České Budějovice
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| České Budějovice | |||
| Budweis | |||
| City | |||
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| Country |  Czech Republic |
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| Region | South Bohemian | ||
| District | České Budějovice | ||
| Rivers | Vltava, Malše | ||
| Center | Přemysl Otakar II Square | ||
| - elevation | 381 m (1,250 ft) | ||
| - coordinates | |||
| Area | 55.56 km² (21 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 94,747 (2006) | ||
| Density | 1,705 /km² (4,416 /sq mi) | ||
| Founded | 1055 | ||
| Mayor | Juraj Thoma (ODS) | ||
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 370 01 | ||
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| Wikimedia Commons: České Budějovice | |||
| Website: www.c-budejovice.cz | |||
České Budějovice (IPA: [ˈtʃɛskɛː ˈbuɟɛjovɪtsɛ]; colloquially: Budějice; officially German: Böhmisch Budweis or colloquially German: Budweis[1] often referred to simply as Budweis in English) 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 catholic Diocese of České Budějovice. The town is not to be confused with Moravské Budějovice in Moravia.
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[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 until 1890. During the industrialization of the city, Czechs became the ethnic majority. Until the mass expulsion of 1945 resulting from World War II, the city had a significant German minority (about 15.5 % in 1930).
[edit] Beer
České 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,[2] along with Pilsener, one of the best-known lagers. Brewing remains a major industry.
The largest brewery 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 Czech 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, considering keeping the Budweiser name Czech to be a matter of national pride.
The second largest brewery, Pivovar Samson, also does a fair amount of export, mostly under the "Samson" and "Crystal" labels as well as "B. B. Bügerbräu", which has been 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
The old town preserves interesting Medieval and Baroque architecture around the large town square, including 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 (cca 30km), the enchanting town of Český Krumlov is another compulsory stop for the visitor of South Bohemia. It was added in 1992 to UNESCO's World Heritage list.
[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 Ceske Budejovice.
[edit] Miscellaneous
It is home to the University of South Bohemia and an Academy of Sciences.
It was the birthplace of:
- Richard Bernaschek, Austrian politician SPÖ
- Rudolf Hieronymus Eusebius von Colloredo-Waldsee, Austrian aristocrat
- Adalbert Gyrowetz (Vojtěch Jírovec), Bohemian composer
- Marie Horáková, Bohemian actress
- Karl Adalbert Lanna, Bohemian industrialist
- Haro Senft, Bohemian director and producer
- Adrian Molk, Austrian magician
- František Straka, Czech soccer player/coach
- Rolf Thiele, Austrian director and producer
- Vladimír Remek, Czech astronaut
- Karel Roden, Czech actor
- Václav Prospal, Czech ice hockey leftwinger
- Veronika Zemanová, Czech model
- Petra Skálová, Czech model
- Jaroslav Modry, NHL player for the Philadelphia Flyers
The city is also one of the major settings in the novel "The Good Soldier: Švejk" by Jaroslav Hašek.
[edit] Sister cities and twin towns
[edit] References
- ^ vyhláška ministra vnitra č. 20/1921 Sb. z. a n., o změnách úředních názvů měst, obcí a osad povolených v roce 1920: "Výnosem ze dne 2. března 1920, č. 10.454, povolena byla k žádosti města Budějovic změna jména této obce a osady na "České Budějovice", německy "Böhmisch Budweis"."
- ^ See the entry for Monday, February 4, 2008 on 365 Amazing Trivia Facts (Workman Publishing, 2008).
[edit] External links
- České Budějovice - official page
- Virtual Tourist tour of České Budějovice
- University of South Bohemia
- Region of České Budějovice
- Ceske Budejovice - tourism, basic facts, hotels
- Text of European Court of Justice decision in the "Budweiser" trademark case
- "Švejk Central": Web site devoted to the Hašek novel
- České Budějovice at the official website of the Czech republic
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