Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

274 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp288–91 and pp292–5

vaulting can be seen. The

furnishing is mostly Neo-

Gothic, but there is also a

spectacular Rococo pulpit

dating from 1759, and

17th-century organs. The

Gothic cloister also has two

original tracery windows

that are fine examples of

medieval stone masonry work.

The large stone amphibian

carved on the side wall by the

church entrance, is a reminder

of the local legend about the

creature. It was believed to

have been guarding a treasure

that was hidden here, and

had tried to prevent the

construction of the church.

P Butchers’ Market

Krajinská 13.

The Renaissance Butchers’

Market (Masné krámy) is

now home to one of the most

famous restaurants, Masné

krámy, in České Budějovice.

The building has three stone

masks and the year of its con-

struc tion, 1531, on its façade.

P Black Tower

U Černé věže. Tel 386 801 413.

# Apr–Jun, Sep, Oct: noon–6pm

Tue–Sun; Jul, Aug: 10am–6pm

daily. &

The Gothic-Renaissance

Black Tower (Černa věž),

dating from 1577, stands

next to St Nicholas’s

Cathedral. It for merly served

as a belfry and the town’s

observation tower. In 1723,

two bells were placed in the

belfry; a third bell, Budvar,

was added in 1995. It was

presented to the town by the

nearby Budvar brewery.

Visitors get a fine view of

(radnice) built by Antonio

Martinelli between 1727 and

1730 to replace a Renaissance

build ing. Allegorical statues of

Justice, Providence,

Wisdom and Honesty

stand on the roof.

On top of the tallest

tower is a statue of

the Czech lion, and

on the left side is the

medieval stan dard ell

measure (the

forearm), used

when measuring

cloth. The

Debating Hall fea-

tures The Judgement

of Solomon (1730)

by Jan Adam Schöpf.

R Dominican

Monastery and

Church of the

Sacrifice of the Virgin

Piaristické náměstí.

# 10am–5pm daily.

This former

monastery (Kostel

Obětování Panny

Marie) was built at

the same time as the

founding of České

Budějovice in 1265

and was altered by

Peter Parler in the

14th century. Inside

the monastery’s

church, cross-rib

P Town Square
The Town Square (Náměstí
Přemysla Otakara II) bears
the name of the town’s
founder, Přemysl Otakar
II. Measur ing 133 m
(436 ft) on each side,
the square is
surrounded by
arc a d ed houses,
built mostly during
the Middle Ages, that
now have Baroque
and Renaissance
façades because
of the numerous
alterations made
by their German
owners. At the
square’s centre
stands Samson’s
Fountain, built in 1727, with a
sculpture of Samson and the
lion. Made by Josef Dietrich,
it was for some time the only
source of water for the town’s
popu lation. The cobblestones
were laid in 1934 in distinc-
tive square pattern.

P Town Hall
Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II. Tel 386
801 413. # Jul & Aug: 10am, 2pm,
4pm Mon–Fri, 10am, 2pm Sat, Sun;
May, Jun, Sep: 2pm daily. & 8
The southwest corner of the
Town Square is occupied by
the Baroque three-towered,
white-and-blue Town Hall

Founded in 1265, the town of České Budějovice had
two magnificent churches and mighty town walls from
as early as the 13th and 14th centuries. Spared by the
Thirty Years’ War, it was destroyed by the Great Fire of

1641. Today, the town is the political and commercial
      capital of southern Bohemia and is renowned for its
      Budvar Brewery. The town’s well-preserved historic
      centre has maintained its original layout, with a central
      square and surrounding streets in a grid pattern.

České Budějovice 8

Coat of arms on

the Town Hall

České Budějovice’s Town Square, one of Europe’s largest squares

The three-towered façade of the Town Hall