 1926, had served as a warehouse for household goods. The conversion into the "Budweis" hotel took place in 2009.

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.

The three-story Palais Včela (Palace Bee), richly decorated with stucco and sculptures, is an outstanding example of German Neo-Renaissance. Built from 1895 to 1896 according to designs by Peter Paul Brang, the house was commissioned by the German savings and advance association Biene. The sculptural decoration was designed and executed by the local painter, sculptor, and later director of the South Bohemian Museum, Richard Kristinus.

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 Dominican Monastery with the adjoining Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (cz. kostel Obětování Panny Marie) is one of the oldest monuments in Budweis.

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