Veselí nad Lužnicí

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Coordinates: 49°11′3.47″N 14°41′50.41″E / 49.1842972, 14.6973361

Veselí nad Lužnicí

Town

Coat of arms

Country

Little District

Rivers

Elevation

407 m (1,335 ft)

Coordinates

49°11′3.47″N 14°41′50.41″E / 49.1842972, 14.6973361

Area

29.56 km² (11.41 sq mi)

Population

6,569

Density

222 /km² (575 /sq mi)

First mentioned

1259

Mayor

Jaromír Novák

Timezone

CET (UTC+1)

- summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

391 81

Location in the Czech Republic

Wikimedia Commons: Veselí nad Lužnicí

Website: www.veseli.cz

Veselí nad Lužnicí is a town in South Bohemia, Czech Republic and has population of 6,600. It lies on the confluence of the Lužnice and Nežárka rivers.

The town is situated on the northern edge of the Třeboň basin (407 meters above sea level), and is known for its fish ponds and pine forests. Since the late 19th century, it has been an important railway junction between České Budějovice, Tábor, Třeboň and Jindřichův Hradec. The railway station remains one of the biggest local employers. The sand, concrete and food industries are also long-established in the town.

[edit] History

The town was first mentioned in 1259 as a hamlet and a redoubt on the salt road from Austria to Prague. Emperor Charles IV gave it the status of a town in 1362. In the 15th century, the town saw many fires and was looted by the Hussites. It was Petr Vok from Rožmberk dynasty, a famous fish pond founder and supporter who let the town grow again a hundred years later. The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) damaged the town badly again - with only about 50 people remaining. New development came with the Švamberk dynasty in the second half of the 17th century. Veselí stayed in their possession until the end of the First World War in 1918.

It was originally two separate towns - Veselí nad Lužnicí and Mezimostí nad Nežárkou (a town since 1908). They were joined in 1943 to make one town under the present name.

[edit] Sights

The Church of Povýšení svatého Kříže (Saint Cross Promotion), the oldest monument from the 13th century, dominates the town. The renaissance Old Town Hall is the main building on the square and together with the Museum forms an architectonic unit. Chapel of St. Marek (1754) and the Little Church of St. Florian in Mezimostí (1718) are other notable buildings.

Veselí nad Lužnicí is a popular summer resort, especially for canoers and hikers. Another attraction are the man-made lakes south of the town; these were created in the 1970's and 1980's when huge amounts of sand were quarried. A nature trail runs around them. Horusický rybník, the second largest fish pond in the Czech Republic (415 ha) lies southwest of the town. The recreational area is part of the protected area of Třeboňsko, which was declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve.