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	České Budějovice
	Budweis
	City
Flag	Coat of arms
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Bohemian
District	České Budějovice
Rivers	Vltava, Malše
Center	Přemysl Otakar II Square
- elevation	381 m (1,250 ft)
- coordinates	48°58′29″N 14°28′29″E / 48.97472°N 14.47472°E
Area	55.56 km2 (21 sq mi)
Population	96,053 (As of 2009)
Density	1,729 /km2 (4,478 /sq mi)
Founded	1055
Mayor	Juraj Thoma (ODS)
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	370 01
	Wikimedia Commons: České Budějovice
	Website: www.c-budejovice.cz

Coordinates: 48°58′29″N 14°28′29″E / 48.97472°N 14.47472°E

České Budějovice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈtʃɛskɛː ˈbuɟɛjovɪtsɛ]; colloquially: Budějce; German: Budweis or Böhmisch Budweis, often referred to simply as Budweis in English; Polish: Czeskie Budziejowice) is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia. The town is not to be confused with Moravské Budějovice in Moravia.

[edit] History

The city was founded by Hirzo, a knight of King Ottokar II of Bohemia, and was granted its Municipal charter in 1265. The royal city was created as a platform of the king's power in South Bohemia and to counterbalance the powerful aristocratic House of Witigonen and the successive House of Rosenberg. The House of Rosenberg died out in 1611. The city was traditionally a bulwark of the Catholics in the long-lasting religious conflicts in Bohemia.

The city was a German-speaking enclave since 17th century until 1890. During the industrialization of the city, Czechs became the ethnic majority. Until the ethnic cleansing of Germans by the Czech government in 1945 after World War II, the city contained a significant German minority (about 15.5 % in 1930).

[edit] Beer

Budějovice has long been well known for the beer brewed there since the 13th century. For a time the town was the royal brewery for the Holy Roman Emperor, and Budweiser Bier (beer from Budweis) became,^[1] along with Plzeň's Pilsener, one of the best-known lagers. Brewing remains a major industry.

The largest brewery, founded in 1895, is Pivovar Budějovický Budvar (Budweiser Budvar Brewery), which has legal rights to market its beer under the "Budweiser" brand name in much of Europe. The same product is also sold elsewhere under the names "Budvar" and "Czechvar" due to legal squabbles with Anheuser-Busch over the Budweiser brand. The American lager was originally brewed as an imitation of the famous Bohemian original, but over time has developed its own identity and attained remarkable commercial success. Anheuser-Busch has made offers to buy out the Czech brewing company in order to secure global rights to the name "Budweiser", but the Czech government has refused all such offers, regarding the Czech Budweiser name to be a matter of national pride.

The oldest (since 1795) and second largest brewery was renamed Pivovar Samson by the communists, dropping its original German name. It also exported, mostly under the "Samson" and "Crystal" labels. Recently, they reacquired naming rights for Budweiser for Europe while offering "B. B. Bürgerbräu" in the US since last year.

[edit] Geography

The city is in the center of a valley of the Vltava River, where the Vltava meets the Malše river.

[edit] Sights

České Budějovice's town square: Naměstí Přemysla Otakara II (Přemysl Otakar II Square).

St. Nicholas Cathedral with the Black Tower on the opposite corner of the square

The old town preserves interesting architecture from Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and 19th century period. This includes buildings around the large town square, the old town hall with murals and bronze gargoyles, and the town tower "Černá věž" ("Black Tower"). In the new town the Belle Epoque Austro-Hungarian train station is notable. The most valuable historical building in České Budějovice is Dominican convent with Gothic church Presentation of Virgin Mary on Piaristic square. The horse-drawn railroad line connecting České Budějovice to Linz was the oldest public line in continental Europe (after the line St.Etienne-Andrexieux in France), constructed from 1824 to 1832; mere traces of the line can be seen south of the city center.

The ruins of the home castle of the Czech national hero Jan Žižka, Trocnov, are located some ten kilometres southeast from the town. A bit further away (approximately 30 km), the enchanting town of Český Krumlov is another compulsory stop for the visitor of South Bohemia. In 1992, it was added to UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

[edit] Transport

Local bus and trolley bus routes take passengers to most areas of the city. The city itself can be reached from other locations by inter-city buses and by train. Internationally, a direct railroad line connecting Prague to Venice, Italy also makes a stop in České Budějovice.