Towns

The town has preserved its Renaissance appearance and was proclaimed an urban monument reservation area. This Renaissance gem on the Golden Path is the gate to the Šumava Mountains. It boasts richly decorated townhouse facades and a town ring fortification that attracts many visitors every year.

Prachatice is inherently associated with the person and legacy of its world-famous native, J. N. Neumann, the first US Saint.

Practical tips:

Information center – Infocentrum

Infocentrum, Velké náměstí 1, 383 01 Prachatice
+420 388 607 574, fax.: +420 388 312 563, www.prachatice.cz, www.kisprachatice.cz ,  infocentrum@prachatice.eu.

Recommended:

The Church of St Jacob Tower

This 53-meter high lookout tower offers a view of the town’s historic center.

Old Town Hall (No. 1)

The town hall from 1571 is a precious example of Italian Renaissance architecture with arcades and Renaissance cellars. An information center is located on the ground floor.

Sittr’s House (No. 13)

This is the seat of the Prachatice Museum with Renaissance cellars and a number of exhibitions.

The Libín View Tower over Prachatice

offers a view of the Šumava Mountains, Jihočeská pánev and the Alps.

Bozkovský’s House (No. 41)

The house bears a sign on the arcade that reads “It was painted, but never paid for”. Since 2001, it has housed the Otto Herbert Hajek Gallery, which donated important pieces of art to the town. Other exhibitions are held in the gallery.

Do not miss:

Spiritual Music Days Festival

June – a traditional music festival and a series of church concerts.

The Czech Puppet and Circus Museum

a unique exposition on the history of puppets, circuses and magic in Bohemia.

The Lace Museum in Prachatice

historic European and Bohemian braided lace

The Kratochvíle u Netolic State Chateau

a Renaissance seat of the Rožmberk family with a rich cultural program

The Dub u Prachatic Castle and Gallery

This castle that used to belong to the Battaglii family is undergoing a major refurbishment. It also houses a gallery.

Husinec u Prachatic

This is the home town of Medieval church reformer Master Jan Hus. There is a memorial and a museum dedicated to his life in the house in which he was born.

The Drslavice Fortress

This Gothic fortress lies 12 km from Prachatice towards Lažiště. A tour can be arranged upon agreement with the owner. Do not miss the 700-year-old Jan Hus lime tree in Chlístov.

Nativity Scenes in Zábrdí

a unique collection of nativity scenes and paintings on glass from all over the world are in Zábrdí u Prachatic.

The Helfenburg Castle Ruins

These extensive castle ruins are located on a rock massive in the Mlaka forest, about 5.5 km west of Bavorov. Both towers have been repaired and opened and one of them is a view tower.

Nordic Walking

Right in the town center are the heads of three interconnected trails of different lengths and difficulty.

IN LINE skating tracks

a track at the Tatran municipal stadium and a new in-line skating track in Lázně sv. Markéty

X-TERRA triathlon

races of international relevance, inseparably associated with summer

Adrenaline experiences

the largest rope park in Europe, 10 km from Prachatice, under the view tower.

The Wading Spa

a therapeutic “hardening” Kneipp method in Lázně sv. Markéty, free admission

Make sure to visit other historic towns :

Písek

The Athens of South Bohemia

This picturesque town has flourished on the Otava River since the 13^th century when it was founded by Bohemian kings. Today’s Písek is full of historic atmosphere, but lives a modern life. Here you can find high quality food and accommodation, many cultural events and extensive sports facilities and opportunities for meetings of all kinds. In addition, Písek can be the starting point for interesting trips, both near and further out, such as the castles on the Orlík Reservoir, Zvíkov and Orlík.

Information center – Infocentrum

Heydukova 97,

+420 382 213 592 (i fax), icpisek@mupisek.cz

The Stone Bridge (the oldest preserved bridge in Bohemia)

National monument

The Písek Castle Horse Breeding Farm

National monument

The Prácheň Museum in the former royal castle

The Malt House

a cultural facility with permanent displays of children’s drawings

A functional historic municipal power plant with lighting museum

A renovated open space in front of Bakalář with archeological findings on display; from here you can climb the Dean Church tower

It is recommended that all guests to Písek visit the Písek Tourist Information System, where you can find news, information about events, accommodation, restaurants, cultural and sports facilities, places of interest in the area, a photo gallery and panoramic views, maps, route searching, tips for tourists, cyclists, rock climbers and boaters.

Vimperk

It used to be called the Town below the Boubín Forest. It lies in the middle of the beautiful nature surrounding the Šumava Mountains, in the Volyňka Valley, and it is a starting point for hiking, biking and cross-country skiing in the Šumava Mountains. Vimperk is also the seat of the Šumava National Park and the Landscape Protected Area administration.

Tourist information center Vimperk

Náměstí Svobody 42, 385 01 Vimperk

+420 388 402 230, www.info.vimperk.cz, infocentrum@mesto.vimperk.cz

The picturesque location of the town with its castle on a high hill, surrounded by walls, the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary and a set of old houses bestow Vimperk its medieval atmosphere. The first inhabited building was the castle, most likely founded as a royal castle around 1260. In 1479, Vimperk was promoted to a town by King Vladislav II Jagiello and became famous because of its glass works and book printing.

Walk along náměstí Svobody and its beautiful fountains, admire the beauty of the townhouses or climb the 34-meter high bell tower and look down at the town from above. The Golden Path Mini Museum is also found on the square. Here you can learn a lot of interesting information about this thousand-year- old trade route. Vimperk used to be one of the destinations on this route that was used to transport salt into Bohemia and connect Bohemia with the Danube Region and the Mediterranean.